The New Westminster Salmonbellies are one win away from a spot in the Western Lacrosse Association playoff final.
The senior A Salmonbellies took a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven semifinal series against the Langley Thunder last week with a 10-5 road win on Thursday before eking out an 8-7 victory at home on Saturday to set up Monday’s potential series’ winner.
In Langley, New West never trailed, taking the lead in the third minute on Keegan Bal’s game opener.
The ’Bellies led 3-1 after the first period and extended that lead to 6-3 after 40 minutes before finishing things off with goals by Colton Clark, Patrick Miles and Richard Lachlan, with his hat-trick marker on a power play with less than five minutes left in the contest. Miles tallied his second of the game into an empty net.
At home, first star Jordan McBride opened the scoring and then broke open a tight game early in the middle period, sparking an unanswered three-goal scoring spree that but the league runner-up in charge.
McBride tallied back-to-back goals two minutes apart near the midway stage of the game and then set up Bal with a lovely field to the top of the crease for a 6-3 lead.
Lachlan also scored a pair of goals for the ’Bellies, including a quick one-timer in traffic that gave the home team a 2-1 first-period lead.
“This was a very big win for us,” said Lachlan. “In the playoffs, there are no easy games. You have to put your body on the line. It’s playoff lacrosse. You got to bump and grind a little bit.”
Both McBride and Lachlan did their share of that, accumulating five of New West’s first seven goals through the midway mark of the final frame.
At that point, Langley staged a mini rally of its own, clawing back to within a goal on the backs of two former New Westminster juniors.
Rookie righthander Anthony Malcom got it started on a power play in the 11th minute and then Leif Mydske tallied a shorthanded marker off the ensuing faceoff less than 30 seconds later.
Malcom got his second of the game on a sweet shot to the near post on a second power play to shave the deficit to 7-6 with less than five minutes to go, but Jimmy McBride re-established a two-goal lead for New West with the game-winning tally on a transition counter from goalie Eric Penney a minute later.
Penney was brilliant again in goal for the Salmonbellies, earning a second consecutive game star.
The Record’s pick for WLA rookie of the year and semifinal MVP put in another stellar outing for the Fishmen, stopping 42 Langley shots and registering a 0.857 save percentage.
Penney, who claimed Thursday’s first star with a 0.894 save percentage in another 42-save masterpiece at the Langley Events Centre, is currently second in playoff goalkeeping behind Victoria’s Aaron Bold.
“This whole year (Penney) has stood on his head. It’s a luxury we have (to have two starting goalies), he’s never had a bad game,” said Lachlan.
New Westminster could potentially wrap up the series in four straight games tomorrow night (Monday) at the Langley Events Centre. Game time is 7:45 p.m.
