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Burrards have best regular season, but could drop to second

WLA playoffs will start this week in Maple Ridge
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The Maple Ridge Burrards are in first place in the WLA, finishing with their best regular-season record ever, but will need some help to stay on top.

“There is some really good parity at the top of the league,” said general manager Rey Comeault, noting that right now just three points separate first place from fourth.

On Saturday in Coquitlam the Burrards finished up their Western Lacrosse Association regular season schedule with a 9-5 win over the Adanacs.

The Burrards jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period as they outshot the Adanacs 26-11 and took control of the game.

Coquitlam got a pair of power play goals early in the second period, and drew the score to 4-3. But the Burrards got three straight unanswered goals and cruised to a win from there.

Ben McIntosh led the Burrards scoring with two goals and three assists, while Riley Loewen and Jeff Cornwall each had two goals and an assist.

Loewen finishes the regular season as the Burrards top scorer, tied for sixth in the WLA, with 20 goals and 53 points in just 14 games.

McIntosh put up an impressive 25 goals and 43 points in just 12 games, to lead the Burrards in lighting the lamp.

Adam Dickson also had a three-point game, with a goal and two assists, and in net, Frankie Scigliano made 36 saves on 41 shots.

The win left the Burrards in first place, with a record of 12-6, but scoreboard watching to see if they can hang on to the top spot.

The Burnaby Lakers are just one point back of the Burrards at 11-5-1 with a game in hand, and they face the lowly Langley Thunder in their final game. A win on Tuesday night would give them first place in the WLA for the first time ever, and so far this season the Thunder have gone 4-13.

“There’s a lot at stake for Burnaby. I’m pretty sure they are going to come out guns ablazing,” predicted Comeault.

It must be said, however, that the last-place team has managed wins over tough teams in the Victoria Shamrocks and New Westminister Salmonbellies.

The dynastic Shamrocks fell apart down the stretch, losing three straight games and dropping to fourth place. The Lakers beat them twice, and the Salmonbellies hammered them 19-8 on Thursday.

“Victoria Shamrocks reeling heading into WLA playoffs” says the headline in the Victoria News.

If the Burrards finish first, they will host Victoria on Thursday, and if they finish second they will take on New West on Friday. Both games would be at 7:30 p.m. at Cam Neely Arena.

Comeault said the Burrards can beat anybody in a seven-game series.

“We think we are a playoff-built team, and our offence is better that it has ever been.”



Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
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