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Maple Ridge Burrards tops in tight race for first in WLA

One game left in regular season
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Paul Evans Photography Maple Ridge Burrard Luke Gillespie dives and shoots against the Vicoria Shamrocks. Victoria can still wrestle first place from the Burrards with a strong to the season this week.

The Maple Ridge Burrards are leading a tight race for first place as the regular season winds down in the Western Lacrosse Association.

The reigning league champs beat Langley 10-6 on Tuesday, but lost to the resurgent New Westminster Salmonbellies 11-7 on Sunday.

Their power play punished Langley, going five-for-five on the day, and sniper Ben McIntosh was the triggerman. With his team already up 3-1, he scored on three straight power plays to take a commanding 6-1 lead by the midpoint of the game. He finished with four goals and two assists.

Matthew Dinsdale was in on virtually everything, assisting on seven goals and scoring two of his own in a nine-point outing. Riley Loewen was almost as prolific, with a goal and seven assists.

Other scorers for the Burrards were Jeff Cornwall, Zack Porter and Luke Gillespie.

Team scoring leader Mike Mallory was held off the score sheet – he was ejected for fighting early in the game.

Special teams were the story of the game, as the Burrards also killed four Langley power plays.

On Sunday at Planet Ice the Burrards lost their second straight game to the Salmonbellies.

Dinsdale had three goals and two assists, McIntosh two goals and an assist and Malory three assists.

Gillespie and Adam Dickson also scored.

After the past week’s action, the Burrards remain on top of the league standings with an 11-6 record, but will need some help from other teams to hold onto it.

With just a game left, Ridge will finish their schedule on Saturday at Coquitlam Sports Centre. Coquitlam has gone 5-10 this season, and in particular has struggled to score.

Victoria is one point back in the standings with a game in hand, but have tough games against third-place New West on Thursday and fourth-place Burnaby on Friday. Burnaby beat the Shamrocks 7-4 last Friday night.



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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