The Maple Ridge Burrards have lost three of their last four games, slipped to third place in the Western Lacrosse Association, and next face the toughest team in the league as they try to get back on track.
With a loss against the first-place Victoria Shamrocks on Sunday, a once-promising season could slip into mediocrity at 5-5. A win against the league’s top team, with a 6-2 record, would make a statement that the Burrards’ are legit, and worthy of the early-season kudos, which included a No. 2 spot in the Lacrosse Talk National Rankings.
The Shamrocks blasted the Burrards 14-9 in Victoria on Friday.
Corey Small, the Edmonton Rush sniper who has led the Shamrocks in scoring for the past two seasons, lit up Ridge for seven goals, and added three assists. The ’Rocks welted Burrards goaltender Christ Levis for 69 shots, and Small had 19 of those. The Burrards had 42 shots.
Burrard Curtis Dickson, the league scoring leader, had four goals and two assists in the game, and team captain Jarrett Davis had five assists. Andrew Murphy had a goal and two assists, and Riley Loewen scored twice.
Then on Sunday night, the Burrards lost to the Burnaby Lakers 11-7 at home.
The Lakers had won three straight games, including victories over the first-place Shamrocks and second-place Langley Thunder. They jumped the Burrards for three quick goals, took a 5-1 lead after the first period and never let Ridge up off the floor. Scott Jones scored three goals and had five assists for Burnaby.
Dickson had his first scoreless game of the season, but tallied four assists.
The Burrard’s first-round draft pick out of Coquitlam Junior A, Ben McIntosh, scored three times. Brandon Bertoia had a goal and two assists, and Riley Loewen.Ben Davies also scored.
Sunday’s game time is 6:45 p.m. at Planet Ice.
