Adanacs Avoid Sweep with Win at Copeland

Game three was a big test for Coquitlam. They fought hard for their spot playing Burnaby in the final, and needed the win tonight to stay in the hunt for the Minto Cup.

Some fans said Burnaby would get up early and shut down the A’s mentally; some said Coquitlam would play smart ball, stay out of the box, and give it everything they had in a last ditch effort.

The first period was easy to watch, both teams were patient and calm. Dane Dobbie scored first on the power play for Burnaby a couple of minutes in. Coquitlam did a good job keeping the Laker offense at bay, but didn’t get a lot of quality chances themselves.

At the end of the first Coquitlam got a burst of energy and Calvin Craig and Mike Brascia put in goals to put the A’s up 2-1.

I expected the second period to be full of testosterone; lots of pushing and shoving and quite a few of trips to the penalty box for both sides. To my surprise there was only one penalty per team, and both teams scored only twice.

In the first two games Burnaby dominated the third frame, usually doubling their score and shutting down any confidence the Adanacs had.

Tonight was all Coquitlam. They started with three penalties but kept Burnaby at bay, closing the shooting lane and not losing focus.

Back at regular strength halfway through the period Sean Robinson, Jordan Weir, Calvin Craig, and Joel Burges all fired great goals past Meakes to pump up the team and fans.

Dane Dobbie contributed to his point total in the playoffs, putting in Burnaby’s only goal of the period.

Just like the previous games, goaltending was huge. Most notable tonight was Tyler Richards for the A’s, who stayed strong through 60 minutes and got a lot of appreciation from the crowd at the end of the match.

Avoiding the sweep means game four will go down Saturday night in Coquitlam with the Lakers up by one. Expect a game with lots of heart, lots of scoring, and depending how the third period ends - perhaps a fight or two.