Ball Breaker Day 2

After a tie game and some unpredictable scores on day one, Sunday was the final day for teams to stretch their pre-season legs, see who stands out, and get a glimpse of what the other teams in the league are brewing for the regular season.

Game 1: Langley 6 - Coquitlam 3
In the first match up on Sunday, Langley were still be riding high after their tight win over Burnaby, and Coquitlam was still scratching their heads over their tie with New West.

The game would kick off with some great hits, setting the tone for a physical 45 minutes of play. After a couple of back and forth penalties Coquitlam would be first to the score sheet with Marty Dinsdale getting a great feed from Jordan Weir, but just like they did yesterday, Langley would work hard to equal the score with Scott Davidson running a carbon copy of his goal on Saturday- waiting for the screen and shooting along the floor.

The Thunder would be first to break the 1-1 tie in the middle frame, but a check from behind penalty gave the A's a chance on the power play they couldn't pass up, and Robert Church finished off the long pass up the middle. The Thunder fans and bench seemed to have a bit of a tough time with the officiating in the second period, but their PK was anything but ordinary, keeping the score to 3-2 for Coquitlam after two periods.

The third frame was a different beast for Langley; Mitch Dibblee came out strong and threw one past Brodie MacDonald just fourty seconds in to tie the game; and then Coquitlam got stuck in a penalty rut. The Thunder wasted no time in driving the net and were rewarded with markers from Ryan Harwood, Clayton Bell, and another from Davidson; with two called off goals for tight crease play. After the goalie switch in the second period it seemed goaltending was the key to the last half of the game; Mike Lowe stopping all shots he faced, and MacDonald letting in four goals in the third for Coquitlam, leaving the final score with Langley doubling the A's 6-3.

Game 2: New Westminster 6 - Delta 6
Both teams for game two on Sunday were driving for a win after New West's tie with Coquitlam, and Delta's one goal loss to Poco yesterday.

The game would start with Delta getting called for a slash and a high stick, but even with the two man advantage it would be the Islanders who would score first with Mike Berekoff getting the ball rolling against the odds. Andrew Copeland would be key for Delta between the iron in the first, keeping New West to just one goal from Kyle Robinson.

The second started with leftover tension from the first, with a couple of fights and a handful of penalties. After all was said and done New West would be the only team to score in the middle frame when Alex Lohr buried it with just fifteen seconds left on the clock to make the score 3-2 heading into the final period.

Like the game previous, the third would be a fiery fifteen minutes with New West jumping the gate, scoring the tying and go ahead goal, before Clay Collison would start Delta rolling again. The two teams would trade goals back and forth, and the final minute was frantic. Huge saves from both goaltenders would keep it interesting but in the end the final score would be a 6-6 tie.

Game 3: Port Coquitlam 6 - Burnaby 2
The final game of the weekend would see the Saints try for win number three (counting their Alumni game on Friday) and Burnaby wanting a rebound from their close loss to Langley Saturday night.

Scoring in the first would belong to special teams with the Saints putting in a short handed goal from Drew Doig after a high sticking penalty, and Damian George taking advantage on the power play for Burnaby to tie it up with forty seconds left in the period.

Both teams would switch goalies in the second frame, Tyson Cornfield relieving Stu Ford for Poco, and Patrick Balis coming in for Tony Albinson. Both teams would again score just one goal, and the second would end in a 2-2 tie with Burnaby edging Poco in shots on goal.

Maybe the late game got to the Saints, but whatever it was they wanted this game finished in the third. Two quick goals from Matt Delmonico and Brennan Galbraith would start the push forward. Scott Jones would put the sixth and final goal past Balis, and even with penalties Poco would protect their lead. Damian George played well for Burnaby in the third with tenacious fore checking and running the entire floor, but the damage was done and the game would end with a 6-2 win for the Saints.

After the two day tourney the records are like so: Langley 2-0, PoCo 2-0, New West 0-0-2, Delta 0-1-1, Coquitlam 0-1-1, Burnaby 0-2. Although most teams were not at full strength and trying out new players, the weekend was a great showcase of what's to come for the 2009 season. The Ball Breaker had some unexpected results; not one, but two tie games, Poco and Langley (who finished 5th and 8th respectively last season) finishing with 2-0 records, and only one game seeing goals in double digits for the teams involved.

This weekend leaves everyone wanting more lacrosse! Good thing the regular season gets underway this Friday in Nanaimo for a classic Island rivalry- check www.bcjunioralacrosse.com for the entire 2009 schedule!

See you at the arenas!