'Bellies down Adanacs 7-5

The Coquitlam Adanacs looked to end their regular season on a high at the Coquitlam Sports Centre this evening; defeating the New Westminster Salmonbellies which is something they have yet to do this season and will have to do without the services of Eli McLaughlin.

The first period was mainly a period the Adanacs would like to forget. The Salmonbellies got on the board first when Luke Gillespie got on a break and even though the defender cut down on his space, he managed to battle through the defender and score at 4:19.

Gillespie netted his second goal of the game three minutes later to give the 'Bellies a 2-0 lead. At 12:37, Adanacs' Andy Taylor got called for holding and it took the 'Bellies less than a minute to capitalize on the power play as Johnny Pearson netted his 42nd goal of the season to make it 3-0.

With 20 seconds remaining in the first period, the Adanacs called a timeout and it paid off. Jordan Magnuson gave the Adanacs some life when he scored with 2.9 seconds left on the clock as they headed into the locker room down by 2.

The second period saw more scoring chances for both teams and while there were more goals scored compared to the first period, both goalies had to make some big saves.

Tyler Pace got the Adanacs engine going when he scored at 1:25 to cut the 'Bellies lead to 1. Adanacs goaltender Riley Camazzola made a great glove save at 4:40 to keep it a one goal game and less than three minutes later, Pace netted his second of the game to even the score.

However, the tie did not last long. Salmonbellies' Anthony Malcom scored a little over forty seconds later to give the 'Bellies a lead again and less than three minutes later, recently acquired Brett Dobray scored a beauty to give the 'Bellies a 5-3 lead.

Salmonbellies' goaltender Ross Bowman made a great save on a 3-on-2 with three minutes remaining in the period. At 18:43, Dobray got caught defending a 2-on-1 and got his stick up high on one of the Adanacs players, which gave the Adanacs a power play, but nothing came of it before the period ended.

The pace of the game certainly picked up in the third period. Adanacs' Camazolla made an incredible save on a delayed penalty when Josh Byrne tried to one-time it in, but Camazolla dove across making a stick save at 2:57. Unfortunately, the Salmonbellies power play was clicking tonight as Malcolm netted his second of the game at 3:45.

Immediately following the goal, Salmonbellies' Luke Gillespie and Adanacs' Michael Messenger dropped their gloves and battled it out. Messenger landed most of his punches with Gillespie landing a few before the takedown, but both players acknowledged each other as they got up from the ground which is always nice to see.

It looked like the fight got the Adanacs going again as Evan Wortley scored at 4:30. Adanacs' Camazzola made another huge save at 6:30 which led to a Jean-Luc Chetner goal ten seconds later to cut the 'Bellies lead to one.

With just over seven minutes remaining in the game, Salmonbellies' Alex Bohl started to put the nail in the coffin. His speed was too much for any Adanacs defender to catch up as he beat Camazzola on the breakaway to give the 'Bellies a two-goal lead in a defensive game.

Of course there was no giving up by the Adanacs as they continued to throw everything at Samonbellies' goalie Bowman, but Bowman was up for the task, stopping every shot for the rest of the period.

The Adanacs received a late power play, but after their first shot on their first possession, the Salmonbellies took control and ran the clock as they defeated the Adanacs 7-5.

Three stars of the game
1. New Westminster - Ross Bowman - 40 saves, 5 goals allowed
2. New Westminster - Luke Gillespie - 2 goals
3. Coquitlam - Tyler Pace - 2 goals, 2 assists

The Coquitlam Adanacs will now wait to see who they will face in the playoffs, while the New Westminster Salmonbellies play their final regular season game at home against the Victoria Shamrocks on Sunday, July 6.