MINTO PREVIEW: Adanacs look to square series

GAME 2 PREVIEW

They trailed by a pair of goals going into a pivotal third period, but the BCJALL champions couldn't figure out standout goaltender Doug Jamieson in the final frame and dropped Game 1 to Ontario champions Six Nations Arrows 12-7. 

A four-goal run by the Arrows in the opening seven minutes all but erased the heroic efforts of Coquitlam's dynamo netminder Christian Del Bianco's incredible buzzer beating goal to make it 7-5 going into the third. Del Bianco had a trio of assists as well and was Coquitlam's leading scorer last night. It doesn't take an expert to tell you that you're team probably isn't going to win many games when you're goalie is the top scorer, let alone a Minto Cup finals game. 

While that's not to say Coquitlam played poorly as a team, it's a sign that it may take longer than the team hoped for to find ways to crack the as advertised Six Nations D. They communicate well, do an excellent job of working their way through picks and simply don't allow a lot of shots. The A's put 38 shots on Jamieson, good for an 18.5 per cent shooting night, but will need to up that in order to get the goals that will likely be required to pick up three wins in this series. 

Will Clayton continues to be a revelation for Coquitlam. The Intermediate callup had an outstanding provincials for Maple Ridge in the BCILL and has continued to make an impact at the Minto. He had a goal on three shots and two points overall last night, and will be relied upon to be a difference maker tonight as well. 

Getting the transition game going would also help Coquitlam avoid the Arrows slowing things down and trying to wear the Adanacs offence down. They had a bit of it with goals from Dennon Armstrong and Nick Jensen, but may want to impose more of the west coast pace and run and gun on Six Nations more often. 

One of the places they can shore up on is the faceoff dot, where it was all Tehoka Nanticoke in Game 1. He won an astounding 13-of-14 draws and turned one into a brilliant goal only six seconds into the 2nd period. Tyson Bomberry also won 5-of-8. Mac Dailly had a much better night when the two squared off in the round robin, going 7-of-13.

Coquitlam has proven they can play with Six Nations, but they have also proven how quickly the Arrows can put things away if they don't play a near-perfect game. 

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. START STRONG - Coquitlam has found themselves playing from behind too often against Six Nations. They will need a strong start like the one they got against Mimico in the semi-finals and see how the Arrows react to adversity. 

2. CONTAIN NANTICOKE AND STAATS - The dynamic duo have been close to unstoppable basically all season, and the Minto has been no different. Nanticoke has 10 goals on 20 shots and has been a force in the faceoff dot, while Staats has five goals and six assists on 24 shots. They may find more success by limiting their production and forcing more on to the plates of a guy like Maccoy Abrams. 

3. DEL BIANCO STAYS HOT - Del Bianco will need to continue to be stellar and match Jamieson stop for stop if Coquitlam wants to take three of the next four. When goalies like Del Bianco get the hot hand, they can influence games. 

PREDICTION 

The sticks get hot and Adanacs win a barn burner 13-11.