Strong Finish

Submitted by League Reporter, Jen Mutas

Friday night’s game between the Port Coquitlam Saints and the Burnaby Lakers was between two teams whose rosters had changed dramatically because of trade deadline day on June 30th, with both squads moving key third-year players in order to bring in some youth for the future. At this point in the season the Saints are out of playoff contention but if Burnaby managed a win it would get them within a point of the Shamrocks who sit at third place, and also break them two points clear of the Islanders who are in fifth spot but have a game in hand.

Penalty trouble for Port Coquitlam in the first period would give the Lakers the quick advantage with power play goals from Blake Mattinson and Jackson Decker but after playing a full period with no penalties called against them, the tables would turn in the second.

Playing two goals down the Saints bounced back nicely in the middle frame and answered right back with two power play goals of their own from Chris Jones, and two more at even strength from Jimmy Delaney which gave Poco the lead by a score of 5-4 as Burnaby was only able to beat Carson Michaud once in the second period.

After two periods of play it was anyone’s game for the taking in the final twenty minutes, and take Burnaby did. Even with the Saints scoring four more goals, the nine from the Lakers in the final period was enough to seal the deal for the win and end the game at a score of 13-9.

Overall the game had a lop-sided feeling to it, but it wasn’t geared toward a particular team and changed with every period. Burnaby was dominant enough for a two goal lead after the first, then the Saints came out hard in the second and went into the break with the one goal advantage after forty minutes of play, and finally the Lakers took control for the rest of the game scoring nine goals in the third period with five of them coming in the last four minutes alone.

Jimmy Delaney managed to register numbers in all areas of the statsheet for the Saints with three goals, three assists, two PIM’s, and going 6/5 in the faceoff circle. For the Lakers Mackenzie Davis led the charge with a hat trick and four helpers, with teammates Blake Mattinson, Jordan Jarvis, and Jackson Decker all putting up five points in the winning effort.