Timbermen, Lakers victorious in close Friday night games

8  7

There will likely be no love lost between the BCJALL's current top two teams when they step back on the floor at the Nanaimo Ice Centre, not even 24 hours after the Timbermen registered its biggest win in years. The T-Men went up 3-1 in the first period and would never fall behind to the Adanacs again, both winning a nailbiter and proving they can play with the league's best in the same night. 

It was a back and forth affair with neither team getting more than a two-goal advantage. Coquitlam had an answer each time they fell behind to the upstart Nanaimo club, but a pair of goals under two minutes apart gave the Timbermen the cushion they needed to get the job done. 

Nanaimo's Justin Geddie got the start and made the stops he needed to make, turning aside 31 of the 38 he faced in a strong performance. As a whole, Nanaimo's defence clicked all night and made it tough for the Adanacs shooters to get clean looks. The Timberman also made Coquitlam pay for some rare penalty trouble, putting three of their six opportunities past A's goalie Nate Faccin, who was strong in his own right, making 34 saves in the loss.

The Adanacs will spend the night in the Harbour City on Friday and look to erase their first blemish of the season. They still sit in sole possession of first place by virtue of having one more win than Nanaimo, but the top of the BCJALL could look a lot different if the Timbermen can get back-to-back wins. 

10  9

The Saints slide to the BCJALL's basement continued on Friday night, with the black and yellow losing their fifth straight game in heartbreaking fashion. A goal by 2019 No. 1 overall pick Sam La Roue with just two seconds on the clock was the difference in Poco, giving the Lakers their second win of the season, and likely some momentum along the way. 

Poco, buoyed by the addition of a few new players, most notably Clark Walter and Garret Winter, looked poised to come from behind and take their third win of the season after scoring three straight to tie things up at 9. This one stayed close all night as well. Although the Lakers carried the balance of the play, some timely goals by the likes of Carson Rees and Jacob Dunbar made things a see-saw battle for much of the night. 

Matteo Tack gave the Lakers one of his strongest performances of the season. He made 41 saves on 50 shots, good for a .820 SV%. Poco duo Kyle Mooney and Calvin Hafner combined to make 43 saves on 53 shots. 

Poco doesn't play until they renew their rivalry with Burnaby on Monday, June 10. The Lakers are back in action when they take on the Victoria Shamrocks on Sunday evening. A win over Victoria would definitely give the Lakers' hopes of a potential playoff run a shot in the arm.