Lakers get a handle on Bellies with first win
It was a must-win for the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers and they played like it.
It took everything they had but the Lakers edged the New Westminster Salmonbellies 13-12 on Monday night at Queen’s Park Arena to turn the Mann Cup into a series.
The Lakers cut the best-of-seven deficit to 2-1 but have no chance to rest with Game 4 on Tuesday and Game 5 on Wednesday; both starting at 10:30 p.m. EST.
The Lakers jumped to a quick 3-0 lead only to see it erased. The Lakers kept inching ahead and the Salmonbellies kept pulling them back. Only once did the ‘Bellies lead, briefly in the second period, as the Lakers quickly regained the advantage.
When Curtis Dickson completed a hat trick on a power play with 1:07 left in the game, giving Peterborough a three-goal lead, it still wasn’t safe.
New West pulled goalie Alexis Buque for an extra attacker with Bryce Sweeting in the penalty box and Kevin Crowley at 19:25 and Mitch Jones at 19:54 scored to make it a one-goal game. Jake Withers won the final draw and killed the clock.
“This was the first day we felt good,” said Lakers GM and assistant coach Paul Day. “You’re in a different time zone and it’s tougher for the road team sometimes but today we felt good. The guys had a good day off (Sunday). Some went to Whistler, some golfed and some went to stanley Park. We’re finally on their time and that was our best game. There are still two or three things we have to improve; we have to stay out of the box, but five-on-five we were really good at both ends.
“That’s a really good team over there. We’re matched up pretty good. It was a great battle tonight.”
Crowley (4-4) and Jones (3-5) each had eight points. Shawn Evans led the Lakers with seven points moving him into a sixth place tie on the all-time Mann Cup scoring list with older brother Scott at 121. He passed Bill Wilson and J.J. Johnston.
“It was a massive win, the biggest game of the year,” said Evans. “The championship was on the line. If they go up 3-0, we’re digging ourselves a hole. It was a huge game and we stepped up. I thought we controlled the tempo. We could have been a little smarter .... They kept coming back but we gave them the opportunity with a four-minute penalty and then a five to let them creep back into the game.”
Entering the third period tied 9-9, Holden Cattoni was credited with a go-ahead goal quick-sticking a pass from Adam Jones 1:09 in. Brad Self scored as the seas parted coming off a pick for a twogoal lead 3:02 later.
Logan Schuss rolled a shot in off Matt Vinc’s shoulder to cut the deficit to one at 6:35. Kyle Buchanan came off a check to bury Dickson’s pass with 9:05 left to restore a two-goal lead.
Lakers captain Robert Hope set a tone before the game started breaking protocol by swiping the ceremonial faceoff from Salmonbellies captain Curtis Hodgson. Hope said Hodgson took the ball last game when Peterborough was the home team so he took the ball.
“It wasn’t premeditated,” Hope said. “we still made mistakes out there but our offence was clicking and buying into what we’ve talked about all year; the way we move the ball and share the ball as a unit. It wasn’t just stuck in one stick. Our defence made some adjustments from the first two games and learned from their tendencies. We got a little better. It got a little tight at the end there, they shot the ball well again. Vino played excellent in net. We’re just continuing to make sure we get better.”
After slow starts in the opening two games, the Lakers jumped to a 3-0 lead in the opening three minutes but New West roared back to tie starting with a power play goal after a four-minute penalty to Dylan Evans.
The Lakers twice took one-goal leads, one a short-handed tally by Zach Currier, but two goals on a five-minute Mark Steenhuis penalty allowed New West to tie it 5-5.
The teams each scored four times in the second with Connor Robinson briefly giving the Salmonbellies their only lead at 7-6 before a couple of quick Lakers’ goals restored their lead.