The Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs are champions of the BC Junior A Lacrosse League — sort of.
The Adanacs defeated the Burnaby Jr. Lakers, 11-8, Wednesday night (Aug. 18) at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex to win the best-of-five finale, three games to one.
While winning titles is nothing unusual for the Adanacs, who’ve played for Minto Cup national championships five times since 2014 — winning two of them — this one was anything but routine.
It comes after a year off the floor for the BCJALL because of the COVID-19 pandemic and is the wrap-up to a truncated season that only began July 6 as public health restrictions were eased because of falling infection rates and increasing vaccination rates.
On July 22, the league announced it was extending play to include a special showdown series between the Victoria Shamrocks and Nanaimo Timbermen to determine a champion for Vancouver Island teams and a two-round playoff to crown a leader amongst Lower Mainland squads. For the second straight year, there is no Minto Cup finale.
League commissioner Karl Christiansen said it was important players get a chance to compete again.
“We… know this pandemic has taken a toll on the athletes both psychologically and physically,” he said. Several players also participated in a special showcase tournament earlier in August that was organized by the Western Lacrosse Association.
Garrett Ungaro, a vice-president with the Adanacs, said getting back on the floor to play meaningful games against other teams was a huge relief to players who had been practising according to public health protocols since last February.
"The players were getting restless," he said. "Once we had the go-ahead to start playing games, they couldn't wait to get going."
Ungaro said fans also responded, as the Adanacs had to turn some away at the door when Poirier reached its 50% capacity deemed by public health orders for the final two games of the championship series against Burnaby.
"It was amazing to see Poirier hosting a great crowd who were extremely passionate and loud supporting both teams," he said of the 1,100 spectators who occupied the grandstands and lined the rails along the concourse. "All we heard was how great it was to have games going and people able to get out and watch."
The Adanacs, which finished the regular season schedule with six wins and three losses in nine games, defeated the PoCo Saints two games to one in the first round of the post-season, while the Lakers upended the New Westminster Jr. Salmonbellies in two straight game to earn its way to the final.
Coquitlam defeated Burnaby 13-11 last Friday in the final’s first game but the Lakers rebounded with an 8-7 win Sunday at Copeland Arena. The Adanacs took the advantage the next night, defeating its rival 10-6 at Poirier.
Wednesday, the Adanacs scored four times before the first period was half over. The Lakers got one back on a goal by Cameron Balewicz, but less than 30 seconds later, Coquitlam restored its four-goal advantage when Adam Oakes netted his second goal of the game.
It turns out they needed that full margin, as the visitors scored four straight times to even the score 5-5 midway through the second period. Coquitlam’s Beau Chetner and Burnaby’s Joshua Gabriele then exchanged goals 29 seconds apart before the Adanacs scored three to take a 9-6 lead.
Again the Lakers fought back with a goal by Rhys Marshall late in the second period and another by Marcus Klarich early in the final frame to close the margin to 9-8. But that’s as close as Burnaby got, as Coquitlam’s Chetner and Tanner Oake scored late in the third period to seal the victory.
Connor Nichols stopped 40 shots in the Adanacs’ net to earn the victory, while his teammates fired 55 shots at Lakers’ keeper Matteo Tack.
Nanaimo won two of its three games against Victoria in the Island series.
MINOR PLAYERS ALSO WIN BIG
The Jr. Adanacs aren’t the only contingent of local lacrosse players to taste success.
Fusion West, that includes several players from the Tri-Cities, won the Bantam girls championship at the USBOXLA Nationals that were held in San Jose, Calif., Aug. 5 to 8.
The team won all four of its games, and outscored its opponents 69-4.
The Fusion West Bantam A boys team also went undefeated in winning its division.
The USBOXLA Nationals is the biggest tournament for the sport in the United States and featured more than 100 teams comprised of about 1,500 players.
The teams from Fusion West, an all-star program of players from across B.C., were the only competitors from Canada.
