The numbers don't lie. Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs are three games away from finishing the B.C. Jr. 'A' lacrosse league regular season a perfect 21-0, which would make them the first team do so since the Burnaby Jr. Lakers accomplished that feat in 2006.
Curt Malawsky remembers that campaign very well. After all, he then coached the Jr. Lakers. He also recalls vividly something else -- his Burnaby squad did not even make the ensuing Minto Cup national final, having lost 8-3 to the Six Nations Arrows in the semifinal in Ontario.
See? The numbers really don't lie.
"[Going 21-0] doesn't mean anything to me," said Malawsky, whose team throttled the Langley Jr. Thunder 16-5 on Wednesday at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex and have out-scored their foes by a staggering 50-18 aggregate in their last three victories. "Stats are just a number. Right now, we're just looking to finish strong and focus on winning the B.C. championship."
Last year, the Jr. A's went a stellar 19-1-1 on way to claiming their first ever Minto Cup crown, as hosts of the four-team tournament. In 2009, the team went 20-1-0 under then-coach Dan Perreault but -- like Burnaby in 2006 -- bowed out in the Minto semifinal in Ontario. So with this year national tournament again back east, what makes Malawsky think his team has a good shot at defending its title? Well, for starters, he sees a lot of the same traits he did in last year's squad that went unbeaten through the entire playoffs, including five straight Minto wins.
"I think, all-around, we're very, very similar," Malawsky said. "This group is a very tight-knit bunch. The players care for each other and go to war for each other."
Against Langley, Ben McIntosh led the Jr. A's goal-fest with six, followed by Wesley Berg with four and Matthew Dinsdale with three. Brandon Bertoia added a pair of markers, with Tor Reinholdt also tallying.
Next, the Jr. A's host Victoria on Sunday, 5 p.m.
