It was a bruiser.
Monday night at the Coliseum, five fights broke out between the BX Pub Bandits and the Twisted Cork/Regional Security Stylers in the opening game of the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association season. Before the final buzzer sounded on a 17-9 Bandits win, six game misconduct penalties had been handed out.
Offensively, Damon Calfa led the Bandits with six goals and two assists. Teammate Jared Rossi also had a big night, with four goals and three assists. Other goals came from Matt Rochon (3), Drew Doig, Mike Stubley, Ryan Waddington and Nick Angus.
For the Stylers, Andrew Schwab fired five goals and added three helpers. Carson Toth finished with a pair of goals, while Morgan Bloom and Dave Jones rounded out the scoring.
For the winners, goaltenders Jamie Bellamy and Jamie Thorne combined to make 31 saves. Kyle Wilson went the distance for the Stylers and made 36 stops.
The Bandits led 6-2 after the first period and 15-8 after the second.
On Wednesday, the defending-champion College Heights Pub Assault will take on the Shooters Pub Devils. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Coliseum.
On Thursday night, the Bandits will be in Quesnel to battle the expansion Quesnel Crossfire. The game will be the first-ever PGSLA contest for the Crossfire.
Fans of senior lacrosse will be able to get their fill on Saturday when the league holds a triple-header at the Coliseum. Games on the schedule are the Devils versus the Stylers (5 p.m.), the Mackenzie LumberJax versus the Crossfire (7 p.m.) and the Assault versus the Bandits (9 p.m.).
