They were down, then they were up, and ultimately they lost. The BX Pub Bandits hope to turn that disappointing roller coaster ride into a smooth path to victory.
The Bandits and College Heights Pub Assault will collide in Game 2 of the best-of-seven Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association playoff championship series tonight (8 p.m.) at Kin 1. In last Tuesday's series opener, the Bandits trailed the Assault 8-4 but later took a 10-9 lead. Their plans for a comeback victory were ripped away from them in the third period and the Assault stepped off the floor with a 13-11 decision.
"We [had] a short bench, guys got tired, and we just had a few bounces go the other way," Bandits runner Ryan Bellamy said of the way Game 1 ended for his team. "That's the game of lacrosse sometimes."
The Bandits were missing Mitch Marsolais, Darcy Kenyon and Damon Calfa in the first game. Marsolais and Kenyon are expected to be in uniform tonight but Calfa will remain absent because of work commitments.
In last year's playoff final, the Bandits lost the first two games to the Assault but swept the remaining four and claimed the Dale Rolufs Memorial Trophy. So, even though they're down by one right now, there's no sense of panic among their players.
"We went through a tough series last year to win it and we have confidence we have the ability to go deep into a series and be successful," Bellamy said. "Game 1, you always want to win it but at the end of the day it takes four wins to win the series so we're confident we should be able to come out and even it up."
To give themselves the best chance at victory, the Bandits will have to do a better job slowing down Assault hot shots Dave Jenkins Jr. and Chad Martin. In the opening game, Jenkins had a nine-point night (seven goals, two assists) and Martin finished the contest with three goals and three helpers.
Game 3 of the series will be played on Thursday night.
