Ted CLARKE
Citizen staff
The war on the floor to decide the champion of the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association began Thursday night at Kin 1.
On one side of the rink were the two-time defending champion Westwood Pub Devils, who came into the game having lost only three games all season, all at the hands of their opponents in the best-of-five league final series.
The Claude’s Barbershop/BX Pub Bandits posted three close regular-season victories over the Devils and were anxious to prove in Thursday’s series opener their success against the Devils was no fluke.
They got what they were after in a decisive third period, outhustling the Devils and outscoring them 7-1 in the final 20 minutes to cinch a 14-11 victory. Caleb Toth fired the gamewinner on a power play with 3:30 left.
Heading into the third period nothing had been decided and the Bandits wasted no time finding a way to draw even. Damon Calfa scored twice, sandwiched around a power-play goal from Jesse Huffman to make it a 10-10 game with 18 minutes still to play.
A nasty hit into the side boards dished out by Asahel Beaudet on Bandits’ Cole Paciejewski, the league scoring champion, got tempers boiling, nearly resulted in a scrap, but players on either team weren’t willing to risk automatic ejections for dropping the gloves.
Calfa and Devils’ Monty Jones each traded goals to make it an 11-11 count and there was still the better part of four minutes left when Steve Clayton mauled Toth in front of the Devils’ net. Playing with the extra body, Toth made the Devils pay, set up in front by Drew. The ball hadn’t been in the mesh of Toth’s longer than a split-second when Devils goalie Steven Brizan was fishing it out of his own net.
Calfa scored four times in the third period. Doig finished with three goals and seven assists.
The Devils drew first blood 1:42 into the game when Pierce Watson split the defence and wired a shot past goalie Jon Wittmeier for his first of two goals in the opening period. Paciejewski evened the count for the Bandits while teammate Ryan Waddington was serving a five-minute slashing major. The Bandits scored another shortie on a nifty setup from Paciejewski, who hit Liam Barwise on the fly with a perfect pass into the slot.
Watson, Ryan Clark, Spencer Ovenden and Parker Woolcox each scored before the first intermission to put the Devils ahead 6-3.
Watson collected his hat-trick goal just 24 seconds into the second period, but the Bandits had an answer for that. Seconds after Wittmeier stuffed Beaudet on a breakaway, Doig accelerated into high gear to get to a loose ball deep in Devils’ territory and found the net, followed not long after by an overhand deke from Calfa, which cut Westwood’s lead to 7-5.
As he’s done countless times throughout his senior lacrosse career, 48-year-old Devils veteran Scott Anderson responded with a timely goal at the other end of the floor, running in from the right side to thread the needle with a low shot. However the Bandits were far from done. Brandon Gordon and Brett Doig (Drew’s dad) each picked a corner behind Brizan to make it a one-goal game. That didn’t last long. Watson’s fourth of the night and a goal from Adam Wagner gave the Devils some breathing room, leading 10-7 after 40 minutes.
Paciejewski collected eight points with a goal and seven assists, while Calfa had five goals and one assist. Watson, with four goals and an assists, and Anderson, who had four helpers to go with his goal, each picked up five points to lead the Devils.
The shots ended up tied at 52 each. The Bandits outshot the Devils 23-16 in the third period.
The best-of-five championship series resumes next week with Game 2 and 3 Monday and Wednesday at Kin 1.
n The league announced its award winners before the game and Matt Rochon of the Cowboy Ranch Stylers was selected for the Helen McIntosh Award as the PGSLA’s most valuable player. Other award winners were - Liam Miller, Bandits (Ted Conway top goalie); Joel McCall, Northland Nissan Assault (Aaron Van Dreisum most sportsmanlike); Taylor Attree, Bandits (RC Adams Glass top defensive player); Sam Peet, Mackenzie Lumberjacks (rookie of the year); Thomas Riestad, Quesnel Crossfire (most improved player); Karl Peet, Lumberjacks (Les Bartley coach/manager award).
The first all-star team includes: (Goal) Jason Minnion, Lumberjacks; (Defence) Attree, Ryan Waddington, Bandits; (Transition) Dave Bennett, Stylers; (Offence) Paciejewski, Bandits; Rochon, Stylers. On the second all-star team are: (Goal) Miller; (Defence) Kyle Adams, Devils; Bryan McCadie, Assault; (Transition) Blake McIntosh, Devils; (Forwards) Sam Peet, Lumberjacks; Drew Doig, Bandits.
