The RPR Mechanical/JR Construction Bandits lost just two of 16 regular season games and were on a 3-0 run in the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association playoffs heading into Game 2 of the league championship series Thursday night at Kin 1.
The Westwood Pub Devils didn't let that bother them. Instead of getting mad, they got even.
They rallied behind a sharp goaltending performance from Jamie Bellamy and beat the Bandits 13-4 to tie the best-of-five championship series 1-1.
Colton Poulin had a four-goal effort and Darian Long scored two for the Devils, the defending PGSLA champs, while Andrew Schwab finished with a goal and two assists. Drew Doig led the Bandits with two goals and an assist and Carson Toth also scored twice.
It was the second win over the Bandits in six tries this season for the Devils, who lost the opening game of the championship series 9-6 on Tuesday.
The Devils jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on goals from Poulin and Schwab before the game was three minutes old. Leading 3-1 late in the period, Westwood's steady trickle to the penalty box led to a pair of Bandits power-play goals from Toth, who tied it up 3-3 right after the first intermission.
The Devils scored four unanswered goals in the second period to pull ahead 7-3 Nathaniel McFayden got them their lead back with an unassisted effort and Poulin made it a 5-3 count on a Devils' power play.
The Bandits had some great chances around the Westwood net but Bellamy made the net look small as the difference-maker.
He denied a fast-breaking Doig with a shoulder shrug with Devils' Dave Bennett in the box for charging, one of Bellamy's best saves of the game. Bennett had just returned to the floor when Bellamy handed the ball to Scott Anderson, who spotted Bennett in breakaway position and fed him a floor-length pass.
Bennett flicked his stick and found the net for a 6-3 lead and Long added another power-play goal late in the period with Dan Martin serving a five-minute boarding call.
That put the Devils up by four heading into the second break.
The icing on the cake for the Devils came in the third period when Scott Anderson, their 51-year-old veteran, won a footrace with two Bandits to score shorthanded to make it 11-4.
The series resumes with Game 3 on Monday (8 p.m., Kin 1), with Game 4 on Wednesday and Game 5 (if necessary) on Thursday. The winner will claim the Dale Rolufs Memorial Trophy and will advance to the Treasure Cove Casino senior C provincial championship in Aug. 10-12 in the Lower Mainland.
