After manhandling the Quesnel Crossfire 16-3 in the opening game of the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association playoffs, the two-time defending champion Westwood Pub Devils are one win away from their third straight trip to the final.
The Devils can guarantee that with a win tonight in Quesnel against the Crossfire in the best-of-three semifinal series.
Devils veteran Dave Bennett had his sights accurately trained on the Crossfire in Tuesday's game and collected three goals for his efforts. Known more for his intimidating presence on defence, Bennett was a gamebreaker at the other end of the Kin 1 floor, helping the Devils cruise to a 7-0 lead in the opening period.
"Dave is perennially the hardest-working guy on the floor - he quietly does his job and brings that little bit of grit that the other teams don't like and he's also got a pretty good offensive touch," said Devils forward Blake McIntosh, who finished with two goals and three assists.
"He's always moving his feet and he's always in the other team's face and over 60 minutes that tends to frustrate and wear down the opposing shooters. He took advantage of his opportunities and had some beautiful transition goals and was a force to be reckoned with all night."
The Devils (12-3) finished second in the PGSLA standings, while the Crossfire (6-9) placed third. If a third game in the series is required, it would be played Tuesday night at Kin 1.
Devils defenceman Dylan Long, had a three-goal, four-point effort Tuesday, while Monty Jones collected a goal and four assists. Steven Brizan was called upon to make just 30 saves in goal for the Devils, aided by the aggressive defence of Bennett, Long, Colton Morris, Tyrone Yee, Daniel Weisgerber and Shane Adams, who limited the second and third chances around the net.
"We had a full bench and we just used our legs and our experience," said McIntosh. "We have some good players who have played a long time and that experience helps when you come to the playoffs.
"Quesnel has improved quite a lot and they're definitely young and fast with a lot of heart and I think it's just our experience plays in to our success right now."
Meanwhile in the other best-of-three semifinal series, the regular-season champion Claude's Barbershop/BX Pub Bandits took on the Northland Nissan Assault in Game 1 Wednesday night at Kin 1. That game was still in progress at presstime.
Game 2 will be played Monday at Kin 1 (8 p.m. start). If a third game is needed, it would be played on Wednesday.
The Bandits, who went 14-1 in the regular season, are heavily favoured. The only blemish on their record was a 12-8 loss to the Cowboy Ranch Stylers on May 30. The Bandits went 3-0 head-to-head against Westwood Pub, ending the Devils' 41-game PGSLA winning streak with a 10-8 victory May 7 at the Coliseum.
"The Bandits are obviously the team to beat," said McIntosh. "They've assembled a pretty competitive club this year and addressed some of their needs and they're on a pretty good roll."
The best-of-five league championship series is scheduled to begin next Thursday.
