It took them two years, but the Westwood Pub Devils finally figured out a way to beat the Bandits.
Facing elimination in the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association championship series and trailing 2-0 after the opening period Tuesday at Kin 1, the Devils scored eight goals in the second period and cruised to an 11-7 victory over their nemesis, otherwise known as the RPR Mechanical/BX Pub Bandits.
"That definitely got the monkey off our backs at the very least, we hadn't beaten them in two years," said Devils goalie Jamie Bellamy, who made 31 saves in goal for Westwood Pub. "We were getting good shots on net and we had the confidence to take a lot of those shots. They were taking them without even thinking about it, and they hit the spots.
"Our transition was working well too. Monty Jones is freakishly fast and he was catching them off guard and getting good opportunities."
Jones led the way offensively with three goals, all in the middle frame, and Pierce Watson also had a big night with three goals and three assists to pull the Devils within one win of tying the best-of-five series. They're down 2-1 with Game 4 set for tonight (8 p.m. start) at Kin 1.
"We hadn't beaten them in two years and we had to win that game, we've got to just keep pouring it on," said Devils veteran Scott Anderson, who finished with a goal and three assists. "On offence, the guys started putting the balls in the net and it was nice to see. It wasn't like we weren't getting chances, we just haven't been able to beat (Bandits goalie Jonathan Wittmeier). He's not unbeatable, and if we keep shooting and cutting to the net the balls will go in.
"We just have to believe in ourselves, it's like a confidence thing that's been holding us back and we were struggling to get balls in the net. Monty Jones has just been unbelievable - he plays up and down and the guy never gets tired. He can run the floor better than any guy I've ever seen."
The Devils had a few extra runners available Tuesday with 14 players dressed for the game, a luxury they didn't have in the first two games of the series. Last week they lost Game 1 16-6 and dropped a 15-9 decision in Game 2.
Colton Poulin had a four-point night Tuesday with two goals and two assists and Luis Enns and Darian Long also scored for the Devils. Brett Doig put up a three-goal two-assist effort to lead the Bandits and his son Drew had two goals and four assists, while Justin Parker and Steven Kidwell each fired singles.
"It's unbelievable how many posts we hit, we must have had in excess of 10 and if half of those went in we'd probably still be celebrating today," said Brett Doig.
"Scott Anderson is an incredible leader and warrior and he really did settle everything down for them. He's been in every situation you could imagine and he really does lead by example out there. He's hard on the ball and a force on defence and when he turns it up the floor he's a beast to try to slow down."
The Bandits were without sniper Cole Paciejewski, the league's third-leading pointgetter with 46 goals and 76 points in just 10 regular season games. He works as a forest firefighter and his work out of town forced him out of the lineup the past two games. Paciejewski and teammate Drew Doig, who won the PGSLA scoring crown with 106 points, are both left-handed shooters and with only one of them to worry about, Bellamy had an easier night in net Tuesday as his team outshot the Bandits 50-38.
"We just have to build off that win and hopefully we won't see Cole Paciejewski," said Bellamy. "He put up six goals (and five assists) in the first game."
The wildfires that have plagued the Interior the past two weeks also left the Bandits without Brock Paciejewski, Cole's brother, who has also been producing points lately. Bandits' Trevor Clark is working in a wildfire camp, as is Carson Toth, who had five goals in Game 2.
Both teams stayed disciplined in Game 3 and referees Terry and Gordon Foulds handed out just 23 minutes in penalties for the two teams combined.
"It was the best-reffed game we've had all year," said Bellamy. "They let little stuff go but if anything got out of hand they were calling it right away."
Said Anderson: "I think everybody was just too tired to get too ornery out there."
If the Devils force the series to the limit, Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Kin 1.
