Their bones may creak and their muscles may protest loudly after games, but Scott Morash and Brett Doig can still inflict pain on the opposition.
Morash and Doig, a pair of 45-year-olds for the BX Pub Bandits, combined for 17 points in a 16-6 playoff win against the Mackenzie LumberJax Thursday night in Mackenzie. With the victory, the Bandits took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association semifinal series and put themselves in position for a sweep when Game 3 is played on Wednesday.
Morash, normally a defensive specialist, struck for two goals and six points, a total that stands as a career high. Doig, meanwhile, scored five times and finished with 11 points.
"He probably could have put up a couple more goals but he set me up on a couple nice ones," Morash said. "He was sort of sharing the wealth, so to speak."
Morash and Doig, lifelong buddies, came out of retirement to play for the Bandits this season.
"We push each other to get out and play," Morash said. "He kind of says, 'I'll go if you go,' and I'll say, 'I'm there, I'll pick you up.'
"We're the two old guys on the team," Morash added. "It seemed like last year they didn't do very well in the playoffs because they just didn't have enough bodies so I thought we could come out and help them out. There are a couple guys on our team who are injured and we can fill those roles."
One of the fallen Bandits is Doig's son Drew, who is still recovering from a leg infection that required surgery.
Other key contributors for the Bandits in their Thursday win were former Prince George Cougars forward Tyler Halliday, who fired six goals, and Damon Calfa, who scored once and dished out 10 assists. Calfa usually pulls the trigger more often but, in the absence of playmaker Drew Doig, has shown he's also a deadly set-up man.
Ryan Waddington added two goals for the Bandits.
The LumberJax were led by Trent Poulin, who ended the contest with four goals.
In the nets, Jamie Bellamy made 43 stops for the Bandits and James Teer had 45 for the LumberJax.
The top-seeded Bandits won the first game of the series 17-6. Wednesday's third game will start at 8 p.m. at the Coliseum.
In the other semifinal series, the second-ranked College Heights Pub Assault have a 2-0 lead on the third-seeded Twisted Cork/Regional Security Stylers. Scores so far have been 18-6 and 20-11. That best-of-five affair continues Tuesday (8 p.m., Coliseum).
