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Bandits take Game 1

Senior lacrosse championship series resumes Thursday night
The Westwood Pub Devils came out with fire in their pitchforks to start the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association championship series Tuesday night at Kin 1.
The defending PGSLA champions built a 4-0 lead in the first period before the RPR Mechanical/JR Construction Bandits responded with an abrupt comeback. They scored six unanswered goals - two in the first period and four in the second - paving the way for a 9-6 Game 1 victory.
Dan Martin was in on seven of the Bandits' nine goals, finishing with five goals and two assists. Justin Parker, Patrick Griffiths, Jesse Huffman and PGSLA scoring champion Drew Doig also scored for the Bandits.
Andrew Schwab had a two-goal, two-assist effort to lead the Devils. Nathaniel McFayden scored twice, while Dave Bennett and Dylan Long each fired singles. 
Bandits goalie Liam Miller made 36 saves,  blocking 11 shots in the third period, to preserve the victory. Steven Brizan made 24 stops in goal for the Devils.
Game 2 is set for  Thursday night at 8 p.m. at Kin 1.
The series resumes next week with Game 3 Monday night. If necessary, Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday, with Game 5, if needed, to follow next Thursday.
Wittmeier named league MVP
The league has named goalie Jon Wittmeier as the winner of the Helen McIntosh most valuable player award. Wittmeier joined the Mackenie Omenica Fabricating/Parsnip River Forestry Lumberjacks when he moved to Mackenzie. The former Bandit posted a 9.73 goals-against average and 80.99 save percentage and was a key figure in locking up the first-ever playoff position for Lumberjacks, who joined the PGSLA as an expansion team in 2011. 
The Lumberjacks finished fourth with a 5-11 record and were swept by the Bandits in the first round in a two-game series.
Wittmeier was also named to the first all-star team, along with Lumberjacks transition Kyle Pacheco. The Bandits dominated the first team with defencemen Taylor Attree and Ryan Waddington selected along with forwards Doig and Cole Paciejewski. Doig won his second straight scoring crown, leading the league with 105 points, posting 36 goals and 69 assists in 16 games. 
The second all-star team includes three Devils - goalie Jamie Bellamy, defenceman Scott Anderson and forward Colton Poulin - and three members of the Quesnel M. Daniels Consulting Crossfire - defenceman Bob Mills, transition Chase Ballendine and forward Dusty Cathcart. 
In other awards announced Tuesday, Bellamy was chosen for the Ted Conway top goalie award. In eight regular season games Bellamy compiled a 7.13 GAA with an 83.81 save percentage. 
His Bandits teammate Caleb Mueller was the league's most improved player, finishing ninth in the scoring race with 15 goals 26 assists and 41 points. Taylor Attree of the Bandits won the RC Adams Glass top defensive player award. Gage Prince of the Co-Op Petroleum Stylers was the rookie of the year. In 12 games as an affiliated player he collected 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points. Matt Rochon of the Stylers won the Aaron Van Driesum Award as the most sportsmanlike player.
Lumberjacks head coach Jason Minion won the Les Bartley coach/manager award.