Burnaby Lakers back end help stop Stealth slide

Two Burnaby Lakers defenders helped the Vancouver Stealth to its first win in five starts with timely numbers against the Calgary Roughnecks.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="400"] Matt Beers had a three-point night for the Vancouver Stealth in a 13-10 win over Calgary on Saturday. Garrett James photo[/caption]

Matt Beers and Chris O'Dougherty both doubled their season point totals to give Vancouver its third win of the National Lacrosse League season and a timely 13-10 victory over West Division rival and host Calgary on Saturday.

Beers, a seven-year defender with the Stealth organization, more than doubled his point output in the match, scoring his first goal of the 2017 campaign on a transition breakout from keeper Tye Belanger in the opening minutes of the game at the Calgary Saddledome.

Later in the period, Beers helped out on another Stealth marker to put the visitors up 5-0 after 13 minutes of play.

Beers and O'Dougherty also teamed up with assists on Ryan Wagner's first of the year and game-winning counter to lead off the third quarter.

O'Dougherty, who is in his eighth season with the Stealth, garnered a second assist in the game to bring his total points to four. Beers now has five points for the Stealth this season.

Fellow Burnaby Laker defender Justin Salt had a second consecutive game with nine loose balls for Vancouver, bringing his overall total to 46, good for a tie for 13th in the league. Beers leads the Stealth with 50 loose balls, tied for seventh-best in the NLL.

Belanger, a former Laker, picked up his first win in goal for the Stealth with 44 saves.

Elsewhere in the league, recent Laker pickup Mark Matthews moved up to a tie for second overall in NLL scoring as the Saskatchewan Rush won its fifth straight game following an 8-7 win over the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday.

In that game, Rush right-hander Robert Church was held to a single point and fell to 10th place in league scoring. Colorado lefty Eli McLaughlin led the Mammoth with a four-point night and now sits 16th in overall scoring with 14 goals and 30 points.