Lakers best A's in WLA season opener

Lakers win season opener over Adanacs

Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will the Burnaby Lakers.

But the senior A lacrosse club were the better team in the Western Lacrosse Association season opener, defeating the visiting Coquitlam Adanacs 8-6 at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre on Tuesday.

With a heaping handful of starting players still unreported, Burnaby got yeoman service from those available players, including a hat trick from first star Jason Jones and a pair of tallies from Delta junior A call-up Evan Messenger, who garnered the second game star.

Zak Boychuk looked good in his first start in the Burnaby cage, turning aside 33 shots, while sporting a .846 goals against average in his Laker debut.

The Lakers trailed the Adanacs 1-0 after the opening period on Reid Reinholdt's first of two goals on the night.

But Jason Jones tied it up three minutes into the second period to help the home team take a 4-3 lead into the final frame. 

Reinholdt potted his second of the night to knot things up early in the third, but Messenger put the Lakers in the lead for good with a strong move to the crease.

Two third-period goals from team scoring leader Dane Stevens, including a late unassisted snipe from the left crease that dribbled past the pads of Coquitlam keeper Josh Phillips, sealed the win for the Lakers.

Jason Jones remarked the unpolished first game of the season was what the players expected, but things will change when the team is finally at full strength and gets its first look at incoming lefthanders Eli McLaughlin and first overall draft pick Josh Byrne..

"I'm excited to play with them. They're both explosive players," said Jones. "It will help everyone."

Burnaby outshot Coquitlam 48-37 in the contest.

Phillips stopped 40 Burnaby shots to wrestle a game star for the A's. Burnaby righthander Scott Jones had a four-point night, all assists.

 Burnaby will have an almost two-week layoff before next playing the Burrards on May 29 in Maple Ridge. The Lakers next home game is not until Tuesday, June 7, when the New Westminster Salmonbellies invade the Bill Copeland arena.