Life coaches often speak about problem solving through knowing the two truths: the things you can change and the things you can’t change.
The Burnaby Lakers are still finding that balance.
Facing the upstart Coquitlam Adanacs last Saturday, the visiting Lakers were frustrated by a hot goalie and got hot under the collar over some contentious penalty calls in a 12-9 loss in Western Lacrosse Association action.
Although some could point to the refereeing -- which saw Burnaby served with nine infractions while Coquitlam drew only four -- that wasn't what cost them the game, head coach Jim Milligan said.
“We didn’t play our best but we were right in it until late,” said Milligan. “When (Eli McLaughlin) was sent off for five minutes (for high sticking at 10:09) that put us in a volatile position.”
While McLaughlin was off, the Lakers caught the ire of the official and were tagged with the first of two bench minors, putting them down two men. The end result saw Coquitlam cash in for its third consecutive powerplay tally, and protect the lead the rest of the way.
The coach readily admits he's still adjusting to the nuances of the Western Lacrosse Association, and said he's still getting use to how the games are called here.
But Milligan added there were too many missed opportunities and a good lead squandered to put the blame on officiating.
"It's almost like we were chasing our tails a bit. ... They started (Josh Phillips) and it caught us off guard, because he’s a lefty and we didn’t adjust our shooting to the right side,” said Milligan. “At the end of the day, we beat ourselves.”
Although Coquitlam entered the season as a heavy underdog, with a lineup stacked with young guns and no game-breaking star, they have proven to be very successful at home. A week earlier, the Adanacs got a standout performance from netminder Dan Lewis to hand Victoria its first loss of the season.
Burnaby turned a 4-2 deficit around and got two goals from Robert Church and a single by Cam Milligan to lead 5-4 just six minutes into the middle frame. After Coquitlam's Michael Krgovich tied it, the game remained deadlocked until Scott Jones potted a shorthanded marker to give the visitors a brief 6-5 advantage.
Coquitlam started a four-goal run late in the second period and led 9-6 early in the third, and while the Lakers cut that to one, penalties would play a factor in the last 10 minutes of the game.
The Adanacs cashed in three times with Burnaby shorthanded midway through the third, while backup Josh Phillips kicked out 43 shots to record Coquitlam’s third win of the season.
Burnaby sits tied with Maple Ridge for second place, at 4-3.
Church posted a hat trick and set up two others, while rookie Cam Milligan tallied twice. Also scoring was Shaun Dhaliwal and Justin Salt, while McLaughlin finished with a goal and four assists.
Even with the addition of Church, the Lakers' lineup still had a few holes, with Peter McFetridge, Tyler Digby and Matt Beers unavailable, and Josh Byrne playing back east in the Major Lacrosse League.
Milligan said getting any of the four into the lineup would be a big boost, while providing an opportunity to establish chemistry and experience as they build towards the playoff run.
"We're doing our systems and we're strong when the players are on the same page," he noted. "Other than one or two tweaks I think we're in good shape."
The element of parity is another obstacle he's becoming use to. Back in Ontario, Milligan said typically there are two, at most three, teams who are always leading the pack. In the WLA, all but one team is in the playoff picture at the one-third mark. Although Victoria sits four points ahead of Burnaby and Maple Ridge in the race for first place, New West, Nanaimo and Coquitlam are one-win back of second.
He said Byrne intends to join the club in the near future, but based in New York, where he plays for Chesapeake and is attending classes, makes pinpointing a specific date-of-arrival difficult.
"He's coming but it's going to be a late-season thing," said Milligan.
Burnaby hosted Nanaimo on Tuesday (past the NOW’s deadline, and makes a return visit to Coquitlam on Saturday, 7 p.m. at the Poirier Sports Centre.
