The Burnaby Lakers moved into a third-place tie in the Western Lacrosse Association following a 12-8 win over the Maple Ridge Burrards on Sunday.
The senior A Lakers took a 4-3 lead early in the middle period on the first of three power-play goals by first star Dane Stevens, who led all scorers with a seven-point night.
Rookie goalie Dan Lewis chalked up his third win of the season, stopping 33 shots. Lewis, who was the NOW's choice for Minto Cup MVP at last year's Canadian championship, currently leads the league in minutes played and sports a healthy 0.799 save percentage.
Burnaby took a 7-5 lead into the final period, but Maple Ridge's Tyler Miotto got one goal back early in the frame.
Calvin Craig then scored off the ensuing faceoff, potting his third of four goals.
Less than a minute later, rookie righthander Colton Clark got the game-winning tally off a feed from veteran Rory McDade.
Maple Ridge rallied for a pair of goals, but the Lakers replied with three counters to close out the team's fifth win of the season.
The victory pulled the Lakers even with the Langley Thunder, both with 11 points. Nanaimo currently sits in fifth place one point back.
Special teams have been a big plus for the Lakers in recent weeks.
The Lakers' power play has gone 13-for-25 in the past four games, providing three wins for the much improved Laker club.
Burnaby currently sports a league-high 42.11 power-play per cent efficiency.
"We're starting to feel good," said Lakers head coach Bob Johnston. "Last year, we struggled (in that category)."
Stevens leads the league with 14 power play markers, while teammates Clark and Scott Tinning are first and second in power-play assists with 15 and 12 helpers, respectively.
Next week, the Lakers will move into a difficult two-week stretch in their schedule, where they meet front-runner New Westminster three times.
"That will really be the grade of where we're at. I'm looking forward to it and I think the players are, too," said Johnston.
Burnaby hosts Maple Ridge in a rematch at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre on Friday. Game time is 7:45 p.m.
