Call-ups score for Junior lakers

Intermediate call-ups score for Junior Lakers
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published April 30, 2003

With most of their star players still away at college for another month, the defending national champion Burnaby Lakers junior A lacrosse club is looking for leadership from its youngest players at the start of the 2003 season.
Coach Dave (Doc) Lough said the young guys did not disappoint when the team split its first two games of the year.
"A dozen of our regulars are still at school, so we've had to use six or seven intermediate players per game. They're playing fantastic, but it's tough on the coaches," Lough admitted after the Lakers lost their season opener by a 7-6 score to the Surrey Stickmen, and then rallied for a 8-3 victory against the Victoria Shamrocks.
The Lakers carried the play throughout the opening game of the year, but were stymied by Matt Morehouse, the Stickmen goaltender who turned aside 53 shots in the otherwise one-sided affair.
Burnaby was led by Jeff Olsen, who scored both a powerplay and shorthanded goal, while Brandon McKinnon threw 11 shots at net to earn one goal and two assists.
Other Lakers goal scorers were Zejid Vunic, intermediate call-up Brad Richardson and David Dairon, who each scored one goal and one assist in the first game of the season. Nick Patterson turned aside 35 shots.
Offensively, the Stickmen were led by Ryan Tasker, who scored a hat trick, and Al Lockwood who added two goals to the Thursday night effort.
The Lakers rebounded for a one-sided Sunday victory over the Shamrocks in Victoria.
Brandon McKinnon again led the way, this time picking up a hat trick and an assist, but it was the fine play of the intermediates which truly sealed the deal for the Burnaby boys.
Call-ups who figured on the score sheet included Rob Brommer who had two goals, plus scorers Dale Eitel and Aneil Dhaliwal. Don Manzi rounded out the scoring for the Lakers, while Patterson turned aside 54 Victoria shots.
Assistant coach and team president Jack Crosby said he's pretty happy with the performance of the club's younger players so far this year.
"We may struggle for the first month due to the fact that our main offensive threats are still at school, but we still have solid goaltending and I think there's a desire," Crosby said. "The intermediates want to impress us, so they're as hard as they can."
The Lakers now have a week-long respite until their next regular season game, May 8 in Surrey. The team plays its hope opener at the Copeland Arena on Sunday, May 11 against the New Westminster Jr. A Salmonbellies.