Sea Spray scored late to edge the Grizzlies 14-13 while the Black Fish erupted offensively as they downed the Shooting Eagles 20-15 as the Arena Lacrosse League West Division returned from the holiday break with week 7 action at Langley Events Centre. Both games were played on Sunday (Jan. 7).
Sea Spray 14 Grizzlies 13
As the league returned from a three-week holiday break, some rust was evident early on.
“You could definitely tell the guys hadn’t played in a while,” said Sea Spray coach Ian Paterson. “It took a while, but we battled hard and got the win.”
A back-and-forth first half saw the Grizzlies ahead 3-1 after a quarter and 6-5 at the half. The Grizzlies pulled ahead 9-6 in the third, but the game could have been out of reach had the Sea Spray penalty kill not stepped up at that critical juncture.
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Evan Pattison had a huge game scoring twice, including the winner late in the fourth quarter.
Sea Spray’s Tyler Kirkby continues to lead the ALL West in both points (46) and assists (38) and has six or more points in six consecutive games.
Black Fish 20 Shooting Eagles 15
It may be the week after New Year’s, but there were plenty of offensive fireworks on Sunday afternoon.
Black Fish had five players score three or more goals in a 20-15 win over the first-place Shooting Eagles who saw their three-game win streak come to an end.
“We stayed out of the penalty box for the most part, so we were allowed to play five-on-five and that helps us because I think we have a decent offence,” said Black Fish coach Rod Jensen.
The Black Fish were down 4-3 after a period but used an eight-goal second to lead 11-9 at the half. The Eagles cut the deficit to 14-13 with a period to play, but the Black Fish outscored their opponent 6-2 to secure the victory.
Connor Watson finished with three goals and seven points in the victory and was the game’s first star.
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Up next. week 8 has the Grizzlies facing the Black Fish at 1 p.m. while the Sea Spray take on the Shooting Eagles at 4 p.m. Both games are on Sunday, Jan. 14 at Langley Events Centre.