Burrards take control with four-goal run in first period
The Maple Ridge Burrards opened their 2026 WLA season on the road at Bill Copeland Arena against the Burnaby Lakers on Friday night. The Burrards finished fourth in the standings last year despite a sub-.500 record (7-9-2) and lost their best-of-five playoff series to the top-seeded Coquitlam Adanacs three games to one. Reigning league MVP Marcus Klarich returns to Maple Ridge, along with Tyler Pace, who was acquired in an offseason trade with New Westminster. Meanwhile, the Lakers (5-13 last year; missed playoffs) were looking to rebound from a 13-7 loss to New Westminster the night before in their 2026 season opener. The Burrards would use a 10-goal second period to win 20-12, dropping the Lakers to 0-2 on the weekend. Maple Ridge hosts Langley in their home opener Sunday night. Burnaby plays at Coquitlam in Week 2 next Saturday.
Burnaby found the net first, with Lucas Parsons-Quintiao scoring just 26 seconds in for 1-0 lead. The Burrards then scored four unanswered goals to take control early. Markers from Garret Winter (1:37), Brandon Clelland (5:35), Declan Fitzpatrick (6:27), and Pace (8:10) gave Maple Ridge a 4-1 lead. Justyn Gurney (12:40) and Hudson Halladay (13:07) cut the Burnaby deficit to 4-3, but Klarich scored back-to-back (14:31; 18:03 power play) to put the Burrards up 6-3 after one period.
Burrards pull away with 10 goals in second period
The second period started with former Burrard Ethan M’Lot (1:43 power play) closing the gap to 6-4. Pace’s second (3:10 power play) kept the lead at three. Butch La Roue cut the lead to two just 33 seconds later, but a goal from Payton Cormier (4:04) and two more from Klarich (4:23; 4:42) extended Maple Ridge’s lead to 10-5. Jake Young broke the run at 6:16 for the Lakers, but Klarich’s fifth goal of the game (6:44 extra attacker) pushed the lead back to five, 11-6. Burnaby continued to press, with M’Lot scoring again (7:25 extra attacker) and Ryan Favaro adding two power play goals (9:10; 13:35) to make it a two-goal game, 11-9.
However, the Burrards used another lightning-quick run to keep the Lakers at bay, scoring four times in a two-minute span. Cormier (14:48), two more from Pace (15:13; 15:28), and Dagan Carlson (16:46) increased the lead to 15-9. A power play goal from Young (18:55) broke that run, but Burnaby allowed a late goal from Cameron Squarek (19:19) and trailed 16-10 going into the third period.
Things didn’t get any better for the Lakers in the third, as Cormier scored his hat trick goal (9:15), Winter his second (15:11 power play), Drew Andre joined the action (16: 39), and Klarich scored his sock trick goal (18:36) for the Burrards’ 20th goal of the night. Burnaby could only muster goals from Andrew Cowan (14:24) and Favaro’s hat trick goal (16:07). Things got chippy at the end, as Parsons-Quintiao and Hayden Wasson dropped the gloves, each getting a 5-minute major and 10-minute game misconduct. The Burrards outshot the Lakers 55-42 for the game. Klarich was named 1st Star of the Game, while Pace took home 2nd Star honors. Favaro earned 3rd Star of the Game for Burnaby.
