The Langley Thunder stormed back from a seven-goal deficit to defeat the Burnaby Lakers 14-11 on Saturday night in WLA action.
Langley outscored Burnaby 13-3 over the final two periods after trailing 8-1 early in the second.
Jake Govett and Connor Watson led the Thunder with six points each. Govett had two goals and four assists, while Watson finished with a hat trick and three assists.
Between the pipes, Caleb Khan got the start and stopped 37 of 47 shots for the win.
For Burnaby, Ethan M’Lot led the way with two goals and an assist. Ryan Favaro, Andrew Cowan and Tyler Kirkby also had three points each.
The game had few playoff implications as Langley moved into a tie with Burnaby for sixth place. Both teams sit at 4-13 with one game remaining in the regular season.
First Period
Burnaby controlled the opening period from the outset.
Favaro opened the scoring before Stef Richards briefly tied the game for Langley at 8:17.
The Lakers then reeled off a five-goal run. Lucas Parsons-Quintiao restored the lead before Kirkby scored on the power play.
M’Lot followed with a penalty-shot goal and later added his second of the period, while Ben Stewart rounded out the scoring as Burnaby carried a commanding 6-1 lead into the first intermission.
Second Period
The Lakers appeared to put the game away early in the middle frame.
Finn Halladay and Brodie Kent scored in the opening four minutes to extend Burnaby’s lead to 8-1.
From there, the game completely changed.
Nathaniel Kozevnikov started the rally at 5:42 before Ben VanderKley cut the deficit to 8-3.
Although Parsons-Quintiao restored a six-goal cushion for Burnaby, Langley answered with eight of the next nine goals.
Richards, Carson Forney, Evan Messenger’s shorthanded marker, Ethan Quinn and back-to-back goals from Watson fueled the surge as the Thunder erased the deficit.
Watson’s second goal of the period, with just 32 seconds remaining, tied the game 9-9 heading into the third period.
Third Period
Sam Trumble gave Burnaby a brief 10-9 lead early in the third, but Langley continued its relentless attack.
VanderKley tied the game before Watson gave the Thunder their first lead of the night with a power-play marker at 10:10.
Less than a minute later, Govett scored to make it 12-10. Govett added another power-play goal with 2:41 remaining.
Carter Torok scored on the power play to pull Burnaby within two, but Alex Lemieux sealed the comeback with an empty-net goal in the final minute as Langley erased a seven-goal deficit to claim a 14-11 victory.
Top Scorers
Langley Thunder
- Connor Watson, 3g 3a
- Jake Govett, 2g 4a
- Ben VanderKley, 2g 1a
- Alex Lemieux, 1g 2a
Burnaby Lakers
- Ethan M’Lot, 2g 1a
- Ryan Favaro, 1g 2a
- Tyler Kirkby, 1g 2a
- Andrew Cowan, 3a
Three Stars
- Connor Watson, Langley Thunder
- Jake Govett, Langley Thunder
- Ethan M’Lot, Burnaby Lakers
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