The Maple Ridge Burrards and Langley Thunder met Wednesday night in the rubber match of their season series. At stake for both teams was not only the head-to-head series win, but possession of fourth place in the WLA standings and the final playoff seeding. Marcus Klarich and Garret Winter each had two goals as the Burrards won a defensive battle 7-4. It’s the third straight win for Maple Ridge (4-5-2; 10 points), and the third straight loss for Langley (4-7; 8 points) who drop to fifth place in the standings, currently outside the playoff window.
Goals at a premium as Burrards build a lead
Klarich scored at the 7:30 mark of the first period to get the Burrards on the board. Nathaniel Kozevnikov equalized for the Thunder with a power play marker at 15:16, but a shorthanded goal from Carter Clark 10 seconds later put the Burrards up 2-1 after the first 20 minutes of play. Toru Morimatsu (1:39 second period) went top shelf, far side to tie the game for Langley. However, with goals coming at a premium, three unanswered scores put Maple Ridge in control. Winter (11:12), Payton Cormier (12:26), and Dylan McIntosh (16:04) gave the Burrards a 5-2 lead going into the third period.
Maple Ridge takes season series, fourth place in standings
A shorthanded goal from Connor Robinson (2:57 third period) pulled the Thunder within two, but Klarich (7:24) and Winter (9:11) each netted their second goal of the game to give the Burrards a 7-3 lead. Robinson scored again at 9:43, but Langley could not get any closer. The Thunder outshot Maple Ridge 49-42, but the Burrards won the faceoff battle 10-4. Klarich (2g) was named 1st Star of the Game, and Burrards goaltender Brandon Humphrey (45 saves) earned 2nd Star honors. Robinson (2g, 1a) took 3rd Star of the Game for the home team. Langley netminder Caleb Khan stopped 35 shots in the loss. Maple Ridge travels to New Westminster Thursday night, while Langley plays at Nanaimo on Sunday.
