Burrards Down Thunder to Close in on Fourth Place

Shawn Slaght

I've been a professional journalist since 2005 and I've covered sports across Saskatchewan and Alberta including World Cup Alpine Skiing, national and world curling championships and junior hockey. I've been cover lacrosse and the Saskatchewan Rush since 2017.

The Maple Ridge Burrards moved closer to fourth place in the WLA standings with a convincing 16–7 win over the Langley Thunder on Sunday night.

The win improves the Burrards’ record to 3-5-2 for eight points. Langley currently holds fourth place at 4-5, also with eight points, but the Thunder have a game in hand. Maple Ridge’s victory also evens the season series at 1-1.

Ryan Jones led the way for Maple Ridge with two goals and five assists. Dagan Carlson and Marcus Klarich each had hat tricks, while Riley Loewen, Garrett Winter, and Rhys Porteous chipped in with two goals apiece.

Reese Barnes had a strong night in the faceoff circle, winning 18 of 27 draws.

Brandon Humphrey earned the win in goal, stopping 32 of 38 shots. Nate Faccin also saw some action, playing 5:10 in relief.

For the Thunder, Nathaniel Kozevnikov recorded a hat trick, while Connor Robinson notched a goal and six assists. Caleb Khan started in net, stopping 38 of 51 shots, but received a five-minute major penalty for illegal equipment. Kyle Mooney played 13:07 in relief and stopped 11 of 14 shots.

Big First Period for Maple Ridge

Maple Ridge jumped out to an early lead in the first period, outscoring Langley 8–2.

Loewen opened the scoring at 5:52 before Kozevnikov tied it on a two-man advantage at 8:05. He struck again off a Robinson feed at 12:00 to give Langley a 2–1 lead.

But Maple Ridge responded with an eight-goal run that stretched into the second period. Jones began the surge at 13:27, followed by Carlson at 14:13. Winter scored 21 seconds later, and Klarich made it 5–2 at 15:20.

Porteous added another with 1:57 left, and Klarich capped off the first period with his second goal, making it 8–2 after 20 minutes.

Low-Scoring Second Period

Declan Fitzpatrick extended the Burrards’ run with a shorthanded goal at 8:36 of the second period.

Langley was held scoreless for nearly 17 minutes before Kozevnikov broke the drought at 8:59.

Winter answered back on the power play with 5:29 remaining, giving the Burrards a 10–3 lead heading into the third.

Burrards Tighten Up the WLA Standings

Langley opened the third period with a pair of goals to cut the lead to 10–5. Robinson struck at 1:25, followed by Chase Scanlan at 3:38.

But Maple Ridge quickly responded with a three-goal burst. Carlson scored at 4:33, Jones added another at 6:48, and Loewen made it 13–5 just 28 seconds later.

Jon Phillips got one back on the power play at 8:19, but Clelland, Carlson, and Klarich tallied three more for the Burrards to make it 16–6.

Finn Halladay added a late goal with 37 seconds left, but it was too little, too late as the Burrards closed in on fourth place with a dominant 16–7 win.