The Burnaby Lakers hosted the Nanaimo Timbermen Friday night for the second of their three matchups this season. Both teams are struggling at the bottom of the WLA standings, with the Lakers coming into the game at 1-8, and the Timbermen at 1-9. However, this matchup did not disappoint, as Silas Richmond scored 2:40 into overtime to give the Lakers an 8-7 victory.
Lakers take early lead, but Timbermen keep pace
The Lakers started the game with a three-goal run. Thomas Vela (0:49), Jack Charboneau (3:56), and Richmond (6:33) put Nanaimo in an early hole. But goals from Thomas Vaesen (12:28 shorthanded), Tyson Nielsen (14:50) and Noah Manning (15:47) leveled the game at 3-3. Gordie Phillips (18:29) scored late for the Lakers to give them a 4-3 lead after 20 minutes of play. Burnaby struck quickly again in the second period, with Richmond (1:36) and Vela (3:47 power play) each netting their second goal to make it 6-3. Nanaimo answered back with a goal from Colton Lidstone (12:38) and power play markers from Ryan Sheridan (18:15) and Luke Pilcher (18:55) to tie the game at 6-6 heading into the third period.
Richmond the hero for Burnaby in overtime
The third period was quiet by comparison, yielding just two goals. Trevayne Hunter (4:47 extra attacker) briefly gave the Lakers the lead, but Manning scored his second on a power play (7:49) to tie the game at 7-7. The game needed more than 60 minutes to determine a winner, as Richmond’s hat trick goal 2:40 into the overtime period gave the Lakers a much-needed win.
Richmond (3g, 2a) took home 1st Star of the Game honors for the Lakers, while Vela (2g, 3a) was named 3rd Star. Manning (2g, 2a) earned 2nd Star of the Game for the Timbermen, who fall to 1-10 and last place in the standings. Gordie Phillips won 12 of 18 draws at the faceoff dot for Burnaby. In net, Devlin Shanahan took the loss for Nanaimo, stopping 40 of 48 shots. Lakers goalie Marc Russell Rippberger earned his first win, making 36 saves. With the win, Burnaby takes the season series with Nanaimo. They also move into sixth place, just four points behind fourth-place Langley and fifth-place Maple Ridge. Next week, the Timbermen travel to Victoria on Wednesday, then host Burnaby on Saturday and Langley on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Lakers host Victoria on Friday before the Saturday rematch with Nanaimo.
