The Maple Ridge Burrards took Game 1 of their WLA semifinal series, holding off a furious third-period comeback from the Coquitlam Adanacs for a 9-7 victory in the opener of the best-of-five series.
Tyler Pace led the Burrards with a hat trick and two assists for five points. Marcus Klarich had two goals and two assists, while Payton Cormier finished with a goal and three assists for four points.
Between the pipes, Jack Kask was outstanding, stopping 42 of 49 shots for the win.
For the Adanacs, Robert Church led the way with a goal and three assists. Jalen Chaster had two goals and an assist, while Adam Noakes recorded a goal and two assists. Kean Moon also scored twice for Coquitlam.
In goal, Christian Del Bianco stopped 35 of 44 shots in the loss.
First Period
The Burrards controlled the opening frame, with Kask stopping all 10 shots he faced as Maple Ridge built a 2-0 lead.
Garret Winter opened the scoring on the power play at 10:06, finishing a setup from Cormier and Pace.
Cormier doubled the advantage with 1:30 remaining in the period, with assists from Drew Andre and Jared Maznik.
Second Period
Maple Ridge extended its lead early when Riley Loewen scored just 39 seconds into the second period to make it 3-0.
The Adanacs responded with goals from Chaster and Moon to cut the deficit to 3-2, but the Burrards took over during the middle stages of the period.
Pace scored three times in a span of just over five minutes, including one on the power play and another with the extra attacker on a delayed penalty. Noakes had Coquitlam’s lone reply during that stretch.
Klarich added another goal just 22 seconds after Pace’s power-play marker as the Burrards carried a 7-3 lead into the second intermission.
Third Period
The Adanacs mounted an impressive comeback in the third.
Chaster started the rally on the power play before Moon added another less than 30 seconds later.
Church scored with the man advantage at 7:38 to make it a one-goal game.
After both teams tightened up defensively for much of the remainder of regulation, James Rahe tied the contest 7-7 with 1:51 remaining.
The deadlock lasted only 36 seconds.
Winter restored the Burrards’ lead with 1:15 remaining before Klarich sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 35 seconds left on the clock.
The Maple Ridge Burrards took Game 1 of the WLA semifinal and now hold a 1-0 series lead heading into Game 2 on Friday.
Top Scorers
Maple Ridge Burrards
- Tyler Pace, 3g 2a
- Marcus Klarich, 2g 2a
- Payton Cormier, 1g 3a
Coquitlam Adanacs
- Robert Church, 1g 3a
- Jalen Chaster, 2g 1a
- Adam Noakes, 1g 2a
Three Stars
- Tyler Pace, Maple Ridge Burrards
- Jack Kask, Maple Ridge Burrards
- Garret Winter, Maple Ridge Burrards
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