Game Preview: Thunder vs. Adanacs
With losses in two of their last three games, the Langley Thunder look to get back on track with a visit to the Poirier Sports Complex to face the Adanacs for the third and final time this Western Lacrosse Association season.
Langley enters the game in a dogfight for first place in the WLA regular season standings as both the Thunder and New Westminster Salmonbellies have records of 11-3 and 22 points while the third-place Nanaimo Timbermen sit two points back at 10-4. All three teams have four games remaining with the Timbermen facing both the Thunder and ‘Bellies once more. Langley is done their season series with New Westminster.
The Thunder’s last game was against Nanaimo at home on July 12 with the tying things up with 28.1 seconds to play and winning it 43 seconds into 3-on-3 sudden-death overtime. The theme of the game was Nanaimo striking in quick succession as they scored eight of the 10 goals in a combined span of 3:13 game action compared to allowing just a pair of goals over the rest of the 57:40.
Chase Scanlan (2+3) and Curtis Dickson (1+4) led the Thunder with five-point games in the defeat while Frank Scigliano stopped 46 of 55 shots (.836 save percentage). He continues to lead the WLA with a 6.60 goals against average and an .860 save percentage, while Aden Walsh has a 9.70 GAA and .835 save percentage as his backup.
For the season, three Thunder players sit in the top five for points with Robert Church third (58 points), Dickson fourth (56 points) and Dane Dobbie fifth (53 points). Dickson and Church also sit first and tied for second, respectively, with 37 and 36 assists.
And while Langley knows their season will extend into August with the WLA playoffs, the Adanacs sit in last place with a record of 1-13. Coquitlam is coming off a 10-7 loss at home to the Victoria Shamrocks. Clark Walter led the team with three goals and an assist.
Walter’s 18 goals and 39 points are tops on the Adanacs for the season as well. In goal, the tandem of Andrew Gallant (10.86 GAA, .794 save percentage) and Nate Faccin (11.20 GAA, .764s save percentage) have split the goaltending duties.
The special teams battle favours the Thunder as their penalty kill is ranked No. 1 (.694) and power play is third (.404) while the Adanacs are fifth with the man advantage (.346) and last on the penalty kill (.528). Langley also has a league-high 10 short-handed goals
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