Season-high in goals leads Thunder to victory

Blake Larsen scored three goals and finished with four points as the Langley Thunder improved to 3-4 on the BC Junior Tier 1 Lacrosse League season following a 14-10 win on May 24 at Langley Events Centre. Gary Ahuja Langley Events Centre photos

A balanced offensive attack helped the Langley Thunder to a third win in their past four games.

The Thunder trailed briefly by a score of 2-1 with just over nine minutes to play in the opening frame, but Langley struck for seven straight goals spanning the first and second periods in a 14-10 win over the visiting New Westminster Salmonbellies on Tuesday night at Langley Events Centre in BC Junior Tier 1 Lacrosse League action.

The win improved the Thunder to 3-4 while the Salmonbellies sit at 1-5.

“Offensively we played really well; defensively we played good at times, and we had some lapses and let a team back into the game. (But) happy to see the offence come around,” said Langley coach Darren Buchan.

Jack Margetson and Blake Larsen each had a hat trick and four-point games as eight Langley players found the back of the net. Cooper Board and Bailey Vanichuk both potted a pair while Liam Taillefer, Kanen Hunter, Ryan Sheldrake and Erik Forsselius had a goal apiece. Hunter, Vanichuk and Forsselius also finished with four assists apiece.

The season debuts of Hunter and Larsen were crucial in giving Langley more of a balanced attack from both sides of the floor, while Forsselius seems to have found his groove, Buchan said.

Ahead 8-2 just past the halfway mark of the middle period, the Thunder did lapse defensively, allowing New Westminster to cut the deficit to 11-7 thanks to four goals in a 2:20 span over the final three minutes.

“In the first period, we were playing our system. Then we got a big lead and started to run around and forgot our system,” Buchan said. “Defensively we need to button it up. That shouldn’t have been as close a game as it was, but we will learn from that.”

Noah Kozevnikov made 35 saves on 45 shots in goal for the Thunder.

Reid Hinds MacDonald led the Bellies with five goals.

Up next for the Thunder is a road game in Port Coquitlam on May 26 (8:00pm) and the next home game at Langley Events Centre is May 29 (2:00pm) against the Nanaimo Timbermen.

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