Can the Adanacs grab their first win of the 2013 season against the Burrards?
Tonight in WLA action the Maple Ridge Burrards take on the Coquitlam Adanacs. The Adanacs have had a rough start to the season as they are 0- but they have faced probably the two best teams in the WLA in the form of Langley and Victoria. The Burrards on the other hand are 0-1 after opening their season with a loss against Langley.
The Adanacs so far this season have continued to play a smothering defensive style which is what allowed them to advance to the WLA final last year. The Coquitlam defense has been impressive as they were able to hold Langley to only five goals in their matchup earlier this week. Coquitlam has received strong goaltending from Adam Shute who has been playing since Nick Rose is out injured. Shute has so far posted a 6.60 G.A.A and .833 save percentage. The problem for the Adanacs though is their scoring has been absent as they are still missing some of their top offensive players in the form of Dane Dobbie, and Jeff Zywicki. Against the Burrards Coquitlam will want to do what they do best and play a physical game and limit the Burrard’s shots. The key to Maple Ridge’s offense is Curtis Dickson and if the Adanac’s can contain him they will cripple the Burrards offense and win the game.
Maple Ridge in their first game against Langley showed a lot of grit as they were able to hang tough against the defending WLA champs. The Burrards offense showed some signs of improvements from last year with Curtis Dickson leading the way with four points. The Burrards though will need a better performance from Chris Levis who struggled against Langley as he posted a 13.00 G.A.A. If the Burrards want to win this game they will need to find a way to open up space on the floor and avoid allowing Coquitlam to shut down their offensive options. The Burrards will need to strike early and often in order to force the Adanacs to take risks which will open up their defense and provide more offensive opportunities.
In the end though the Adanacs defense will be too much for the Burrards offense to overcome and the Adanacs will win this game. The Adanacs have the best defense in the league and the Burrards do not possess the offensive weapons to break it down.
