With playoffs right around the corner the action in the WLA has begun to heat up. There are five games on the schedule this weekend so by Monday the WLA playoff picture will begin to clear up.
Friday Night
Maple Ridge Burrards (7-8) vs. Burnaby Lakers (8-7)
This is a huge matchup for both teams as the Burrards sit two points back of Burnaby for third place and the Lakers sit only two points back of Victoria for second place. Either team with a win will improve their positioning for the playoffs and will be motivated to win. The Lakers are coming off a tough 13-8 loss to New Westminster on Saturday night while the Burrards are coming off a 10-9 loss to Nanaimo. This game will be an offensive affair as neither team’s defense has been strong this year. Expect this game to come down to a head to head battle between Dane Stevens for Burnaby and Curtis Dickson for Maple Ridge. Expect Curtis Dickson to carry the Burrards to victory as he has been a one man wrecking crew and will make the Lakers night very difficult.
New Westminster Salmonbellies (6-8-1) vs. Victoria Shamrocks (9-6)
The Salmonbellies are fighting for their playoff lives and took a step forward as they picked up two important points on Thursday night with their win over Burnaby. The Shamrocks on the other hand are looking to regain first place and will look to get back to their winning ways. The Salmonbellies will have their hands full with the Shamrocks deep offense. The Salmonbellies won the last meeting between these two teams 13-12. If the Salmonbellies offense can once again create sustained pressure on Matt Flindell they will be in a position to win this game. On the other side Victoria will want to pay an up tempo game and beat the Salmonbellies in transition. In the end Victoria will make a statement with a win over the Salmonbellies.
Saturday Night
Nanaimo Timbermen (5-10) vs. Coquitlam Adanacs (5-8-1)
The bad news for these two teams is that the loser of this game will be in sole possession of last place in the WLA. The Adanacs have gone through drastic changes as they traded Dane Dobbie and Nick Rose to Langley. While Nanaimo have picked up their game recently and notched a tough win over Maple Ridge. Coquitlam will need Brett Hickey and Jesse Guerin will need to spark the Coquitlam offense. While Nanaimo will be relying on Cody Bremner to run their offense as he has been on fire lately. This will be a high scoring affair between two teams that struggle on the defensive side of the ball. In the end Nanaimo will win as they are riding a wave of momentum while Coquitlam appears to be in shambles.
Langley Thunder (10-3-2) vs. Victoria Shamrocks (9-6)
The Thunder have been on a roll as of late and have won their last five games. While the Shamrocks have struggled recently losing their last meeting to Langley 11-6. So far these two teams have split the season series and this will be the rubber match. Langley has improved their team with the additions of Dane Dobbie and Nick Rose. The Shamrocks and Langley have the top two offenses in the WLA and when they meet sparks are bound to fly. This game will come down to the last minute but in the end Langley will continue their winning ways thanks to their stronger goaltending in the form of Brodie MacDonald.
Sunday Night
Maple Ridge Burrards (7-8) vs. Coquitlam Adanacs (5-8-1)
This will be a make it or break it game for the Burrards as the Salmonbellies are closing in on them for the final playoff spot and the Burrards need to defeat struggling teams like the Adanacs. The Burrards have Curtis Dickson who is likely to win the WLA MVP award this season. The Burrards should win this game easily as the Adanacs basically gave up on the season when they traded Dane Dobbie and Nick Rose. The Adanacs will need to dig deep to beat the Burrards. In the end thought the Burrrards are the better team and should win this game with ease.
