Tonight in the WLA the weekend action kicks off with a double header as the Burnaby Lakers host the Nanaimo Timbermen and the Coquitlam Adanacs travel to Victoria to face off against the Coquitlam Adanacs.
In the first matchup of the night the Burnaby Lakers take on the Nanaimo Timbermen. The Lakers opened up their season with 12-11 overtime win on Thursday night over the New Westminster Salmonbellies. While the Timbermen are coming off their first win of the season as the beat the Coquitlam Adanacs 9-7. In this matchup it will most likely come down to which team scores last as neither of these teams is known for having stellar defense. For Burnaby it appears Jason Jones will be the player to watch for as he notched 7 points in the Lakers first victory. Jones will look for a repeat performance on Friday night but the Timbermen need to also watch for Robert Church and Dane Stevens as they are the heart of this Lakers offense. In net Tyler Richards looked solid in his first game as a member of the Lakers posting a 9.43 Goals Against Average and a .810 save percentage. The Lakers will want to bury Nanaimo early as they have proven to be a tough win this season due to their third period comebacks.
For the Timbermen to win this game they need to get off to a good start and not battle from behind all game which has been their trend in their first three games this season. The Timbemen will need Cody Bremner, Paul Brebber and Mac Johnson to continue their strong play and hopefully build an early lead. In net Zach Boychuk will be under pressure and will need to weather the early surge of aggression from the Lakers if he can do that and he keep his team in the game the Timbermen will be in a good position to win this game.
In the end expect this to be a very close game but the Lakers will pull it out thanks to their superior offense.
In the second game of the night the Coquitlam Adanacs travel to Victoria to take on the Shamrocks. So far this season the Shamrocks have looked mortal as they tied the Timbermen in their first game of the season and then edged the Timbermen 15-7 in their second game of the season. Last year the Shamrocks steam rolled every team in the league except for the Thunder but so far this year they do not appear to be the same juggernaut. The Shamrocks still have a potent offense though led by Corey Small and Rhys Duch. The Shamrocks will want to use their passing game against the Adanacs and spread the ball to open up opportunities for Small and Duch. In net Matt Flindell will need to continue his strong play but he should not be under two much pressure as the Adanacs offense has been pretty pathetic this season.
The Adanacs will have their hands full against the Shamrocks as so far their offense has revolved around just two played as Brett Hickey and Jesse Guerin are the only two player on the team with more than two points. The Adanacs will want to play a tight physical defensive game against the Shamrocks and punish them for every shot they take. The Adanacs will need to avoid being spread out by the Shamrocks offense and limit their opportunities if they hope to win.
In the end the Shamrocks could roll over the Adanacs as the Adanacs do not have the fire power needed to compete against the Shamrocks.
