Islanders Shatter Adanac’s Perfect Record

The Delta Islanders took the approach to the first game in the league final round that they were the underdogs and saw that as a plus.

Obviously it worked as they controlled the game from the opening face-off and jumped out to an early lead at 18:50 with Jon Phillips grabbing a pass from Milburn and Messenger putting Delta up by one.

The Adanac’s were coming off a perfect regular season with a 21 – 0 record for a winning % of 1.000 while Delta’s record through 21 games was 14-7-0 for a winning % of 0.714 scoring 266 goals and allowing 219 GA with a league high total of 460 PIM’s.

Coquitlam on the other hand only allowed 118 GA while scoring 278 with the least penalty minutes of 251 in the BCJALL for the 2016 season.

Coquitlam eliminated Port Coquitlam in four straight games scoring 43 goals while Port Coquitlam only managed to burry 22 through four games.

The Delta/New West series was somewhat closer and went six games vs. the other series that went four straight.

Delta scored 63 goals in the six game series while the “Bellies” managed 57, so think what you might this was not going to be a four game series for either team.

The final round for the BCJALL was set for only a three game series as both teams are in the Minto Cup, so having a three game series is far better for both.

Some were thinking this would be a “chippy” series with Delta being the larger more aggressive team, but the smaller “more disciplined” Adanac’s were up to the challenge.

If anything this would come down to goaltending with newly acquired Delta Islander Kevin Orleman taking on Adanac’s “back-bone” Christian Del Bianco who recently signed with the Calgary Roughnecks in the NLL.

While the Islanders owned the first period it was the Adanac’s that owned the second scoring five tying the game through two periods.

The third would be anyone’s game as well it would be entertaining to the fans that took the game in.

Through two it was the Adanac’s that outshoot the Islanders by a margin of 45 to 29, with Coquitlam controlling the shots from the outside, while Delta’s shot’s were from inside.

After two it was tied at five and from all accounts it would get down to goaltending as most thought it would.

The only controversial call in the game to this point was a call when the ref indicated that Delta would receive possession of the ball.

Following a short conversation with Coquitlam’s net-minder Del Bianco and while Delta was in the midst of a line change the ball was given to Coquitlam. Why – no one knows?

The ensuing rush saw Coquitlam’s Chetner rush down the floor and break the tie giving the A’s the lead.

Still no explanation and everyone in the building were or seemed confused by the change of possession, but regardless the goal stood.

Delta fought hard for the remainder of the game getting the final three goals of the game in a span of 5:27 pulling off a 9-6 win, giving Coquitlam the first loss of the season.

Delta’s Evan Messenger had 12 goals and 3 assists on the night, while Milligan had a goal and an assist, with Jon Phillips hammering home 2 goals in the win.

Coquitlam got a pair of goals from Brett Kujala and one goal and one assist from Semple leaving them on the losing end of game one.

Game two in the BCJALL goes Sunday August 7^th at 5 pm at Delta’s Sungod Arena as the Ladner Leisure Centre is putting in the ice for the coming season and the Giants training camp.

Coquitlam outshoot Delta by a narrow margin of 58-50, with Delta taking 5 of the 7 penalties assessed in game one.

Coquitlam has to hope that Del Bianco stays healthy as the back-up is Junior B call-up Anthony Dale, while Delta dresses Ryland Hood who started the season as Delta’s number one.