A terrible start and a penalty plague finish should have added up to the Delta Islanders losing for the first time in six games. Instead, a "refuse to lose" mentality produced one of the more improbable wins in franchise history.
The Islanders roared back from a four goal first period deficit to trim the New Westminster Salmonbellies 9-8 Saturday in a highly entertaining battle between two of the premier teams in the B.C. Junior "A" Lacrosse League this season.
A terrific second period and a goal from intermediate call-up Cody Nass put the hosts on even terms midway through the final period. However, any hope of completing the comeback looked bleak when the Islanders were accessed nine minutes worth of penalties and played two man short for an extended period.
Not only did they prevent the Salmonbellies from taking the lead, an outstanding individual effort by Mike Mallory, while the teams were playing four aside, produced the game winning goal with 2: 22 remaining.
The result leaves Delta with a 6-2-1 record and just a single point behind the first place Coquitlam Adanacs.
"When we were down 5-1 it was a good gut check of how much heart this team has and we showed it tonight," said Mallory, a two-time league all-star. "It was a huge win for us and now we have the season series against them.
"This is a young team and it's my job to bring leadership and teach them what you know. Obviously, they are picking up on it."
What has first-year head coach Shaun Springett smiling these days, even more than the unbeaten streak, is getting contributions from entire his line-up which is ultimately making a difference on the scoresheet.
While the team's top snipers, like Mallory are scoring timely goals, it's rookie netminder Will Schwan blanking the Bellies over the final 24 minutes of the contest or captain and defensive standout Cody Hawkins providing exceptional penalty killing.
"We have had a couple of character games this year where we could have folded and we didn't," said Springett. "I truly believe we play better as a team than anyone in the league. Our goaltending is right up there and if our defence is not the best, I don't know who is better.
"The first period we were giving things away. It wasn't like we were being outplayed real bad. We just got a little lost and we were giving up some fast breaks. But we basically shut them down with our five-on-five defence over the final two periods.
"It's a team. If one guy doesn't step up then someone else picks him up."
Nass, who plays for Richmond in the B.C. Intermediate "A" Lacrosse League, finished with five points, including a pair of goals. He is currently leads the intermediate league in scoring with 40 points in seven games.
Tyler Nett, another Richmond Roadrunner product, along with Mallory, each had two goals and one assist. Other goal scorers included Eli McLaughlin, Sam Clare and Matt Zinn. Mike Henry finished with three assists, while Jamie Malanfant and Issey Lamb each chipped in with a pair of helpers.
The Islanders return to action for a rare Friday night home game when the Port Coquitlam Saints visit the Ladner Leisure Centre at 7: 30 p.m. Delta also travels to Victoria on Saturday to face the Shamrocks.
