Sound defence and goaltending continues to be the early season theme for the Delta Islanders.
The B.C. Junior "A" Lacrosse League club is ranked ninth in the country, even without two of its top scorers.
While Mike Mallory (injury) and Logan Schuss (college) won't be back in the lineup soon, Delta has come through a tough stretch in its schedule with a 3-2-1 record and is currently riding a three-game unbeaten streak.
The Islanders relied on a 43-save performance from rookie goaltender Will Schwan in a 5-3 road victory over the New West Salmonbellies, then rallied to salvage a 6-6 tie with the Nanaimo Timbermen on Saturday at Sungod Arena.
Eli McLaughlin's second of the night with just 10 seconds remaining sent the game into overtime where neither team could find the net in the 10 minute extra session.
Through six games, the Islanders are surrendering under seven goals per contest, which three less than last season and is a reflection of the philosophy of its revamped coaching staff.
Head coach Shaun Springett worked as a defensive assistant at the junior "A" and senior "A" levels, while his assistants include former Vancouver Raven AJ Smith who also thrived in a defensive role as a player.
The hope is the return of Mallory and Schuss to the line-up, combined with the maturation of an impressive group of first year players, will propel the club to a strong second half of the season, heading into the playoffs.
Three rookies - Mike Henry (14 points), Tyler Nett (14) and McLaughlin (13) are among the league's top 15 scorers. The team also welcomed Sam Clare to the line-up, who is coming off his freshman season with the Simon Fraser University field lacrosse team. The Ladner native had a goal and two assists in the tie against Nanamio.
Jamie Malanfant, Nick Kozuback and Henry also scored against the Timbermen. Delta outshot the visitors 57-28 with Nanaimo goaltender Peter Dubenski turning in an outstanding performance.
Meanwhile, Schwan ranks in the top five in the league in goals against average (6.80) and save percentage (83.06), however he doesn't show up in the official statistics since he is considered a "call-up" as an intermediate age player.
The Islanders are back in action Friday when they visit the Port Coquitlam Saints. They return home Saturday to face the Burnaby Lakers. Game time is 7: 30 p.m. at the Ladner Leisure Centre.
Boxla bits... Logan Schuss has enjoyed another outstanding season at Ohio State University, earning East Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year honours. The junior attackman from Ladner ranked 13th in the nation in scoring, with 55 points (3.93 per game), including a career high 39 goals.
He is now fifth all-time in OSU scoring.
The Buckeyes finished with an overall record of 8-7. Their bid for an NCAA championship berth ended with a one goal loss to Fairfield in the ECAC semi-finals.
