A pair of losses to the league’s top two teams has cost the Delta Islanders a position in the B.C. junior A Lacrosse League standings.
The losses dropped Delta to 9-8-0 (won-lost-tied) on the season, one point back of the 9-5-1 Victoria Shamrocks, winners of three games last week.
The Islanders lost 14-10 to the Coquitlam Adanacs last Wednesday (June 11), before a 16-10 setback against the New Westminster Salmonbellies at home Saturday in the Sungod Arena.
Delta appeared poised to upset the 13-1-1 Adanacs in Coquitlam, taking a 4-1 lead after one period on goals by Eli McLaughlin, Evan Messenger, Cody Nass and Tyler Nett.
McLaughlin Messenger and Spencer Bromly added second period tallies, allowing the Islanders to take a 7-5 advantage into the final period.
The Adanacs dominated the last frame, and before five minutes had elapsed had tallied four times to take the lead. McLaughlin completed his hat trick to pull Delta to within a goal at 7-6, but Coquitlam responded with three more goals in a three-minute span before Nass and Reece Callie netted the last two Islanders goals of the game.
New Westminster struck for nine first period goals in a one-sided win Saturday in Sungod. McLaughlin scored six times for Delta, and now leads the Junior A league with 35 goals. Messenger, Chase Fraser, Cory Takahara and Jonathan Phillips added one each for the home side.
The lone game for the Islanders this weekend is Saturday night in the Sungod Arena when the 5-9-1 Nanaimo Islanders are the visitors.