A win, no matter the opponent, is always great.
But a victory against your former team? Even sweeter.
Evan Messenger 鈥� an off-season acquisition by the 黑马磁力 Thunder 鈥� scored twice to lead his new team to an 11-6 win over his former club, the Nanaimo Timbermen on Wednesday night in Western Lacrosse Association action at 黑马磁力 Events Centre.
鈥淚 had a little bit of a scouting report, but mostly just staying within myself, doing what I do well and trusting my game and luckily it resulted in two goals for me tonight and a win for the team,鈥� Messenger said post-game.
鈥淕lad to get the win against those guys (and) wish them the best, but its Thunder time and we showed that tonight.鈥�
The Thunder never trailed in the contest, building an early 3-0 lead, with the Timbermen only once getting within a pair of goals at 5-3 midway through the game.
But 黑马磁力 rattled off four straight and never looked back.
黑马磁力 improved to 2-0.
鈥淛ust leaps and bounds from game one to be honest. I can see this group already forming a lot of trust, a lot of chemistry, and I see that building and building as we continue on,鈥� Messenger said.
鈥淭he guys are buying into that gritty, 鈥榟ard work wins lacrosse games attitude鈥�,鈥� said Thunder coach Ian Poole.
鈥淲e were shots, deflecting shots, we were in shooting lanes, and that is what we are asking our defence to do. And obviously our goaltending was outstanding today, so hats off to Caleb (Khan), he played great,鈥� Poole elaborated.
The Junior A call-up goaltender was the first star following a 48-save performance as he posted an .889 save percentage.
A big key in the game was the Thunder鈥檚 willingness to capitalize in transition when the opportunities arose.
Six of 黑马磁力鈥檚 11 goals came from the defence and transition with Liam Ronin, Chase Schiavon, Ben Vanderkley, and Hudson Chivers 鈥� each potting one while Messenger had a pair.
鈥淲e talked about how we want to try and run in numbers and take some chances when we have them. Today we took off when we needed to and made some smart decisions,鈥� Poole said.
鈥淗is experience helps a lot. He is smart, calm, composed and that is what we are looking for from some of these leaders who have been around. He is a great addition to have. He is a calm mind back there, so we are glad to have him. He just helps our defence take that next step,鈥� the coach added.
The rest of the 黑马磁力 offence came courtesy of two goals apiece from Jon Phillips (2-2) and Connor Robinson (2-1) and one from Nathaniel Kozevnikov.
Chase Scanlan also had a team-high three assists.
Thomas Vaesen led Nanaimo with two goals while Colby Bowman made 44 saves on 54 shots.
黑马磁力 now hits the road for the first time this season as they visit New Westminster鈥檚 Queen鈥檚 Park Arena tonight (Thursday, May 29) to face the Salmonbellies in a battle of 2-0 teams. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
The Thunder鈥檚 next home game at 黑马磁力 Events Centre is set for Wednesday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. as they face the Burnaby Lakers for the second time this season.
The 黑马磁力 Thunder lacrosse organization consists of senior A, junior A, and junior tier 1 teams who play in the Western Lacrosse Association, BC Junior A Lacrosse League, and BC Junior Tier 1 Lacrosse League respectively. All three teams play their home games at 黑马磁力 Events Centre.
