The New Westminster Salmonbellies made their point.
In fact, one point was all the three-time defending B.C. champions needed to secure first place in the Western Lacrosse Association.
New West rallied to tie Burnaby 10-10 with three goals in the final four minutes of regulation time before settling for an 11-11 overtime draw at Queen's Park Arena on Thursday.
On Sunday, the Salmonbellies allowed the Maple Ridge Burrards to sneak into the semifinal playoffs following a 12-7 loss in the final game of the league sched-ule.
New Westminster will meet the Burrards in the first game of the playoffs at Queen's Park Arena tonight (Wednesday) at 7: 45 p.m.
The Salmonbellies finished atop the standings with a record of 11-5-2, but ended on a rather sour note, losing three of their last four outings.
"We're still trying to find a way to play consistently together. We need everyone on the same page, and until we get to that point, we have to keep plugging away," said New Westminster's player of the game, Ilija Gajic, following Thursday's draw.
At home, New West came up against a desperate Burnaby Lakers club and a young goaltender in Dan Lewis, who made 56 saves to help his team salvage a badly needed point.
In Maple Ridge, the Salmonbellies dressed an incomplete lineup that included four call-ups in its final regular season game.
Despite the outcomes in the final weeks of the regular season, Gajic said that the current Salmonbellies lineup was built with one goal in mind.
"Honestly, our only goal is to win a Mann Cup," added Gajic, who scored four goals and added four assists against his former Lakers and then added four more points in the loss to Maple Ridge. "This team turned the corner a couple of years ago and now we want to build a team to win it."
Gajic added that the memory of losing the 2009 Mann Cup in the final minute of Game 7 before a packed partisan crowd at Queen's Park Arena is still very much alive.
"We choked. I choked. No one gives a crap about going to the final. We have that mentality now. Now we have to flip the page and get it done," Gajic said. "We want to be the best team in the league. We can't look at it any other way."
N.W. PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
New West versus Maple Ridge
best-of-seven semifinal Wed. Aug. 3 @ Queen's Park Fri. Aug. 5 @ Cam Neely Sun. Aug. 7 @ Queen's Park Tues. Aug. 9 @ Cam Neely *Thur. Aug. 11 @ Queen's Park *Fri. Aug. 12 @ Cam Neely *Sun. Aug. 14 @ Queen's Park *If necessary All games at 7: 45 p.m.
JUNIOR A PLAYOFF FINAL
New West versus Coquitlam best-of-seven final Wed. Aug. 3 @ Poirier Centre Sat. Aug. 6 @ Queen's Park Mon. Aug. 8 @ Poirier Centre Wed. Aug. 10 @ Queen's Park *Fri. Aug. 12 @ Poirier Centre *Mon. Aug. 15 @ Queen's Park *Tues. Aug. 16 @ Poirier Centre *If necessary All games at 8 p.m.
