Two down, one to go.
The Westwood Pub Devils are days away from potential wielding their third straight Dale Rolufs Memorial Trophy and their fifth in six years.
The orange and grey had a much closer match with the Northland Nissan Assault in Game Two of the 2019 Prince George Senior Lacrosse Finals, but would surge on offense late in the final frame for a double-up 10-5 victory.
With the win, the Devils take a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-five series, needing just one more to claim the title and sweep the Assault.
Patrick Bayliss was the busier of the two goaltenders in the box Thursday night (July 18), facing 43 shots from the Assault, while Kyle Frederick saw 40 shots from the Devils on his net.
The Devils had the led at each intermission, enjoying period leads of 5-3 and 6-4 before outscoring the Assault 4-1 in the third.
Andrew Schwab, the top scorer from the 2019 regular season, led the Devils’ charge across the floor with a game-high six points, including a hat-trick and three helpers.
Jake McIntosh followed his teammate’s lead on the scoreboard with three goals of his own (also nabbing two in the first and one in the third like Schwab) and two assists for five points.
The third and final hat-trick of the night came off the strings of Assault Captain Doug Porter, who swerved and deked his way to a team-high four points.
Rookie of the Year Riley Stevens earned three points for the Assault (two goals, one assist).
A penalty shot was awarded to the Assault with 61 seconds left in Game Two, but Porter couldn’t find a way past Bayliss.
Devils’ Dylan Long was a frequent visitor to the penalty box Thursday, spending eight minutes in there, half of which were for cross-checking.
Both teams will get the weekend off to prepare and rest for Game Three of the championship final, set for Monday (July 22), 8 p.m. from Kin 1 Arena.
Should the Assault keep their season alive, Game Four will take place Wednesday night (July 24) at the same time and in the same place.
