A win and a tie last week kept the Cowichan Thunder undefeated and way in front of the rest of the pack in the Vancouver Island Intermediate Lacrosse League.
The Thunder came back from a slow start on the road against the Saanich Tigers on Thursday to finish with an 11-11 tie, then used a huge third period to beat the Juan de Fuca Whalers 14-8 at home on Friday evening.
The Thunder trailed Saanich 6-3 midway through the first last Thursday, but narrowed the gap to a single goal before the period was over, then went ahead 10-9 in the second. The teams were even throughout the third, with the Tigers scoring in the last two minutes to knot the score.
"We had a great scoring chance to win with one second on the clock but hit the post," Cowichan coach Lorne Winship said.
Adam Golia paced the Thunder with four goals, while Colin Winship had three goals and two assists. Mitchell Page scored twice, Brandon Brown had one goal and three assists, Tyson Black had three assists, and Jimmy Johnny and Matt Rorison had one helper apiece.
Goalie Kain Stewart entered the game midway through the first period and held the fort through the final buzzer.
At home the next night, things looked eerily familiar.
"The game was similar to Thursday with our team starting very slowly," Winship noted.
The Thunder trailed 5-1 halfway through the first period, but something sparked, and by the end of the first, the score was tied 5-5, and Cowichan led 8-7 after two.
The Thunder then dominate the third period at both ends of the floor, scoring six goals to the Whalers' one.
Midget A call-up Mat Jung proved a fine fit for the intermediate game as he scored five goals, including four on the powerplay. Black and Colin Winship had three goals apiece, Brandon Brown had two goals and an assist, Steven Robertson had a goal and two helpers, and Johnny, Brayden Durrance, Corwin Trent and goalie Dallas McLaughlin each registered one assist.
The Thunder will host Saanich this Friday at 7:45 p.m. The Thunder have a narrow edge in the season series after a 10-9 win and last Thursday's 11-11 tie.