Kyle Nichols is off to a very good start.
Nichols joined the Langley Thunder organization over the past weekend, after his playing rights were swapped for Junior A captain Tyson Kirkness. Nichols spent the early part of the week with Langley’s Junior A squad, registering a pair of assists in the team’s 10-6 loss to New Westminster.
On Thursday, the Coquitlam product debuted for the Thunder Junior B team, and despite not practising with his new teammates, the left-handed forward had a four-goal first period and finished his debut with six goals and a pair of helpers as Langley routed the Burnaby Junior B Lakers 19-6 at Langley Events Centre.
The victory improved Langley to 9-8 and has them locked into the No. 5 seed for the BC Junior Tier 1 Lacrosse League playoffs. The Thunder close the regular season on Friday (July 6) when they visit the Delta Junior B Islanders at the Ladner Leisure Centre.
“It was a good team effort all-around,” Nichols said.
“Guys were doing their roles, stepping in, setting hard picks and moving the ball around. I was just lucky tonight and found the net,” he said.
“It was all about getting the win, getting those two points. It is late in the season and every point matters (so) all I was focused on, was getting the win.
“It is just a matter of a new beginning and coming in and starting over and proving what I have got and fitting in with a new squad. It is all the same stuff just in a new colour.”
The game was close for the first 18 minutes as the score was tied at three. But Langley blew it open with four goals in the final 2:10 and never looked back. The Thunder added six goals apiece in both the second and third periods to complete the rout. Final shots on goal were also extremely lopsided in Langley’s favour, with the shot clock reading 82-38.
Ty Ewen also had a big game for the Thunder with four goals and a pair of assists while Chase Moore (one goal, two assists) and Kyle Brunsch (two goals, one assist) each had three-point games. Josh Bramley, Jordan Daniel, Stryker Roloff, Jake Richardson, Josh Brunsch and Ryan Taylor rounded out the scoring with a goal apiece. Blake Larsen had three assists and Riley Richardson had a pair of helpers to go along with his 32 saves.
