The red-hot Valley Rebels ran their winning streak to 10 games with a pair of victories in the past week.
The Abbotsford squad fended off a late rally from the Nanaimo Timbermen to win 10-9 at MSA Arena last Friday, then hit the road for a 7-6 triumph over the Port Moody Thunder on Monday.
After a stumbling out of the gates, losing two of their first three games, the Rebels have suddenly seized a firm grip on first place in the West Coast Senior Lacrosse Association (WCSLA) standings with an 11-2 record.
“Every game out, we’re playing more and more together,” said first-year Rebels coach Ted Downey, who described the club as a “fractured bunch” when he took over.
“They’re really starting to have confidence in themselves. When they get on the floor, they’re expecting to do things, not just hope to. That’s a big change in their mental attitude.
“I’m really liking this team, how it’s coming together.”
Against Nanaimo, Geordie Wells and Shaun McRae had hat tricks, while Curt Callard chipped in with two goals and two assists. Jordan Hernandez and Graham Wiedenhammer also scored, and goalie Matt Morehouse, recently returned from a separated shoulder, picked up the win between the pipes.
The Rebels led 10-6 early in the third, but had to hang on after the Timbermen battled almost all the way back.
“We took our foot off the pedal and sort of let them back in the game,” Downey analyzed. “It was a little eye-opening for the boys … It gave me something to discuss at the end of the game with them.”
The WCSLA takes a break over the Canada Day weekend, and the Rebels are back in action on Friday, July 6 when they host the Langley Warriors (8 p.m., MSA Arena).
