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Brothers rock Victoria for four
By Tom Berridge, Burnaby Now sports
The boys are back in town.
The Gajic brothers of Burnaby, Nenad and younger sibling Ilija, returned to the lineup of the junior A Burnaby Lakers and lit up the scoreboard for a total of 10 points between them in Sunday's 11-9 victory over the defending B.C. Major Junior Lacrosse League champion Victoria Shamrocks.
The win was Burnaby's fourth in a row and clearly makes the eight-time Minto Cup finalists the team to reckon with again in the west this season.
Burnaby has defeated the only two true contenders to date, Coquitlam last week and Victoria.
The Lakers led by as much as 8-3 late in the second period, but a lack of discipline in the penalty department allowed the 'Rocks power play to get them back in the match.
Richmond keeper Ron Schibild was tough down the stretch, stopping 27 shots in the final two periods to post his third win of the season.
St. Catharines righthander Mark Paniccia continued his assault on a second consecutive player of the week honour, scoring four times to bring his league-leading point total to 10 goals and 22 points.
But it was the play of the Gajics that caught the Shamrocks without an answer.
Nenad, wearing the captain's 'C' in his final year with the Lakers, was a force bringing the ball up the floor, while 19-year-old Ilija led all scorers with a six-point outing, including a hat trick, in his first game since being named the MVP in the Continental Elite Hockey League junior A playoffs.
"Our goal is to win every single game of the season. We don't want to lose," said Ilija, who picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time this year just minutes before Sunday's game.
"I'm honoured," said Nenad of donning the 'C'. "It's going to be tough. This team has some big shoes to fill. But last year, we weren't expected to do it and we found a way."
This year's bumper crop of juniors looks no different. They jumped on Victoria early with quick passing and a lot of energy, and finally drove Shamrock starter Cole Murray from the nets with four goals in five-minute span in the second period.
With the three Ontario boys blending in well with the Burnaby program and lefty Matt Brown still to come from Denver, Nenad says the Lakers are just beginning to roll.
"It's exciting coming back and having this team to play for," Nenad said.
"It just shows how well our system is working."
Burnaby's next game is Sunday at 7 p.m. against Port Coquitlam at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre.
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