It was a must-win situation for the Maple Ridge Burrards Saturday night, and the local men’s lacrosse team did just that, keeping their play-off hopes alive by beating an injury-depleted Coquitlam Adanacs squad 10-6 on the road.

With much of the Adanacs offense out of the line-up, the Burrards took full advantage, opening a 7-3 lead by the second intermission.

It was a strong start for a Burrards team that has dug itself some pretty deep holes early on in games this season.

“It was a big game for us,” said Burrards head coach Daren Fridge. “We got what we needed from our guys.”

Joel Dalgarno has a seven-point effort with three goals and four assists, while goaltender Ron Schibald turned away 34 shots on net for the win.

The Burrards returned home to a packed house at Planet Ice in Maple Ridge Sunday night to face the No. 1-ranked senior team in Canada, Victoria Shamrocks, losing 13-12 in a tightly contested affair.

The Burrards had another strong start, taking a 4-2 lead after the first period, but it was Victoria who ended up on top after 60 minutes of end-to-end action.

The two teams traded goals for much of the game, with neither side opening up more than a two-goal lead.

Down by two goals with less than 20 seconds left in the third period, Dalgarno scored to bring the Burrards within one. Despite a pair of dangerous shots in the final seconds, the Burrards were unable to send the game to overtime.

“They are the first place team and their payroll is always going to be far deeper than ours, but the fans got a really good show,” said Fridge.

He said spirits are high in the Burrards’ dressing room despite the loss.

“There’s a lot more confidence right now,” Fridge said.

“We know if we can play like this against any team in the league we’ll be successful.”

It’s a good thing, because it is critical the Burrards remain successful if they want to see the post-season.

With the Western Lacrosse Association’s regular season nearing its end, the Burrards are one point out of a play-off berth with four games to play.

However, the Langley Thunder, who currently hold on to that final ticket to the post-season have three games in hand on the Burrards. The Burrards have a favourable schedule, with three of their remaining four games against teams below them in the standings, but Fridge says his team is taking nothing for granted.

“They are going to come guns a-blazing down the stretch and we have to do the same thing,” he said.

• The Maple Ridge Burrards next home game is this Sunday, July 12, against the Nanaimo Timbermen at Planet Ice in Maple Ridge. Game time is 6:45 p.m.