Buoyed by a three-game win streak, the Coquitlam Adanacs have jumped from chasing a playoff berth to being in control of one.

Now, the next challenge is to hold on to it.

The Adanacs moved into a tie for second place with the Burnaby Lakers in the Western Lacrosse Association's playoff race, powered by wins over the Victoria Shamrocks and Maple Ridge Burrards last weekend.

Dane Dobbie's short side shot with 56 seconds left in the third lifted Coquitlam past the Shamrocks 10-9 on Saturday - his fourth on the night.

"It was a typical Dobbie goal," recalled Adanac coach Bob Salt. "He had three or four guys draped all over him, he cut inside and found a sliver of space on the shortside."

On Sunday, Dobbie's third goal of the night, on a powerplay, proved to be the difference as they fended off a feisty Maple Ridge crew in an 11-8 decision.

The Burrards had pulled even at 4-4 early in the second before the visiting Adanacs gained the upperhand, with three straight tallies within a span of 53 seconds.

Kevin Olson, Ryan Johnson and Daniel McQuade scored to secure a good lead that the club would, for the most part, maintain the rest of the way.

Netminder Nick Rose, meanwhile, continued to frustrate opposition shooters, turning aside 30 shots - including 15 in the second.

"Our defence is playing really well and Dobbs has really taken off (offensively)," said Coquitlam coach Bob Salt. "When we get that, plus (Rose) playing fabulously, we're tough to stop."

The Ontario netminder has played every game so far, posting the second-best goals against average of 7.50, and a save percentage of .822.

Dobbie, meanwhile, has shaken off any rust that may have accumulated over his three game stint on the disabled list and tore up the scoresheet. Over the two games he cashed in seven goals and six assists and now has 27 goals and 20 assists in 11 games.

McQuade posted three goals and four helpers in Sunday's victory, while Olson contributed four goals and two assists in the win over Victoria.

The defence is the pace setter, limiting the opposition to few inside shots and fewer offensive runs.

"Our young guys are really buying into the system," noted Salt. "(Rose) has played every game and been terrific. But if you'd ask him, our 'D' is putting us in a position to win, limiting any inside looks so that he can stop the outside shots."

With just four games left in the regular season and three points separating five teams between second spot and sixth place, yesterday's win streak could be made irrelevant by a couple of losses.

The Adanacs will look to break the second-place tie with Burnaby on Friday at Bill Copeland Complex (7: 45 p.m.), before hosting sixthplace Nanaimo on Saturday, 7 p.m. at the Poirier Sports Centre.

sports@thenownews.com