July 4, 2007 -- After jumping through more hoops than a Yorkie in a dog show, Ontario native Daryl Veltman finally was granted transfer approval Friday to play on the Coquitlam Adanacs.

The next night, he showed it was worth the ordeal.

Veltman zipped in two goals and added two assists to rally the Adanacs past the host Timbermen 13-11 in a Western Lacrosse Association battle in Nanaimo.

Veltman and his big brother Peter were a dynamic one-two offensive punch, with Peter also scoring twice and dishing out three helpers. Coquitlam native Curt Malawsky led the A’s attack with three tallies and three assists.

The win boosted the Adanacs to 5-4-1 in fourth place in the seven-team standings, while the T-men slipped to 5-6-0.

Veltman and the Adanacs had been working on the player’s transfer from the Ontario Lacrosse Association Barrie Lakeshores, through the Canadian Lacrosse Association, since well before the season started.

Their original application was denied, as were two subsequent long, arduous appeals, before the WLA took the matter before an arbitrator with the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada. After a two-and-a-half hour conference call involving the parties Thursday, the arbitrator ruled the next day in Veltman’s and the Adanacs’ favour.

“I took Daryl out for dinner after to celebrate and said to him, ‘I sure hope you’re worth all this,’” Adanacs general manager Les Wingrove chided.

Oh, Veltman is. He proved it Saturday, just nine days after the Adanacs’ offence virtually evaporated in a 7-2 loss to the Salmonbellies in New Westminster.

“He’s not as big and strong as Peter but he’s more fluid,” Wingrove said of Daryl. “He sees the floor well, moves the ball well and shoots the ball well.”

Wingrove was still marvelling Tuesday over the extremely long and tiresome political process Veltman endured to acquire his transfer, which became a boondoggle despite the fact the 21-year-old had already long moved residences here and acquired work. The Adanacs, including Veltman’s 24-year-old brother Peter, are just glad it came before next week’s roster freeze deadline.

Wingrove said Veltman, a nephew of former Adanacs’ playing great Jim Veltman, fits in on the team like he’s been playing in Coquitlam for years.

“It’s not like he walked in the dressing room and didn’t know anybody,” Wingrove said. “He knows all our guys. He hangs out with his brother, who hangs out with the guys on the team, so he’s already got to know everybody.”

A’s defender Bruce Murray surprised everybody Saturday by netting two unassisted first-period goals, while Steve McKinlay also tallied twice.

Other A’s marksmen were Taylor Wray and Gary Bining. Coquitlam’s leading scorer Jason Wulder handed out three assists.

The Adanacs led 6-3 and 11-7 at the intermission but the T-men fired in three goals in a 59-second span in the third to make a 12-10 nailbiter. After Malawsky and the T-men’s Chad Evans swapped goals, the last 4:54 of the contest was scoreless.

The Adanacs received bad news recently when they discovered defender Andrew McBride will be lost for the season after injuring his shoulder in the game versus New West. Also, Kris Bryde’s troublesome leg has forced Wingrove to put him on injury reserve the rest of the season. Bryde’s a lefthander, something the A’s have plenty of in the form of Daryl Veltman, Colin Doyle, Andy Secore, Tim Campeau, McKinlay and Bining.

Wingrove’s focus has suddenly shifted to defence, where the Adanacs are missing Rich Catton (holidays), along with Jesse Phillips and Ray Guze (injuries).

“Our big thing now is to get everybody here and healthy,” Wingrove said.

RAG LINE: The Adanacs were set to play the 3-8-0 Burrards in Maple Ridge last night (Tuesday, after The News’ deadline) before returning home Saturday to host the 7-3-0 Burnaby Lakers, 7:45 p.m., Coquitlam Sports Centre.