To fully appreciate what the Victoria Shamrocks of the Western Lacrosse Association have accomplished in reaching the 70th anniversary in franchise history, consider that seven franchises have represented the capital as its main hockey team in that era since 1950. While the pro Cougars, pro Maple Leafs, junior BCHL Cougars, major-junior WHL Cougars, BCHL Salsa, pro ECHL Salmon Kings and WHL Royals have skated through on ice, the Shamrocks have remained a constant on concrete.
That well-earned legacy will be celebrated tonight when the Shamrocks open their seventh decade with the WLA鈥檚 Island derby against the Nanaimo Timbermen in The Q Centre.
The Shamrocks will acknowledge the occasion by wearing throwback retro jerseys from the early 1950s.
As big a number as 70 is for this Shamrocks season, another number looms just as large. The battle cry is 鈥�10 in 70鈥� as the club is aiming for its 10th Mann Cup national Senior A title in franchise history. (The team was named Payless Gas for the 1983 championship, because of a sponsorship, but it has been the same continuous franchise since 1950.)
Head coach Bob Heyes is part of that parade as a two-time Mann Cup national-champion goaltender with the Shamrocks in 1997 and 1999 and bench boss of the 2015 Canadian championship team.
The 2019 Mann Cup will be hosted in September at the home of the WLA champion.
鈥淵ou want to go for it every year. But there鈥檚 more emphasis on winning the WLA championship in the years the West is scheduled to host the Mann Cup,鈥� said Heyes.
But as with the start of every WLA season, teams are missing veteran performers to the professional National Lacrosse League playoffs and rising young stars to the tail end of the NCAA U.S. collegiate field lacrosse season.
The Shamrocks will be without a host of regulars for the season openers at The Q Centre, tonight against Nanaimo and Sunday evening against the Langley Thunder. Four Victoria players are in the NLL playoffs and three still in the NCAA.
鈥淲e told the NLL guys, you take care of your stuff in the pros, and we鈥檒l take care of the stuff at home until you get back,鈥� said Heyes.
The Shamrocks鈥� two biggest-name scorers 鈥� Jesse King and Rhys Duch 鈥� and two stout defenders 鈥� Greg Harnett and Tyler Burton 鈥� are currently with the Calgary Roughnecks in the best-of-three NLL final against the Buffalo Bandits. Veteran sniper Duch scored two goals and added two assists in Calgary鈥檚 10-7 win in Game 1 over the host Bandits before 15,747 fans at KeyBank Center. Game 2 is Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. Game 3, if required, is back in Buffalo next Friday.
Among the Victoria NCAA players missing is first-round WLA draft-pick Marshal King, who graduates this spring from Drexel University in Philadelphia.
鈥淭here will need to be some Senior B players called up, but we鈥檝e built depth into our lineup this year to deal with this early-season situation,鈥� said Heyes.
It鈥檚 something all WLA teams must endure until the rosters become whole.
鈥淓very team is missing players early, but you do your best, because these points count the same as points later in the season,鈥� said Nanaimo head coach Kaleb Toth.
The Timbermen are missing ace scorer Chase Fraser, who is in the NLL final with Buffalo, and four players in the NCAA. But that doesn鈥檛 take away from the Island derby tonight, said Toth: 鈥淭his is the classic Island rivalry that brings out the best in both teams. Last year鈥檚 playoff series has fuelled it up even more.鈥�
The Timbermen made their first playoff appearance in 11 seasons last year, and only the second since rejoining the WLA 15 years ago, before being beaten in five games in the first round by the Shamrocks.
Victoria went on to lose to the Maple Ridge Burrards in the WLA final with the Burrards going on to lose to the host Peterborough, Ont., Lakers in the 2019 Mann Cup championship.
With the WLA hosting the Mann Cup this season, Heyes has described the off-season within the league as the lacrosse equivalent of a 鈥渨eapons race.鈥�
The Shamrocks, Burrards and New Westminster Salmonbellies have stacked the decks with the splashiest recruits and look to be the teams to beat. But there won鈥檛 be any easy games, even among the league鈥檚 lesser lights, warned Heyes.
鈥淓very team got stronger over the off-season,鈥� said the Shamrocks鈥� skipper.
鈥淐oquitlam has the No. 1 WLA draft pick and the goalie of the future [prodigy Chris Del Bianco is already an NLL star with the Roughnecks] who can carry the Adanacs to a playoff spot. Burnaby works hard and also has a big goalie. Langley is young but has an NLL MVP in Dane Dobbie and Nanaimo is coming off a great season.鈥�
Toth agreed there will be no easy games but thinks his Timbermen may have the advantage of cohesion over the Shamrocks, Burrards and Salmonbellies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to bring chemistry when a bunch of all-stars are brought in, whereas we have our core group back,鈥� he said.
Last season was a big step for the Timbermen in making the post-season for the first time in more than a decade. Now they believe they can take the next step.
鈥淲e want to be among the top teams, make the final, and win the championship,鈥� said Toth.
The Shamrocks will almost certainly be in the championship mix. They are built from the back-end out with defensive-and-transition standouts Harnett, Burton, 2018 NLL defensive player-of-the-year Graeme Hossack, three-time NLL champion Adrian Sorichetti of the San Diego Seals, Steve Priolo, Ben McCullough and captain Matt Yager.
鈥淲e have a blasting, punishing defence, which is the type of team we built in 2015 to win the Mann Cup,鈥� said Heyes.
The offence, however, hasn鈥檛 been neglected with the King brothers, Duch, Tyson Gibson, Casey Jackson, Chris Wardle and rookie Cole Pickup.
鈥淓xpect to see a lot of movement up front with an offensive mix that has both youth and great veteran leadership,鈥� said Heyes.
The Shamrocks are hoping they have rebuilt to vintage form for a vintage-tinged 70th season.
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