Kevin Alexander, during his Victoria Shamrocks jersey-retirement ceremony speech Friday night, observed that despite his personal achievements and accolades: 鈥淟acrosse is a team sport.鈥�
The same could be said for soccer, but it never hurts to have a brilliantly talented individual like Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch.
Nor on the floor to have a few individual snipers like Alexander 鈥� probably the greatest pure goal scorer in lacrosse history. Not to put them on that heady level, but the individual prowess possessed by some of this season鈥檚 Shamrocks can鈥檛 be denied.
It was on ample display again Friday night at the Q Centre as Chris Wardle had four goals and four assists, Jesse King three goals and three assists, Casey Jackson two goals and two assists and Rhys Duch a goal and seven assists in a 14-9 Western Lacrosse Association victory over the Maple Ridge Burrards.
鈥淓veryone channelled their inner Kevin Alexander tonight,鈥� said Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes.
Jackson concurred: 鈥淲e definitely did channel it. There was a little extra motivation. We couldn鈥檛 lose on this night.鈥�
King said it was a night to remember on several fronts: 鈥淭his night was special for everybody.鈥�
The Shamrocks laid waste to Maple Ridge鈥檚 vaunted league-leading penalty kill by going five-for-eight on the power play.
鈥淥ur offence is starting to play a lot better,鈥� said King, out of Claremont Secondary.
鈥淩hys [Duch] gave me a few words of encouragement.鈥�
And a few hints on positioning during the power play, added King, a former NCAA Big Ten field-lacrosse star with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Shamrocks won their fourth consecutive game to move to 5-2 while the Burrards fell to 4-2. On Thursday night, Victoria edged the Salmonbellies (6-1) by a 12-11 count at Queen鈥檚 Park Arena in New Westminster. The Salmonbellies and Burrards are the most fancied teams in the 2018 WLA season.
鈥淭hese were jelling moments and two of the biggest regular-season wins we鈥檝e had in quite a few seasons,鈥� said Heyes.
鈥淭hese were two huge games that we are going to look back on at the end of the season. There is a great feeling on this team right now. We鈥檙e looking inward and building our own identity and not focusing on the other teams.鈥�
Also scoring for Victoria were Josh Fagan, Ben McCullough, Tyson Gibson and two-way standout Steve Priolo.
鈥淓verybody is contributing,鈥� said Heyes.
Curtis Dickson, the Calgary Roughnecks NLL pro who leads the WLA with 25 goals, managed to squirm loose around the crease, as is his wont. The veteran Dickson, who in his field-lacrosse incarnation led the Delaware Blue Hens to their only NCAA Final Four appearance in 2007, recorded a hat trick for Maple Ridge on a five-point night.
鈥淸Dickson] is one of the best players in the world,鈥� said Heyes of the containment headaches Dickson brings to any opponent trying to defence him.
Riley Loewen also scored a hat trick for Maple Ridge. Adam Shute made 44 saves in goal for Victoria while Frank Scigliano stopped 33 for Maple Ridge.
The Shamrocks are in Burnaby next Friday night to play the Lakers. The next game at the Q Centre is the Island derby against the Nanaimo Timbermen on June 29.
BOXLA BITS: Along with the retirement of Alexander鈥檚 No. 26 jersey, the Shamrocks also honoured the Alexander-led 1983 Mann Cup national championship team on alumni night. 鈥� The Shamrocks and Burrards met in the 2016 WLA final, which was won by the Burrards, who went on to appear in the Mann Cup national final for the first time since 1990.
