Let the mind games begin.
Victoria Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes would like to remind the Maple Ridge Burrards they were ahead 3-1 in last year鈥檚 best-of-seven Western Lacrosse Association semifinal before Maple Ridge lost three straight games to the New Westminster Salmonbellies.
The Salmonbellies went on to beat the Shamrocks in five games in the 2017 WLA final.
The 2018 final is now here with the Burrards leading the Shamrocks 3-1 heading into Game 5 Saturday night at The Q Centre in Colwood.
鈥淢aybe, last year is still there lurking in the back of their minds, and there鈥檚 that little bit of doubt they harbour,鈥� said Heyes.
He seemed to be stressing that as much to his own team, as the Burrards. This is anything but a done deal, said Heyes.
鈥淭here is not a lot that separates us in this series,鈥� said Heyes.
What does separate them is the play of Maple Ridge鈥檚 Frank Scigliano, who is showing why he was named the WLA鈥檚 top goaltender for 2018. If not for Scigliano, also an NLL pro for seven seasons with the Calgary Roughecks, it is not outlandish to say the series might be 2-2 or Victoria leading 3-1.
The Shamrocks, to a man, believe they have outplayed Maple Ridge in the series.
Yet, here they are, having to win out with no more losses to give, in order to advance to the 2018 Mann Cup national Senior A lacrosse championship series.
鈥淓very game is now a Game 7 for us and we have to play our best game each time out,鈥� said Heyes.
鈥淸Scigliano] is a good goalie, but we know we can get to him. And our goalies have to make the big saves when we need them. Everybody has to be better, including our forwards in getting more than seven goals despite 57 shots [in Thursday鈥檚 8-7 Game 4 double overtime loss in Maple Ridge].鈥�
Heyes noted that when his team defence holds the opposition to nine goals or less, that usually means victory for the Shamrocks. But Victoria had held Maple Ridge to nine or fewer goals in every game this series and still finds itself facing elimination.
That鈥檚 because the scoring of Ben McIntosh and Curtis Dickson has been devastatingly timely for Maple Ridge. They are NLL pros, who led sa国际传媒 to the silver medal last month in the 2018 world field-lacrosse championship in Israel, and it shows. McIntosh鈥檚 fifth goal Thursday was the game winner in sudden-death overtime. Dickson has 24 goals and McIntosh 19 in eight playoff games, including the four-game semifinal sweep of New Westminster.
鈥淭heir two scoring stars have been a key to this series,鈥� said Heyes.
Throw in Scigliano, and the Shamrocks know they must find an answer to the Burrards鈥� Big Three. If not, fall will come far too soon in Shamrock-land.
The WLA champion will meet the winner of the Ontario final between the Peterborough Lakers and Oakville Rock in the best-of-seven 2018 Mann Cup national championship to be played at the home of the Ontario champion. The Ontario final is tied 1-1.
