The Victoria Shamrocks saw their 2023 season come to close Wednesday night at Queen’s Park Arena.
The regular-season champion New Westminster Salmonbellies edged the fourth-seeded Shamrocks 10-8 to sweep the best-of-three WLA semifinal series 3-0.
The Salmonbellies now await the winner of the other semifinal series between the Langley Thunder and Nanaimo Timbermen. The Thunder take a 2-1 series lead into tonight’s Game 4 at Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo.
On Wednesday in New West, the Shamrocks and Salmonbellies went toe-to-toe with no team having more than a two-goal lead. Cole Pickup, with his second of the game, and Brad McCulley got the visitors to within one late in the third, but Will Malcolm beat Cam Dunkerley in the Rocks net with two minutes left in regulation to ice it.
Marshall King, Casey Wilson with two, Tom Vaeson with two, and Dylan Rehman had the other Victoria goals.
Dunkerley finished with 37 saves for the Shamrocks.
