The engine room might be taking on water, with the likes of hustle players Steve Priolo and Ben McCullough missing, but the Victoria Shamrocks still go into tonight鈥檚 key Western Lacrosse Association game with an aura of confidence.
The Shamrocks (7-4) are in Maple Ridge to face the second-place Burrards at Cam Neely Arena. The Burrards were 7-3-1 heading into Saturday night鈥檚 late-finishing game in Coquitlam against the Adanacs.
鈥淲e鈥檒l put together 20 guys who will go into a barn that is not an easy one in which to play,鈥� said Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes.
鈥淏ut it usually brings out the best in us.鈥�
Indeed, it鈥檚 the 鈥渟oft鈥� games on the road in Burnaby, Coquitlam and Nanaimo in which the Shamrocks have had the most difficulty this season.
鈥淲e have to play with who we have, and rely on the young guys, who are stepping up,鈥� Shamrocks star forward Jesse King said about the match-up tonight at Cam Neely.
鈥淲e have a fantastic locker room right now. Guys are willing to practise hard and pickup sticks midweek,鈥� said the former NCAA Big Ten Ohio State Buckeyes field-lacrosse standout.
Depth, and a willingness to work hard, never hurts in any team sport.
鈥淲e are used to playing back-to-backs or Friday and Sunday on the weekends. So ice up,鈥� said star Shamrocks sniper Casey Jackson.
Victoria鈥檚 top-end has come through when needed. Heading into Saturday night鈥檚 Burrards game in Coquitlam, King led the WLA in points with 62, one ahead of Maple Ridge star Curtis Dickson, while Jackson was second in league goals with 32, behind Dickson鈥檚 37.
鈥淲e look to reach the 12-goal plateau each game because we see that as the divide for us [that usually leads to victory],鈥� King said.
