Desperately needing a win to keep pace with the New Westminster Salmonbellies for a shot at first place, the Victoria Shamrocks pulled out a 9-7 victory over the Burnaby Lakers at The Q Centre on Friday night.
The victory snaps a five-game winning run by the Lakers and, more importantly, moves the Shamrocks three points up on Burnaby and Maple Ridge.
Victoria is four points back of New Westminster with two games in hand on the Western Lacrosse Association leaders.
The Shamrocks improve to 11-4 while the Lakers slip to 9-7-1.
鈥淚t was a good team win. They have a great lineup and we had to match their intensity and we did that,鈥� said Shamrocks assistant coach Terry Dennett.
Rhys Duch, who led the league in points (76) and goals (34) coming in, had two goals and four assists for the Shamrocks.
Jesse King, playing in his first home game of the season, had a pair of goals. Captain Corey Small added a goal and five assists.
Chris Wardle, with a pair, Doug Langlois and Ian McShane also scored for Victoria. Jeff Shattler had three assists.
Dane Stevens led Burnaby with a pair of power-play goals while Josh Byrne had a goal and three assists.
Justin Salt, Jason Jones, Tyler Digby and Eli McLaughlin had the other Lakers鈥� tallies.
Burnaby鈥檚 top two point getters, Robert Church and Scott Jones, were out of the lineup.
Burnaby鈥檚 Zak Boychuk, who leads the league with a .848 save percentage and 6.78 goals against average, sat out this night in favour of Tyler Richards, who made 45 stops. Boychuk is expected to go tonight in Nanaimo at 7 against his former squad, the Timbermen.
Adam Shute stopped 37 for Victoria.
New Westminster sits at 12-3-2 and in first place with a game left. The Salmonbellies wrap up their campaign on Sunday at Maple Ridge.
The Shamrocks head to Coquitlam tonight at 7 for a matchup against the Adanacs, then play Friday at home to Nanaimo before concluding the regular season a week from today, again at Coquitlam.
