More than 3,000 fans stood, applauded, whistled and screamed at the top of their lungs as they shared in the Victoria Shamrocks鈥� ninth Mann Cup championship at The Q Centre on Friday night.
The Shamrocks, under head coach Bob Heyes, defeated the Peterborough Lakers 12-6 to win the national senior lacrosse championship best-of-seven series in six games.
The momentous triumph snapped a nine-year run of Eastern champions.
The last Western representative to take home the prestigious trophy was the 2005 Shamrocks who, by coincidence or fate, defeated these same Lakers in six games in the same building.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been 10 years that they have supported the Shamrocks and it鈥檚 great that they鈥檝e been rewarded with that. I think they鈥檙e聽very, very happy,鈥� Walt聽Christianson, the coach of that victorious 2005 team, said of the fans.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a while since this city has seen a winner.鈥�
Happy was an understatement as the arena rejoiced, especially when the Mann Cup was handed over to the captains.
The victory also allowed the three-time Western Lacrosse Association champion Shamrocks to avenge back-to-back Mann Cup losses in 2013 and 2014 to the Six Nations Chiefs.
All nine Victoria Mann Cup victories have come at home, including 2003, another team coached by Christianson.
鈥淭he organization prides itself on the quality of teams it puts on the floor, and the reward for that is a Mann Cup,鈥� said Christianson, who has been in eight Mann Cups and won four, two as a coach and two as a player.
鈥淭his rewards all the hard work they鈥檝e put in.鈥�
Christianson, who is also president of the Shamrocks alumni association, said it was neat to see the arena so full and loud.
鈥淚t reminds me of back in the day, playing in the Barn on Blanshard [Memorial Arena],鈥� he said.
鈥淭here would be 6,000 people in there and Mann Cup time was so exciting.鈥�
This was no different as fans lived and breathed the game for the last eight days as the two teams battled it out.
Garbed in their green and white, fans stood two to three rows deep in the standing room areas of the facility to witness the win Friday.
They liked what they saw.
鈥淚 was here 10 years ago and this, to me, is the most intense series I鈥檝e ever seen,鈥� said Victoria super fan Jody Rice.
鈥淚 have no voice. My voice is gone."
