GAME DAY: COQUITLAM VS. VICTORIA
Game 3, 7: 45 p.m. at Bear Mountain Arena
The Victoria Shamrocks are looking for answers after falling behind 2-0 in their best-of-seven Western Lacrosse Association semifinal series against the Coquitlam Adanacs.
Which has left general manager Chris Welch in a nasty mood in preparation of Game 3 set for tonight at 7: 45 at Bear Mountain Arena.
In fact, the Shamrocks have now lost 10 straight post-season games, going back to the 2010 WLA playoffs in which they were swept four straight by the New Westminster Salmonbellies in the championship final. Last season, Victoria lost four straight to eventual champion Langley Thunder.
"It's apples and oranges," said Welch. "The team has gone through wholesale changes from one year to the next since I've been here, which has been a structural problem for us. For whatever reason, we haven't had stability going forward."
Changes to coaching staff and players have affected that stability, but Welch isn't looking for excuses, but answers on the floor.
"Last year's team, the way we got swept, there wasn't a lot of battle there. There wasn't a lot of compete," he said. "This year's team is a lot younger and hungrier, they're battling hard. It's not going their way, but I don't think it's fair to compare this team to the other two."
He is in full agreement, though, that it's time to turn it around.
"Our success has been terrible, yes," he said. "We have been on a nice five-year run of making the playoffs, but it's not good enough just to make them. You have to get in there and win and have success.
"We have yet to do that. But we're still alive in this series, we still have a chance and as long as we have a chance we're going to keep fighting."
Down 2-0, the time is right now.
"They're going to come in here Friday night, looking to take a stranglehold and we have every intention of stopping their momentum and claiming some of it back. Claiming a win and shuffling pressure back on them," said Welch.
"Not a single guy in that room is about to quit. Let the other team write us off, we're fine with that, but we're not about to write ourselves off just yet."
Welch is unhappy about certain aspects of the Shamrocks' game, in particular two straight slow starts.
"I'm seeing us dig our holes early," he admitted. "In Game 1 we gave up seven goals on 19 shots and in Game 2 it was seven goals on 15 shots. That's 14 goals on 34 shots. We're not getting the goaltending we need, first and foremost.
"Secondly, as a team, we have to take responsibility for that as well. On lots of those 14 goals we've left the goalies out to dry. That's just not good enough.
"You can't bury yourself at the start of the game and expect to crawl out of that hole," he added. "I've liked our overall battle, we haven't been quitting or folding.
"But we also ran into some tough officiating on the mainland. [Wednesday] night was a Victoria parade to the penalty box and it was a game, in my view, that was not called both ways," said an irritable Welch. "[Jeff] Shattler was getting murdered out there. Sticks to the throat. Vicious, vicious off-ball slashing.
Getting absolutely abused and not drawing any penalties at all.
"Meanwhile, if we even touch Dane Dobbie and he goes down - like he always does - we're parading ourselves into the penalty box.
It's a frustrating situation and I give full credit to Coquitlam, they're doing what they have to do to get the job done. Their best players are coming through for them in spades in Dobbie and [goaltender] Nick Rose. They are making life difficult for us at the moment."
