The 10-7 Shamrocks 鈥� who started the year 4-0 鈥� will need some help as the Burnaby Lakers are two points back, but with a game in hand. If the two teams finish tied in the standings, the Lakers get the nod thanks to winning the head-to-head series against the Shamrocks this season.
Burnaby will have its hands full with league-leading Langley tonight, but with first place already secured, the two-time champion Thunder may opt to sit some bodies.
The Lakers then close it out against Coquitlam on Saturday, while tonight will end the regular season for Victoria.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a game we want to win to better our standings, but also work on our game,鈥� said Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes. 鈥淏ut there are players who are hurting that might not be dressing, to get a few guys who haven鈥檛 played in a while, out there.
鈥淲e still have lots of work to do. We have to be at the top of our game to beat Nanaimo. They鈥檝e been close in every game they鈥檝e been in the last half of the season.鈥�
The Timbermen are 5-11 and officially out of the playoffs, again, but are coming off an 8-6 defeat against Langley and a 10-9 win over a good Maple Ridge team.
鈥淲e came back on the ferry with them after our last game [Saturday night]. They had just lost a one-goal game as well [in Coquitlam],鈥� Heyes said of the T-men. 鈥淭hey were looking forward to playing us.
鈥淚 tried to challenge them to a game down on the bottom on the ferry, just to get it over with, but they wouldn鈥檛 go for it,鈥� Heyes said with a chuckle.
The head coach hasn鈥檛 had too much to laugh about as of late, losing four of the last six outings, including a 9-8 heartbreaker in Langley on Saturday.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still focused on what needs to be done,鈥� Heyes stressed. 鈥淲e played a very good game in Langley, came out with a couple of injuries there that shortened our bench and, if not for a couple of questionable calls by the referees, we would have won that game.
鈥淚鈥檓 not concerned with that though. We battled to the last whistle and I鈥檓 happy with how we hung in and almost pulled it out.鈥�
In particular, he likes how Tyler Hass and Karsen Leung have stepped their games up, giving the Shamrocks some secondary scoring, and the play of his goaltender Matt Vinc who has surrendered just 15 goals the last two games.
The regular-season closing matchup at home against Nanaimo begins at 7:45 p.m. at Bear Mountain Arena, with a tailgate party set to begin at 6 p.m. with free White Spot legendary burgers to the first 400 tailgaters. Children can also meet the players for a pre-game autograph session.
If the Shamrocks finish second, the playoffs will begin Wednesday at home. If not, they are on the road that same night.
