The Victoria Shamrocks showed they could take the rough stuff and keep right on smiling on Friday night at Bear Mountain Arena.
The Shamrocks defeated the Burnaby Lakers 17-3, taking a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Lacrosse Association semifinal series. Game 4 is on Sunday in Burnaby, and Game 5, if necessary, is back at Bear Mountain on Monday. Both games face off at 7:45 p.m.
鈥淚 think we played playoff lacrosse like we need to,鈥� Shamrocks assistant coach Dave Lowdon said. 鈥淲e drove to the net, played outstanding defence, and our offence did everything they needed to do.鈥�
The ball dropped, and the Shamrocks went right into high gear.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e up 2-0, you want to keep that positive mojo going,鈥� coach Bob Heyes said, before the game.
Rhys Duch got Victoria on the board first, at 4:06, but the Lakers came close to countering in a hurry. Scott Rouse took off on a breakaway, but Victoria鈥檚 Jeff Shattler chased him down, knocking the ball out of his stick at the last second.
Dane Stevens batted in a rebound from mid-air for Burnaby, but then the 鈥橰ocks shut the door.
Meanwhile, Karsen Leung got it to Shattler, and it was 3-1. Brody Eastwood would add Victoria鈥檚 fourth, as the young Junior Shamrocks callups continued to impress. Eastwood had a hat trick, and King a goal and three assists.
鈥淭hese young kids have offered a ton more than we thought they would,鈥� Heyes said. 鈥淭hey do as they鈥檙e told and score goals.鈥�
Heyes thought the Lakers might come with aggression, and that was the story of the second period.
Scott Ranger made it 5-1, but then Shattler was totally flattened. Tyler Hass was knocked down, after scoring, and faceoff man Nolan Heavenor was left bleeding on the floor.
The tactics didn鈥檛 work as the Lakers had hoped, however, as Dan MacRae, Ranger, Hass and a pair of goals from Corey Small, had Victoria up 11-5 at the end of two periods. Just Casey Jackson and Shaun Dhaliwal connected for the Lakers, who pulled starting goaltender Dan Lewis in favour of Spencer England.
Burnaby looked worn out in the third, and the Shamrocks almost scored at will while fights sprung up all over.
