Cory Conway scored three goals 鈥� including one into an empty net 鈥� and added five assists as the three-time defending league champion Shamrocks averted elimination by way of a solid 14-11 victory over the Burnaby Lakers in the pivotal Game 7 on Sunday night.
Up 3-0 in the series, a loss would have made Victoria the first WLA team since 1980 to lose four straight after opening the series with three wins.
Instead, the injury-riddled club dug down deep in front of about 1,700 fans at The Q Centre to advance to face the Maple Ridge Burrards in the league championship best-of-seven that begins Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. at the Colwood facility. Those two teams met in the 2014 final, with Victoria winning in five games.
鈥淥ur fans deserve what we put out there tonight,鈥� Conway said following Sunday鈥檚 win. 鈥淭here was no way we were going to lose Game 7 in our barn in front of our family and friends. We鈥檙e a team that plays with a lot of pride and tradition in this locker-room and this community and, hopefully, that came across in our play tonight.鈥�
Did it ever. Victoria opened up period leads of 6-3 and 11-4 before the pesky Lakers began yet another come back. Burnaby scored three straight goals with goalie Zak Boychuk pulled for an extra attacker to cut it to 12-9 over a 1:30 stretch.
But unlike Game 6, in which the Shamrocks let a 10-6 lead turn into a loss, this time they closed the deal.
Corey Small, Rhys Duch, Jeff Shattler and Braylon Lumb all scored a pair each for the victors. Duch and Small also had three assists apiece. Chris Wardle, Tyler Burton and Ethan Garland also scored for the Shamrocks.
Lumb and Cole Pickup (who had three assists) turned in solid efforts for Victoria as junior call-ups, paying the price inside the Lakers鈥� defence.
鈥淚t was a big win, absolutely,鈥� said an elated Lumb, who also had an assist. 鈥淚 love playing with the boys. They鈥檝e been my idols growing up. It鈥檚 been an awesome experience and I can鈥檛 wait until the next series. It鈥檚 been surreal really, playing in front of these huge crowds. The atmosphere has been everything I hoped it to be.鈥�
Asked what the youngsters brought to the table, Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes said: 鈥淚鈥檇 say healthy bodies, that鈥檚 the first thing,鈥�
鈥淭hose two kids contributed tonight. It鈥檚 nice to be able to rely on that. These kids all want to be Shamrocks and it鈥檚 a great audition for them,鈥� he added of Lumb and Pickup, who battled inside on Sunday.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 know any better so don鈥檛 tell them anything,鈥� a relieved Heyes said with a chuckle.
Goalie Adam Shute made 28 stops for the win, including some key saves at critical times.
Eli McLaughlin recorded a hat-trick while Scott Jones and Robert Church had a pair each for Burnaby. Josh Byrne had a goal and six helpers while Matt Beers, Tyler Digby and Shane O鈥橠ougherty also scored for the Lakers, who battled back yet again.
鈥淚t was nerve-racking, even when we had them by six, they kept scoring,鈥� said Shattler. 鈥淪hute played unreal 鈥� he shut the door when we needed him to.
鈥淲e answered the bell, that鈥檚 what championship teams do,鈥� added Shattler. 鈥淭hey find a way to win. When the time came to put everything we had on the floor, we did it.鈥�
At a most critical time, as well. The last time the Shamrocks were in a Game 7 was 2006, when Dan Dawson finally scored in double overtime to defeat the Coquitlam Adanacs 3-2.
鈥淭hey gave us a run for our money and for us, a team that hasn鈥檛 played a full seven-game series in a few years out west, it was good for us to get into those deep games and get us ready for the finals,鈥� said Small, the Shamrocks鈥� captain.
鈥淭here was no tomorrow so there was more urgency to start the game, which helped us out.鈥�
