It鈥檚 come down to this:A one-game shot for the right to move on.
Game 7 between the host Victoria Shamrocks and Burnaby Lakers today at 6 at The Q Centre will determine the Western Lacrosse Association鈥檚 finalist to face the awaiting Maple Ridge Burrards in the league championship.
The Shamrocks could be the first team since 1980 to squander a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven WLA playoff series 鈥� a footnote head coach Bob Heyes and his banged-up troops don鈥檛 want any part of.
鈥淲hatever, that鈥檚 not a concern to me,鈥� said Heyes, whose Shamrocks are now tied 3-3 in the series. 鈥淲e鈥檙e down to one game. This has been a long series with lots of different things happening.
鈥淕ive these guys credit. We鈥檙e battling, but at times, the mistakes are getting to us,鈥� said Heyes, who is determined his team will compete to the end.
The New Westminster Salmonbellies rebounded to defeat the Coquitlam Adanacs 4-3 back in 1980, rattling off wins of 12-11, 13-12, 17-7 and 9-8 in overtime to bounce back off the canvas. New Westminster also blew a 3-0 series lead on the Brooklin Redmen in the 1985 Mann Cup as they represented the WLA in the national final.
Coincidentally, in 1992, the Lakers roared back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Victoria Payless 4-3, winning the opener 8-7 before three straight losses (13-6, 12-10 and 9-3), followed by 10-8, 4-2 and 5-1 victories.
The good news is the Shamrocks have home-floor advantage.
鈥淚t comes down to one game at home,鈥� said Heyes. 鈥淲e鈥檒l get the rest we need and then we don鈥檛 have the travel. Hopefully, that gets us where we need to be.鈥�
They will definitely need the fan support as they try to advance to their fourth straight championship final and earn a chance to defend their 2015 Mann Cup crown.
On Friday, the Shamrocks benefited from the return of Cory Conway, who had a goal and six assists in an offensive performance that should have been more than enough, with 12 goals scored, including 10 by the 6:39 mark of the second period.
鈥淗e was a catalyst out there,鈥� Heyes said of Conway. 鈥淥bviously, we scored more than enough goals and defensively we鈥檙e using everybody we can to battle through. At the end of the day, Game 7 is Game 7, and we just need to find that energy to come and play.
鈥淭welve [goals] should be enough to win a game, especially with how this team usually plays defensively. We ran out of gas. I don鈥檛 know, it鈥檚 tough to say,鈥� Heyes said.
The Shamrocks will need a quick start, like they had on Friday, opening up a 2-0 advantage just 1:42 in, only to see it wiped out, but battling on to advantages of 4-2, 7-3, 9-5 and 10-6 before it all slipped away.
Twitter/tc_vicsports
