Bob Heyes鈥檚 goal for his Victoria Shamrocks heading into the weekend was straightforward 鈥� win both outings to secure Western Lacrosse Association seasonal series victories over the Coquitlam Adanacs and Maple Ridge Burrards, giving them any tie-breaker advantages for the playoffs.
The 鈥橰ocks are halfway there after Friday鈥檚 dominating 13-6 victory over Coquitlam. Now, it鈥檚 on to Maple Ridge tonight (6:45聽p.m.) to try to close the deal.
鈥淭hat is our goal, plain and simple. If we beat every team, win every [regular-season] series, that will guarantee us to be on top and gives us home-floor advantage [for the playoffs]. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e looking at, and that鈥檚 a key going in there [today],鈥� said Heyes, the Shamrocks鈥� head coach.
鈥淭hey鈥檒l be ready for us. We鈥檒l have our full lineup again, so it鈥檒l be a good game over there,鈥� Heyes said of facing the Burrards, a team Victoria defeated 14-9 the previous Friday.
鈥淭hey weren鈥檛 happy that we beat them, but you never know what to expect in this league. On any given night, a team can win or lose. I like the way it鈥檚 going for us right now, though,鈥� Heyes said.
What鈥檚 not to like? In these last two wins, the 鈥橰ocks have scored 27 goals and, more importantly, allowed just 15.
Another key is Victoria has fired a staggering 130 shots at opposition nets in those two games.
鈥淭he offence 鈥� those shot totals are astronomical,鈥� said Heyes, who watched his team roar out to a 4-0 lead in the first 6:35 against Coquitlam on Friday, only to see it evaporate into a 4-4 tie in just 4:13 of play. The Shamrocks outscored the Adanacs 9-2 after the first period.
鈥淭he offence came easy at the start of the game, but it鈥檚 also a challenge because there鈥檚 always that little false sense of security where you think, 鈥楬ey, things are going easy,鈥� 鈥� Heyes said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always that push back, but we weathered the storm.鈥�
And the team rallied around newcomer Matt Vinc in net, who showed his athleticism and stick skills, despite not playing in six weeks since he backstopped the Rochester Knighthawks to their second straight National Lacrosse League championship in Langley.
鈥淎ctually, all my equipment stayed out west. I had minimal practice time out east, but I鈥檓 looking to get into the swing of things as we move forward,鈥� said Vinc, who is familiar with some of his new Shamrocks teammates from his NLL experiences.
鈥淚 know a lot of the names. Some of the guys are former teammates or current teammates [in the NLL]. It makes it easier when you know a group of guys like that and the coaching staff has done a good job with them. I鈥檝e followed them all along [on the Internet], and it鈥檚 good to see them play first hand.鈥�
The Shamrocks are away next week, travelling to Nanaimo on Saturday.
