Desperate teams are dangerous teams.
The New Westminster Salmonbellies, with their season on the line in the taut standings, defeated the Victoria Shamrocks 13-7 in a Western Lacrosse Association game Thursday night at Queen鈥檚 Park Arena to clinch a playoff berth.
New Westminster got five goals and 10 points from Mitch Jones to finish the regular season 11-7. Jones was a member of the Shamrocks鈥� last Mann Cup national championship team in 2015. The Vancouver Warriors NLL pro had his WLA rights traded by Victoria to New Westminster in 2016.
University of Denver NCAA graduate and NLL Calgary Roughnecks pro Tyler Pace led Victoria with four goals, while rookie Chris Boushy added a goal and two assists. Rookie Marshal King and brother Jesse King one goal each.
New Westminster built a 10-3 lead in the second period. The Shamrocks brought it to 10-7 before a late 鈥橞ellies push buried the Irish.
Victoria starter Peter Dubenski, who played in two Minto Cup national Junior 鈥楢鈥� championship tournaments for the Coquitlam Junior Adanacs, made 25 saves before being replaced in the crease early in the middle frame by Cody Hagedorn, who finished with 17 saves.
Alexis Buque made 41 saves in goal for the Salmonbellies.
The Shamrocks (11-6) have clinched a playoff berth. Victoria could have assured first place in the regular season with a victory in New Westminster, but now must wait until its final game of the season Saturday night in Coquitlam against the last-place Adanacs (3-14) to do so.
The Shamrocks hold the tiebreaker against the current first-place Maple Ridge Burrards, who finished the season 12-6. Victoria, two points behind, holds the tiebreaker against Maple Ridge. If the Adanacs upset Victoria, the Burrards will earn first place and home-floor advantage throughout the playoffs.
The penultimate game of the regular season is tonight in Burnaby when the Lakers host the Nanaimo Timbermen (both 10-7), with the winner earning a playoff berth. The loser joins Coquitlam and the Langley Thunder (4-14) as the teams that will watch the post-season from the outside.
The Timbermen made the playoffs for the first time in 11聽seasons last year and will need to win tonight to keep that modest post-season storyline alive.
