VICTORIA 12 NANAIMO 10
Chris Wardle hasn’t missed a beat in going directly from the pro National Lacrosse League final with the Colorado Mammoth to running directly into the Western Lacrosse Association season with the Victoria Shamrocks. The veteran forward scored four goals in leading the Shamrocks to a 12-10 victory over the Nanaimo Timbermen on Wednesday night in a sweltering and nearly packed Q Centre.
“You feel it here and there on the body, but I’m enjoying it. I love the game too much not to,” said the 31-year-old hometown Victoria product.
The teams played it crafty and cagey for much of the game before an explosive third period decided it to snap a six-game winning run for Nanaimo (10-5-1) and extend the Shamrocks’ (8-6-1) winning streak to four games, which comes as the answer to a five-game previous losing skid.
“We have to stick to the process,” said Wardle. “We’ve been getting our looks and knew they had to drop in eventually.”
The score in the Island derby was tied 5-5, low for lacrosse, deep into the second period before Cole Pickup’s lethally aimed missive and Tom Vaesen’s put-back shot gave Victoria a 7-5 lead. Zach Manns’ second goal of the night brought Nanaimo to within one heading into the final period. Marshal King scored his hat-trick goal, Patrick Dodds his second and Wardle his third, all within the first six minutes of the third period, to make it 10-6 for the hosts. NCAA Division 1 Robert Morris-grad Colton Lidstone of the Timbermen, shorthanded, scored his third to continue the hat-trick theme to make it 10-7. Manns, the NLL pro out of NCAA Div. 1 Drexel and the Junior Shamrocks, got in on the hat party with his third to make it 11-9 at 15:11 on the power play.
Not content with just the hatty, Wardle intercepted a pass out from the goalie to make it 12-9 with his fourth tally at 18:32 with one of the goals of the year on a six-point night.
Victoria will close out a run of four games in seven days tonight at Queen’s Park Arena in New Westminster against the talented Salmonbellies (11-3).
“It’s been a hectic stretch, but we’ve taken big steps with each game, and we still have plenty left in the tank for New West,” said Wardle.
