The Victoria Shamrocks raised their level of play; their lively fans raised the roof and now the organization will proudly be raising its ninth Mann Cup banner.
Thanks to an early 4-0 lead, the Shamrocks disposed of the Peterborough Lakers 12-6 on Friday night, clinching the national senior lacrosse championship series in six games before a rambunctious soldout crowd at The Q Centre.
The Shamrocks last won the cup in 2005, also in six games over the Lakers in the same building, and the victory avenges two straight national final losses to the Six Nations Chiefs in 2013 and 2014.
The addition of Dan Dawson, goaltender Aaron Bold, Steve Priolo and Daryl Veltman and the return of Dan MacRae and Cory Conway were huge for the Shamrocks, who as a team played a tight, defensive game allowing just 27 goals in the last four games of the series.
鈥淭his is sweet. We earned this and that鈥檚 what is great about it,鈥� said Dawson, who had eight assists in the win and was named Victoria鈥檚 player of the game. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 make it any easier on ourselves. To do it on home soil like this just goes to show how thankful we are to the fans for staying with us the whole time.鈥�
All nine Shamrocks鈥� Mann Cups have come at home.
鈥淲e feed off their energy. Without them we don鈥檛 win this thing,鈥� said Dawson, who held four-month-old Theo in his hands and wife Alyse by his side. 鈥淪he鈥檚 from here, yes. I鈥檓 forever in debt to this city for giving me my wife and my baby boy.鈥�
Dawson was a member of the last Shamrocks team to win in 2005.
Captain Scott Ranger was weeping on the floor as he had a chance to accept the Mann Cup after the victory.
鈥淲ords just can鈥檛 describe it,鈥� said Ranger. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a long time coming. We knew we had to answer the bell. We knew they were going to come out hard.鈥�
Ranger has likely ended his career, giving up the National Lacrosse League last year to help him heal.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to celebrate tonight and we鈥檒l figure that out later,鈥� said Ranger, who had a goal.
Corey Small, named the Mann Cup MVP, had three goals while Karsen Leung and Jesse King added two each for Victoria. Tyler Hass, Daryl Veltman, Rhys Duch and Bradley Kri, who stepped in for injured defenceman Rory Smith the last two games, also scored.
鈥淚鈥檓 so happy for these guys from Scott Ranger to Matt Yager, who has been here since Day 1 with me. Bradley Kri steps up for Rory Smith, who was a warrior,鈥� said head coach Bob Heyes. 鈥淗e did such an awesome job for us, to get us here and show us the way and what it takes. The bruises show it.鈥�
It was Heyes鈥� first Mann Cup as a coach to go with two as a player. His assistant Art Webster has been to 15 Mann Cups as a player or coach (three in Brampton), winning five, all with the Shamrocks. Assistants Jordan Sundher and Dave Lowdon also collected their first as coaches. Sundher had won one as a player as well.
Turner Evans, Mark Farthing, Chad Tutton, Scott Evans and Curtis Dickson all had goals for Peterborough, which trailed 4-0 after one period, but fought back to within 6-4 after two.
The Lakers had won five of the last 11 Mann Cups and were coming off a hard-fought, seven-game series win over Six Nations in the Major Series Lacrosse championship. Victoria swept New Westminster for their third straight Western Lacrosse Association crown.
