SHAMROCKS PRIMED FOR WLA TITLE QUEST
The stage is set to determine who will take the last bow.
The Victoria Shamrocks will compete for their fourth straight Western Lacrosse Association championship and a chance to defend their 2015 Mann Cup crown, but the stubborn Maple Ridge Burrards stand in their way.
Game 1 goes tonight at 7:45 at The Q Centre before moving on to Game 2 on the mainland on Friday and back to the Island on Sunday for Game 3, both at 6 p.m.
Victoria outlasted Burnaby in seven games in the semifinals, while the Burrards trumped New Westminster in five and have sat for a week, which some prognosticators suggest turns this into advantage Maple Ridge.
“They’re very set offensively and have an outstanding goaltender. Look at our lineup, with our injuries, we’re the underdogs here,” said Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes. “Regardless of what people are going to want to say, we’re the underdogs going into this. It’s going to be a tough series.
“They’ve been sitting, but they’re also focused. All the BS that went down earlier this year about them having the peace bond placed against them — they’re focused and they’re going to want to prove to everybody that they can play lacrosse and do it on their own terms.”
The intimidating Burrards were slapped with a $25,000 bond by the league following a game against the Burnaby Lakers on May 29 in which 16 penalties were levied with 15 seconds remaining in overtime. Citing a history of late-game brawls, the league took action and the two sides later came to an undisclosed agreement and Maple Ridge’s season carried on.
But that was then and this is now as the Shamrocks attempt to become the first WLA team to win four straight championships since Victoria did it five times from 2002-06.
New Westminster played in six straight finals from 2006-11, winning in 2008-10.
“Maple Ridge is going to come out and punish us. We’ve already been punished in this series physically, but we’ve been there before,” said Heyes, who has had to rely on junior call-ups through an injury-plagued post-season. “We’re going to have to regroup and get used to another arsenal that is very good offensively.
“We’re going to play them on our terms. We’re well aware of what they bring. It’s no different than during the regular season and we’re well aware of what they have,” Heyes added of the rugged Burrards.
Victoria won two of three meetings during the season — losing 12-10 in overtime at home, winning 12-10 in Burnaby and claiming the last matchup 14-8 on July 15.
Shamrocks sniper Rhys Duch led the league with 101 points during the regular season and has 40 points to pace the playoffs ahead of teammates Cory Conway and Corey Small with 29 and 28, respectively. Maple Ridge responds with the likes of Riley Loewen, Ben McIntosh, Mike Mallory, Dan Taylor, Jarrett Davis and goalie Frankie Scigliano. And they are rested. “They most definitely have an advantage with the rest, but we had three days off. I know we took a lot of injuries, but we know what to expect and I think we have enough to beat them. It’s going to be a heck of a series. It’s going to be rough,” said Victoria’s Jeff Shattler, who was here for the 2013 championship win, but not the last two.
“It would be nice to carry on that tradition; the fans are amazing and we want to do it for them and our guys in the room.”
But Conway, who led the Shamrocks with 15 points in the last two games against Burnaby after returning from injury, insists the rest will not be an advantage for Maple Ridge.
“We’re focused and every game is huge. Like this last series just showed us, we’re not taking anything for granted. We’re going to keep working and, hopefully, the results come,” he said.