Thunder to test enigmatic Shamrocks

As in the old TV game show What’s My Line?, it is tempting to ask: Will the real Victoria Shamrocks please stand up?

“On any given night … you can throw out the form charts,” Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes said. Observers can understand his exasperation.

Victoria began the 2018 Western Lacrosse Association season slowly at 1-2 before hitting stride with a 4-0 run that included victories over big dogs New Westminster and Maple Ridge. But that has been followed by losses to Burnaby and last-place Coquitlam, and a less-than-inspiring victory over Nanaimo.

“We should have swept the last three games, which would have left us in a very strong position” Heyes said.

“But now we have put ourselves into a spot where every game feels like a playoff-type game. But it’s part of the learning process for this group and accepting to play the full 60 minutes.”

Third-place Victoria (6-4) is an amalgam of familiar veterans and younger talent brought into the team.

“We used to be a plug-in-and-play team, but this season presents more of a learning curve,” Heyes said.

“Just because we’re the Shamrocks doesn’t mean we are automatically going to win anymore. We have to bring it up a notch.”

Victoria has 12 points and is three points clear of a trio of teams with nine — Nanaimo, Burnaby and Langley.

The Langley Thunder (4-6-1) are at the Q Centre tonight.

They’ll feature a crucial addition with undersized but dynamic NLL Calgary Roughnecks pro Dane Dobbie back with the Thunder for the rest of the season. Dobbie has overtaken the likes of Kaleb Toth to become the all-time goals and points scorer in Roughnecks franchise history.

“Dobbie adds a veteran, offensive element to a young Langley group that recently beat New Westminster,” Heyes said.

The Shamrocks will be in Maple Ridge to take on the Burrards on Sunday.

“We’re going to have to rely on the full depth of our lineup this weekend,” Heyes said.