Shamrocks aim to get back on track

BURNABY AT VICTORIA, 5 P.M.

Bounce passes and bounce shots are a thing of the past in box lacrosse. But teams always need bounce backs. The Victoria Shamrocks (8-3) will be looking for one today against the Burnaby Lakers at 5 p.m. at The Q Centre following the 11-7 upset road loss to the New Westminster Salmonbellies on Thursday.

“We’re glad to get the opportunity to right the ship relatively quickly,” said Victoria head coach Mike Simpson.

And to regain some of that fire which has carried the Shamrocks for much of the season.

“New Westminster (6-8) is looking for a playoff spot and had far more urgency and were more determined,” said Simpson, of the last game.

The Lakers, meanwhile, are young and rebuilding after having lost franchise cornerstone and NLL veteran pro and former NCAA Div. 1 Drexel University star Robert Church to the Langley Thunder. Burnaby comes into today having lost four consecutive games and struggling at 3-9-1. But the Shamrocks can ill-afford to take anybody lightly, especially after a loss. And the Lakers will be motivated following the 21-6 drubbing at the hands of the Shamrocks in their last visit to The Q Centre last month.

“We hung 21 on them last time and that tends to stick with a team,” said Simpson.

“I expect a closer game.” Returning to the Victoria lineup after each missing a couple of games are veteran WLA and NLL-pro sniper Rhys Duch and Jesse King, the latter the Claremont Spartans and NCAA Big Ten Ohio State Buckeyes product who leads the WLA in scoring with 64 points and a 7.1 points-per-game average.

The Nanaimo Timbermen (9-5) were playing the Adanacs (8-4) in a key game in Coquitlam on Saturday night.

The Timbermen are in Burnaby on Tuesday while the Shamrocks will host the Adanacs in a much-anticipated contest Friday night at The Q Centre.