MAPLE RIDGE 12
VICTORIA 8
(Burrards lead series 3-2)
Adversity is staring the Victoria Shamrocks straight in the face as the Maple Ridge Burrards have a stranglehold on the Western Lacrosse Association championship final and will have a chance to win their first league title since moving from Vancouver and Surrey.
The Burrards won the crown in 1990 in Vancouver and then moved to Surrey for the 1993 and 1994 seasons before settling in Maple Ridge.
A 12-8 win Wednesday at The Q Centre continued the strange cycle of nothing but road wins between the two teams in the 2016 final. Victoria is attempting to win its fourth straight league crown, but will now be facing elimination on Friday at 6 p.m. at Planet Ice.
“It’s not a homer series now. If we play the law of averages, we’ll be back here for a Game 7,” said Heyes, who was asked if he’d seen this pattern before. “I don’t think so. It’s a little funny that no one, at home, has won a game.”
It was a low-scoring first period as the Burrards struck early as Riley Loewen eluded Max Cullen’s check to beat Shamrocks goalie Adam Shute just 40 seconds in. Corey Small tied it at 4:18 before Mike Mallory bounced a wicked backhand for a 2-1 Maple Ridge lead at 7:55.
Cory Conway tied it with just 6.8 seconds left in the opening frame, played before about 2,000 rowdy fans.
But three goals in 24 seconds midway through the second propelled the Burrards to an 8-3 lead before the hosts cut it to 8-5 after 40 minutes.
“We don’t do things the easy way. We had a great opportunity, started the game a little tentative, but it was 2-2 into the [second], then we had a mental lapse in the second period and that cost us. Then you’re playing from behind and it’s always tough,” said Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes.
Small had three goals for the Shamrocks while Jeff Shattler, Cory Conway, Rhys Duch, Ethan Garland and Matt Yager had one each.
Riley Loewen and McIntosh had three apiece for the Burrards while Mallory had two. Dan Taylor, Matt MacLeod, Owen Barker and Zack Porter had the others.
Shute was pulled after the fifth goal and returned after Cody Hagedorn allowed two more on three shots to make it 7-3.
Frankie Scigliano made 43 stops.
CLOVER POINTS: The Six Nations Chiefs play host to the Peterborough Lakers tonight and the Lakers can close that series out, up 3-2 in the Major Series Lacrosse best-of-seven final.
