“I played in some of those games,” recalled former Shamrocks goaltender Bob Heyes, now the head coach of the Western Lacrosse Association club.
So maybe it’s a harbinger that the Shamrocks are hosting the Burnaby Lakers tonight in Game 4 of their best-of-seven playoff series on a day of the week that used to be synonymous with lacrosse in Greater Victoria.
The Shamrocks hope so, in a WLA semifinal series that has tightened considerably following the Lakers’ decisive 13-4 home-floor victory Monday in Game 3 at Bill Copeland Arena after Victoria won the first two games.
“We should have had the killer instinct Monday night. Instead, their desperation was greater than our killer instinct,” said Heyes.
“The playoffs is all about making adjustments and Burnaby did. Their offence adjusted and they challenged us more one-on-one. On defence, they keyed especially on Corey Small, and all our left-handed shooters like Casey Jackson and Chris Wardle.”
Small was the league runaway goals, assists and points scoring champion this season, but was held to two assists and just three shots Monday.
Now it’s time for Victoria to counter with its own tweaks, without upsetting the basic formula that worked effectively in the first two games.
“For us, it’s all about hard work and physical play on defence. I feel holding [Lakers] to nine goals is our magic number,” said Heyes.
“On offence, we have to spread the floor more.”
The Lakers also finally got to Shamrocks goaltender Aaron Bold, chasing him from the nets in Game 3, after the Victoria product was so stellar in the opening two games.
“You have to give credit to Burnaby. They are a good team. We knew this was not going to be a 4-0 series,” said Heyes.
The Lakers are the top seed after winning their first WLA regular-season championship in franchise history. The Shamrocks were looking for their fifth-consecutive league regular-season crown only to spiral to being the fourth seed this year.
The Shamrocks’ organizational depth is being tested. Veteran Rhys Duch, one of the most dangerous snipers in franchise history, is out for the series. Nine-season veteran Matt Yager is also injured and NLL pro Jon Harnett is back but not 100 per cent.
“We need our junior pickups to contribute and they have,” said Heyes.
“Danny Smith has displayed great speed and Dylan Raymond is a big kid in the back who can hit. Seeing that gives us energy and even fires up the veterans on the bench.”
In the playoffs, little twists mean a lot, and a series can turn on the streaky play of a hot goaltender or unexpected contribution of junior pick-ups.
The fifth game is Friday night in Burnaby. If needed, Game 6 is back in Victoria on Sunday night.
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