Facing elimination in their best-of-five B.C. Junior A Lacrosse playoff semifinal, the Victoria Shamrocks never quite got untracked Saturday night at the Panorama Recreation Centre, losing game 3 and the series to the Delta Islanders by an 11-7 score.
The Islanders, winners of the first two games in the series, 14-6 in Colwood then 7-6 on the mainland, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first four minutes in North Saanich and never trailed, building period leads of 4-2 and 8-4. They kept Shamrocks goaltender Charles Claxton busy, outshooting Victoria 54-45.
The Shamrocks tied the score 2-2 in the first on an even-strength goal by Ryan Lewis and a shorthanded marker from McLean Chicquen, but that was as close as the locals could get.
An acrobatic goal from Matt Hamilton pulled the Shamrocks within one at 4-3 early in the second, but Delta replied with two goals of their own. Chicquen tallied shorthanded again to make it 6-4, but the Islanders again pumped two more past Claxton to pad their lead.
Lewis, Cole Pickup and Jake Cullen scored in the third for Victoria, who were forced by the presence of Rock the Shores at West Shore Parks and Recreation in Colwood to host game 3 elsewhere.
Evan Messenger had two goals and four assists, and Jon Phillips had three goals and two helpers to lead Delta, who advance to meet the Coquitlam Adanacs in the championship final. The Adanacs swept New Westminister in the other semifinal series and have only lost once in 24 regular season and playoff games.
