The Kelowna Raiders are a win away from making if five consecutive Shaw Cup titles.
On Friday night at Memorial Arena, the Raiders will host the Armstrong Shamrocks in Game 2 of the best-of-three Thompson Okanagan Senior Lacrosse League final. Face off is 7:30.
The Raiders opened the series with a 7-4 win on Wednesday in Armstrong.
Strong defensive play by the Raiders supplemented by excellent goaltending from Graham Cousins kept the Shamrock sharpshooters at bay for much of the game.
The Raiders, who opened up a 4-0 lead, held Armstrong scoreless until the 13:45 mark of the second period.
Jordan Urban scored twice in the win, while Victor Wiens, Brendan Urban, Joe Brown, Cody Ridden and captain Jacob Illichmann added singles.
Jamie Cockerill scored a pair for the Shamrocks.
“It’s huge for us,” Jordan Urban said after the win. “We just wanted to come in here and play hard, play our game.
“Armstrong always plays hard here, they’re always going to give you a good run for your money and you have to play them hard. If you play them hard, it gives you a chance to win.”
Urban also praised Cousins for his work in the Raiders’ net.
“He was phenomenal,” Urban said. “Up until halfway through the game, they hadn’t scored. It felt like they had a lot of good shots, especially in the first period, and he just stood on his head and kept us in it.
Game 3 of the TOSSL final, if needed, will be played Saturday at Nor Val Centre in Armstrong.
