The Armstrong Shamrocks dropped their third straight one-goal game Friday night at Hassen Memorial Arena, bowing 8-7 to the Kelowna Raiders in Okanagan X-treme Lacrosse League play.
The Raiders took the early lead on goals by Kyle MacLennan and Pho Heng, with Armstrong sniper Steve Clark replying for the Rocks.
The first period was delayed for quite some time after a Raider was checked into the Shamrocks’ Shaun Strohm, who was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a broken tibia, requiring surgery.
With the same 2-1 scoreline heading into the second period, Armstrong, now 5-6, came out firing, solving Kelowna keeper Graham Cousins five times. Stu Williamson and Clark, each with two, and Shaun Koenig, on a breakaway, were the scorers.
Braden Renner and Luke Bailey responded for the 6-5 Raiders, who trailed 6-4 at the second intermission.
The Raiders opened the third-period scoring right off the faceoff. Deadly on draws, Jacob Illichmann fed Victor Wiens a quick pass to beat Armstrong netminder Chad Pieper, setting the stage for later goals by MacLennan, Heng and Renner.
Braydon Sanders provided Armstrong’s goal in the third.
The Shamrocks visit the Vernon Tigers Friday night at Wesbild Centre.
Meanwile, the Tigers parlayed a four-goal performance from Rob Short into a 9-5 win over the host Kamloops Rattlers Friday night at Memorial Arena.
Short, with a first-period hat trick, and Kirk Krause, with a single, got Vernon (5-5) off to an excellent road start.
AJ Lockwood and Mark Jurista answered for Kamloops (5-5) in the first.
Krause, Short and Tyler Plante kept the Cats’ offence clicking in the second frame, while Lee Black tallied once for the hosts.
Russ McIntosh and JJ Woldum fired two more by Glen Clissold in the third, but Vernon added two of their own with singles by Sean Arnold (1+2) and Brian Cope (1+2).
Clissold ended with 39 stops. Steve Latimer supplied three helpers.
