The Maple Ridge Burrards lost the first game of the WLA championship series 7-6 in double overtime on Friday night in Victoria.
Victoria Shamrocks Connor Robinson scored the game winner in the second sudden death OT period.
The Burrards jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first period, and still led 4-3 after two. But Victoria’s Chris Wardle scored his third and fourth goals of the game early in the third period, and the Shamrocks added another for three unanswered goals and a 6-4 lead.
The Burrards answered late. Ryan Keenan scored his hat trick goal with seven minutes left in the game, and NLL scoring champion Dane Dobbie put the game into overtime with 1:39 left to play in the third period.
Dobbie was quiet on the night, with a goal and an assist, and Curtis Dickson was held to a single helper. Between them, the pair who had been the Burrards scoring leaders so far this playoffs were held to one goal on a combined 21 shots.
Wes Berg led the Burrards with a goal and three assists, and Wardle topped the Shamrocks with his four goals and five points.
In net, the WLA’s goaltender of the year Frank Scigliano had 45 saves on 52 shots. Victoria’s Peter Dubenski, who played in senior B lacrosse last season, got the win with 41 saves on 47 shots.
These two teams met in last year’s WLA championship, which the Burrards won in five games. They are battling for the right to host the Mann Cup, Senior A Canadian championship.
The Peterborough Lakers, last year’s Mann Cup champions, are playing the Six Nations Chiefs in the Major Series Lacrosse championship series. The winner will meet the WLA champion in the 2019 Mann Cup.
The best-of-seven series will move to Maple Ridge’s Cam Neely Arena for Sunday night’s second game, starting at 6 p.m.
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