The Victoria Shamrocks continue their quest for the Mann Cup this week.
The Shamrocks fell to the Maple Ridge Burrards 9-7 Tuesday night in game three of the Western Lacrosse Association final, setting the stage for a long, hard-fought battle that could go the distance.
The game, played before 1,614 fans at The Q Centre, leaves the Shamrocks down two games to one in the series, with game four set for Thursday night in the Burrards’ barn.
The Shamrocks were dominated for much of the game, falling behind on the score sheet and shot total. Maple Ridge forward Ben McIntosh made his presence felt early, scoring all three goals to give his team a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Not what we had in mind ðŸ™@Burrardslax take Game 3 and now lead the series 2 games to 1. Game 4 is Thursday in Maple Ridge before Game 5 goes Saturday at The Q Centre!
We can't wait to see you there #ShamrocksNation! pic.twitter.com/G7KEGTN9Qn
— ☘Victoria Shamrocks (@WLAShamrocks) August 22, 2018
The Shamrocks improved in the second period, scoring four goals, with three of those short-handed.
“Unfortunately, the Burrards had an answer for everything Victoria threw at them, scoring four goals,” social media manager Dallas Hancox said.
Curtis Dickson led the way for Maple Ridge with all four tallies, including two on the power play. That prompted Victoria to change goalies to try and swing the momentum, with Cody Hagedorn taking over for Adam Shute after he gave up his fifth goal of the game.
RELATED: Shamrocks hold 1-0 lead over Burrards
Victoria managed to outscore Maple Ridge in the third period 3-2 and out-shot them 16-12, but it wasn’t enough to get past the Burrards. Jesse King had one goal and five assists in the loss, bringing his points total to 30.
Rhys Duch managed a hat trick for the third time in three games. That marked a goal in every game for Duch since June 3. The game was Hagedorn’s first appearance since July 29 against New Westminster. Hagedorn stopped 16 shots in relief.
Victoria travelled to Maple Ridge for a crucial game four at the Cam Neely Arena on Thursday evening. The results of that game were not available before the Gazette went to print.
The Shamrocks return home for game five Saturday night at The Q Centre at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for that game are available at victoriashmrocks.com.
