The Shamrocks have limited the Lakers to just five goals in their last two games.
CLEVE DHEENSAW.
Times Colonist
The Victoria Shamrocks are undefeated into tonight’s Western Lacrosse Association game at The Q Centre versus the Burnaby Lakers (4-6-1).
In their previous two meetings, the Shamrocks restricted the Lakers to only five goals, a difficult feat in lacrosse, and won 7-5 and 9-5. This underlines a larger theme for Victoria this season, as National Lacrosse League pros Chris Origlieri and Cam Dunkerley have been outstanding goaltenders.
Origlieri leads the WLA with a 6.99 goals-against average and.837 save percentage, while Dunkerley, a junior Shamrocks graduate, is second with a 7.19 GAA and.832 save percentage.
An upset tonight would give the sixth-place Lakers, who are two points back of fourth place and a playoff spot, a significant boost in their postseason hopes.
Meanwhile, the King brothers scored six points each on Wednesday night as the Shamrocks defeated the Nanaimo Timbermen 14-8 at The Q Centre, winning not only the game but also the season Island Derby. Victoria leads the three-game Island regular-season set against Nanaimo 2-0 and cannot be led by the T-Men regardless of the outcome of the rivals’ third and final game.
On July 20, it will be held at Frank Crane Arena in Harbour City. On Wednesday, veteran sniper Jesse King, an NLL pro from Claremont Secondary and an NCAA Big Ten Ohio State Buckeye, led the Shamrocks with four goals and two assists. Marshal King, an NLL pro with Las Vegas during winter box lacrosse, contributed three goals and three assists as Victoria fired 60 shots at the Nanaimo goal.
Mathieu Gautier, an Edmonton product and NLL pro, continued his solid performance for Victoria with two goals and one assist. Liam Phillips, a defenceman, moved up the floor and scored two goals. Tom Vaesen, a former Junior Timbermen star, continued his breakout season with the Shamrocks, scoring a goal and two assists.
Casey Wilson, who played in the NCAA Final Four with the University of Denver this season at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and is a top contender for Canada when field lacrosse returns to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, also scored a goal and two assists. Cole Pickup, a forward, scored the other Victoria goal.
Six-foot-four NLL player and Ohio State Buckeyes graduate Jason Knox scored four goals for the Timbermen, who dropped to 3-7-1 at the bottom of the WLA standings.
The Shamrocks led 4-2 after the first period, 9-7 after the second, then sealed the deal with a dominant third quarter, which has been a recurring trend throughout the season.
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