Shamrocks Bounce Back by Beating Burrards

Written by Ian McNaughton

July 21, 2018

Victoria, BC – The spotlight was on the Victoria Shamrocks Friday night. They had just come off a disappointing loss to the Langley Thunder on Wednesday night. They would face their home crowd for the first time in two weeks. Their opponents, the Maple Ridge Burrards, were one point ahead of the Shamrocks in the standings - there were a critical two points at stake. The pressure was on to get the win, 2 points, and give the fans something to cheer about all night. And boy, did the Shamrocks put on a show for their fans in a 12-5 victory over the Burrards.

It all started beforehand with the pre-game tailgate in The Q Centre parking lot. There were burgers, chips and drinks for all fans by donation served by West Shore Rotary. Victoria rock band Deep Sea Gypsies were also on hand to perform at the tailgate and did they ever knock the socks off the crowd. It was a great event but as it concluded, one thing was clear. We still had a game to play!

It was a strong first period for both teams with the Shamrocks ahead after the first 20 minutes. The Shamrocks got 4 goals from 4 different players and that’s just what the doctor prescribed - a healthy dose of scoring from a variety of players. Derek Lloyd, Casey Jackson, Adam Golia and Josh Fagan each found the back of the net in the first period which bested the three goals the Burrards had in that period. 

The Shamrocks came out with an aggressive offensive in the second. They scored the first 3 goals of the period and when the buzzer sounded for the end of the second, the ‘Rocks found themselves with an 8-5 lead. After outshooting Maple Ridge 26-14 in the second, the Shamrocks also had a 45-28 lead in shots and carried nearly all the momentum coming out of the locker room heading into the third. 

The third period was all Shamrocks, all the time. Friday’s 3rd period was perhaps the best defensive period for the Shamrocks all season. They did not give up a single goal, limiting Maple Ridge to just 10 shots in the period. Zac Christianson’s goal at 2:13 in the third could be described for how Victoria played this game. Fast, overwhelming, and outrunning everybody on the court. The Shamrocks played like a runaway freight train and controlled the game from beginning to end. 

Casey Jackson had 3 goals after the first 40 minutes and is in first place for goals in the WLA so far this season. He had 7 points against Maple Ridge and earned first star on the night. One of the most exciting rookies this season, Tyson Gibson, had a hat-trick himself and added 6 points to his point total. Gibson now has 42 points this season and has scored a goal in each of the last 4 games. ‘Rocks goalie Adam Shute also had a strong performance as he made 33 of 38 saves. He has 3 wins in his last 4 starts and hasn’t given up more than 10 goals in any of those games. 

The Shamrocks play once again  as they visit the Coquitlam Adanacs tonight. Fans can see that game here as that one starts at 7:00pm. Next week, the Shamrocks play two homes games including one against the first place New Westminster Salmonbellies. The ‘Rocks will host Coquitlam next Friday, July 27th, and fans can purchase tickets for that game here. The matchup with the Bellies takes place two days afterwards on Sunday July 29th. It will be Fan Appreciation Night and fans can purchase tickets for that entertaining affair here. Make sure you’re also using #ShamrocksNation when posting all your favourite Shamrocks related moments!