Shamrocks Take on Salmonbellies Looking to Clinch 1st

The Victoria Shamrocks will head to Queens Park Arena to take on the New Westminster Salmonbellies tonight at 7:00 pm.  The Shamrocks are currently 2nd in the WLA with an 11-5-0 record.  They trail the Maple Ridge Burrards by 2 points, with two games in hand. A Shamrocks win either tonight, or Saturday against the Coquitlam Adanacs would secure the top seed in the WLA playoffs beginning next week. 

The game for the Salmonbellies is massive.  Tied at 20 points with both Nanaimo and Burnaby, the margin for error is minimal for all 3 clubs. With a win, the Salmonbellies would punch their tickets to the post-season dance. 

Victoria is coming off an emotional 12-8 victory over the Burnaby Lakers on Sunday night.  The contest was a battle for 1st place at the time and the Shamrocks came flying out of the gates, a trend for them over their recent hot stretch.  Leading the Lakers 9-1 after 20 minutes, the final outcome was nearly a forgone conclusion despite the Lakers attempt to claw themselves back into the game. 

 The Shamrocks offence has really begun rounding into form since the acquisitions of both Connor Robinson and Tyler Pace.  Adding those two players to the likes of Jesse King, Chris Boushy, Larson Sundown, and others has provided the Shamrocks with a legitimate feeling that they can score each time down the floor. 

The Shamrocks enter the game looking for the season sweep of the Salmonbellies.  The season series has featured the Shamrocks winning 15-10 back on June 14th and 9-7 on Jun 29th. 

Regardless of tonight's outcome in New Westminster, the Shamrocks playoff opponent might not be decided until Friday night when the Burnaby Lakers host the Nanaimo Timbermen.  The Shamrocks will close out the 2019 WLA regular season on Saturday afternoon when they take on the Adanacs.