Shawn Slaght, All Lacrosse All The Time – A Division of the Edge of Philly Sports Network
Dane Dobbie led the way with 10 points as the Langley Thunder cruised to a 15-9 win over the Victoria Shamrocks on Saturday night in Game one of their WLA playoff series.
Offensively Dobbie had three goals and seven assists, while Curtis Dickson had three goals and four assists, and Robert Church had four goals and one assist.
“We are blessed with excellent players. Usually what happens is they elevate their game come playoff time when there is more pressure on, and you saw that tonight where there was some great execution by some excellent lacrosse players,” said Langley coach Rod Jensen.
The Thunder continue their hot streak as this was their fifth straight win going back to the regular season.
It was another huge night for Frank Scigliano in goal for Langley. He faced 59 shots in the win.
Huge first period for Langley
Right off the bat, Langley jumped out to a 2- 0 lead. Church opened the scoring at 2:56 and Dobbie added a marker 55 seconds later.
The Shamrocks replied with a three-goal run to take over the lead. Larson Sundown got Victoria on the board at 4:46, while Steve Priolo scored 31 seconds after that to tie up the game.
Rhys Duch added a marker at 8:16 to give the Shamrocks a 3-2 advantage. But it was all Langley after that.
The Thunder finished the first period with a five-goal run to take a 7-3 lead heading into the second. Church and Dobbie each had a pair in the run, while Dickson chipped in with one.
Back-and-forth second period
Jesse King scored 1:15 into the second period to get the Shamrocks back within three goals.
Both offences then went silent until 2:50 left before intermission. Dobbie continued his tear at 17:10 with Keegan Bell following that up 41 seconds later to make it 9-4 for the Thunder.
Sundown rounded out the scoring with 1:56 left in the period to make it 9-5 for Langley heading into the final frame.
Langley takes Game one
Jesse King opened the third with a pair of goals to get Victoria back with striking distance 9-7.
Dickson scored a shorthanded goal at 4:33 to start a three-goal run for Langley as the proverbial dagger to the Shamrocks. Dylan Kinnear’s goal at 6:08 and Erik Maas’ power play marker at 8:16 rounded out the run.
At 9:37, Jesse King would add his fourth goal of the game to gain some momentum back for Victoria. Brad McCulley also got on the board at 12:16 to get the Shamrocks within three to make it 12-9.
However, Langley finished strong. Goals by Kinnear, Preston Lupul and Church would give Langley the 15-9 win in Game one.
Game two goes Sunday night at Victoria’s Q Centre.
Three Stars
- Dane Dobbie, Langley Thunder
- Jesse King, Victoria Shamrocks
- Frank Scigliano, Langley Thunder
Top Scorers
Langley Thunder
Dane Dobbie, 3g 7a
Curtis Dickson, 3g 4a
Robert Church, 4g 1a
Victoria Shamrocks
Jesse King, 4g 2a
Larson Sundown, 2g 2a
Marshal King, 3a
Chris Wardle, 3a
Shawn Slaght has been a sports reporter across the Canadian prairies for over 10 years and has experience covering everything from junior hockey to World Cup skiing to all levels of lacrosse. He is the Saskatchewan correspondent for All Lacrosse All The Time.
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