The Victoria Shamrocks picked up a 12-10 win over the Nanaimo Timbermen on Wednesday night to keep themselves in the final playoff spot in the WLA.
The win improves Victoria’s record to 8-6-1 with three games left in the regular season. The Burnaby Lakers are seven points behind them at 5-9 with four games left on the slate.
Nanaimo drops to 10-5 on the season and continues to hold on to third place as they chase New Westminster (11-3) and Langley (13-3) for first place in the league.
First period a game of runs
Victoria jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead. Chris Wardle scored back-to-back goals within the first 3:46 of the first period. Marshal King would then make it 3-0 at 7:52 into the game.
Nanaimo fought back with a three-goal run of their own. Nathan Grenon got the Timbermen on the board at 8:38 followed by Colton Lidstone at 10:04. Nanaimo tied up the game off a power play goal from Jon Philips at 11:23.
King added his second of the game with eight minutes left in the first as Victoria led 4-3 after one period of play.
Shamrocks hold on to narrow lead
Both teams went silent for 12:14 before Patrick Dodds was able to extend Victoria’s lead to two goals.
Nanaimo would then go on a two-goal run. Lidstone got the Timbermen within one with 6:28 left on the clock. Zach Manns followed that up with a shorthanded goal with 5:40 left.
Victoria restored their two-goal lead again. Cole Pickup and Tom Vaesen scored 1:53 apart to make it 7-5.
Manns scored with 1:12 left in the period to keep Nanaimo close 7-6.
Victoria pulls away in the third
The Shamrocks extended their lead in the third period and wouldn’t relinquish it for the remainder of the game.
King, Dodds and Wardle opened the third period with a three-goal run for Victoria as they led by four.
Lidstone and Sheridan got a pair back for Nanaimo, yet they still trailed 10-8.
The two teams would trade goals from here on out. Liam Phillips scored shorthanded for Victoria with 5:42 left for the Shamrocks’ 11th goal.
Manns replied on the power play less than a minute later to make it 11-9.
Wardle put the Shamrocks up 12-9. However, Taggart Clark scored a late goal for Nanaimo on the power play. At the buzzer, it was 12-10 for Victoria as the Shamrocks hold on to the final playoff spot.
Three Stars
- Chris Wardle, Victoria Shamrocks
- Marshal King, Victoria Shamrocks
- Colton Lidstone, Nanaimo Timbermen
Top Scorers
Victoria Shamrocks
Chris Wardle, 4g 2a
Marshal King, 3g 2a
Cory Conway, 4a
Nanaimo Timbermen
Zach Manns, 3g 3a
Colton Lidstone, 3g 2a
Jon Phillips, 1g 4a
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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.
