Shamrocks Stay Hot on the Road, Rout Salmonbellies 14-2

The Victoria Shamrocks improved to 7-1-0 on the season Thursday night, opening a three-game stretch on the road with a lopsided 14-2 win over the New Westminster Salmonbellies at the historic Queen's Park Arena.

Zach Manns set the tone just 47 seconds into the game, scoring off helpers from Luke Pilcher and Nick Preston to make it 1-0. Eli McLaughlin doubled the lead late in the first period, converting on the man advantage with assists from Marshal King and Manns, and Victoria carried a 2-0 edge into the first intermission.

The Shamrocks pulled away in the second, scoring six unanswered goals to take total control. King, Brodie Wade, Denton Macdonald and Pilcher all found the back of the net, Pilcher's coming shorthanded, before New Westminster's Lukas Nielsen finally got the Salmonbellies on the board with 1:12 left in the period on the power play. Victoria led 6-1 after 40 minutes.

Both goaltenders had been busy well before the score reflected it. Plenty of Victoria and New Westminster shots rang off the iron through the opening two periods in a tightly played, technically clean game.

Victoria put the game away in the third, as King opened the period's scoring just over three minutes in, and Manns and Koen Block followed in quick succession to make it 9-1 by the 4:40 mark. Patrick Dodds added his first of the night to push the lead to 10-1 before Owen Rahn scored for New Westminster at 10:37 to cut it to 10-2.

From there, Victoria's power play took over down the stretch. McLaughlin, Pilcher, Dodds and Manns each scored with the man advantage in the final eight minutes, capping the rout at 14-2.

Things got heated in the third period; a scrum at 5:30 led to roughing minors for Victoria's Cole Pickup and Mathieu Gautier and New Westminster's Owen Rahn. Tempers flared again at 11:01, with Kyle Pepper picking up a roughing minor for the Shamrocks and Rahn taking a five-minute major for an illegal body check. Despite the late penalties, both teams largely played a clean, technical brand of lacrosse for the night's 60 minutes.

Victoria finished the night with a 56-45 edge in shots on goal.

Three Stars

  1. Chris Origlieri (Victoria) — 45 shots faced, 2 goals allowed
  2. Marshal King (Victoria) — 2 goals, 6 assists
  3. Luke Pilcher (Victoria) — 2 goals, 2 assists

The Shamrocks continue their season on the road Sunday, June 21, against the Maple Ridge Burrards, before a stop in Burnaby on June 26.