Jr. Shamrocks Season Over

The Jr. Shamrocks took to the floor at the Q Center Saturday hoping to force a game 7 in their league final series but the defending champion Coquitlam Adanacs saw things differently and took a 12-6 victory to advance to the Minto Cup.

Angus Snow got the start between the pipes for Victoria while Jack Kask took up his customary position at the opposite end. It was Coquitlam jumping out to a 4-0 early lead. Cody Malawsky tallied first at 2:28 from close in. Ryan Colsey followed up at 11:06 from outside the dotted line and just over 2 minutes later Wren Glanville made it 3-0. At 17:27 Kyan Berar gobbled up a loose ball and scored unassisted and shorthanded. Koen Block finally got the Rocks on the board with a power play marker at 17:53, firing from the dotted line. That was how the period ended, the visitors leading 4-1.

The home team came out hard in period 2 as Ryan Lowe started a 3-goal run at 2:02 a shot that seemed to have eyes as it eluded Kask. Ronin London got the Rocks within a goal getting in close at 2:56 and Jett Klassen knotted the score at 4 at 6:58 with a bullet from outside the dotted line. Coquitlam replied with a pair, Jaxon Dillon connecting at 8:48 and exactly a minute later, Colsey getting his second on the power play to make it 6-4. Klassen got his second of the game at 10:48 to once again narrow the gap to a single goal. Before the period ended, the visitors got a second goal from Dillon and a third from Colsey to take an 8-5 lead into the final period.

Coquitlam put the game away with 4 straight goals in the final frame before Klassen added his hat trick marker at 15:33 to end scoring.

Jett Klassen led Victoria’s offense with the hat trick while both Dylan Anderson and Owen Ofarrell chipped in 3 helpers. Ronin London, Koen Block and Ryan Lowe added a goal and an assist with Carter Quested contributing a pair of assists.

Ryan Colsey had 5 goals for Coquitlam with Cody Malawsky adding a goal and 5 assists and Jaxon Dillon a pair of goals and 4 helpers.

While the season is over there were a lot of positives for the Shamrocks as they went from a non-playoff team in 2024 to second place and a strong playoff showing. Goaltender Grayson Manning and Greyson Thompson have gone to compete for Team Canada at the World U-20 championship in South Korea. Good luck to them and to the graduating players.

- Janice Huckin