'Rocks Fall to T’Men

By Janice Huckin - The Shamrocks travelled over the Malahat Wednesday to take on their island rivals, the Nanaimo Timbermen and it was the home team coming away with a 16-12 victory, dropping the Rocks to a record of 3-2-1 on the season. 

It was a very inauspicious start for the Shamrocks as the Timbermen scored two goals on their first two shots of the game, Mitch Parker tallying on a quick stick just 26 seconds in and Cole Kryworuchka giving his team a 2-0 lead, going end to end to beat Victoria starting netminder Charles Claxton and the 1:54 mark. Victoria started to get things going when Darren Bourret got the ball behind Nanaimo goalie Pete Dubenski at 6:19 and Cole Pickup got things even with a shot from the edge of the crease at 9:38 as the Shamrocks applied some pressure. Just 17 seconds later, however, it was Nanaimo’s Brett Fleming restoring the lead with an over the shoulder shot. Dallas Wade replied for Victoria at 11:22, with a shot as he dove across the front of the crease and things were knotted at 3. The home team scored twice late in the period, Taylor Raiche tallying at 17:53 on a run and former Jr. Shamrock Dane Sorensen adding another at 18:35 from outside the dotted line. After 20 minutes the Timbermen had a 5-3 lead on the board and shots were pretty even, Victoria having a slight lead, 18-17. 

The T’Men went on a scoring rampage in the middle frame, scoring 5 of the first 6 goals to put some distance between the two teams. Corey Shires got the first at 1:46 with a bullet to the back of the net. Victoria replied at 2:05, McLean Chicquen getting in alone on a run at 2:05. At 6:41 Cody Short got Nanaimo started on a 3-goal run, coming off the bench to get in close. Sorensen added an unassisted tally at 7:50, his second of the game and Short added his second of the period at 9:05 faking low and shooting high. That was the end of Claxton’s night in the Victoria goal as he was replaced by Ryley Brown. His Shamrocks teammates stopped the bleeding when McLean scored his second at 10:18 off a rebound right in front but it was only a temporary fix as Nanaimo got a couple of power play markers starting with Brett Hawrys at the 13-minute mark. Sorensen notched yet another at 14:27, a goal that looked suspiciously like the shooter was in the crease. Victoria’s Nate Wade replied with a pair of goals just 25 seconds apart, the first coming at 14:34 as he won the faceoff and raced in alone and the second, at 14:59, a shorthanded goal that Dubenski got a piece of but couldn’t quite hold on. That made it 11-7 T’Men but the home squad managed to get 2 more before the period ended, the first off the stick of Sorensen at 16:28 on the power play and the final goal of the period at 17:27 from Travis Mickelson, going over top of Brown to make it 13-7 after two periods. 

The Rocks looked like they were on a comeback trail, scoring two goals early in the final period, Matt Hamilton firing the ball to the back of the net at 2:26 while falling and Pickup getting his second of the game just 25 seconds later on a run all alone. Nanaimo took that momentum away when Hawrys scored at 5:46 and Sorensen added his 5th of the game at 9:42. Hamilton replied for Victoria with a shot from the side of the crease at 10:02 but the game got away from them when Darrin Wilson scored at 13:23. The Rocks managed to get the final two goals of the period, Ryan Lewis and Jake Cullen scoring at 14:31 and 19:52 respectively but it was too little too late as they fell by the 16-12 score. Final shots on goal favoured the Timbermen 60-50. Yes, 110 shots in 60 minutes! Where’s the “D”? 

The Shamrocks had 4 players with 2 goals each, Matt Hamilton continuing his hot pace, Nate Wade, McLean Chicquen and Cole Pickup. Singles came from Jake Cullen, Ryan Lewis, Darren Bourret and Dallas Wade. Derek Lecky had a pair of assists. 

For Nanaimo it was Dane Sorensen, traded by the Shamrocks in the off-season who led the Timbermen, scoring 5 goals and adding 1 assist. They got a pair of goals from Cody Short and Brett Hawrys while Corey Shires had a 7 point night with a goal and 6 helpers. 

The result leaves Victoria in fourth spot, just one point ahead of Nanaimo and 1 point behind Delta, who will face the Shamrocks twice this weekend as the Rocks travel to the Sungod Arena Saturday and return to the Q Centre for a 5:00 encounter Sunday.