Rocks Lose Second at Home

The Jr. Shamrocks may not be looking at home floor as an advantage as they dropped their second game in a row at the Q Centre, this time a 14-4 defeat at the hands of the defending league champion Coquitlam Adanacs.

The Shamrocks were in the game for the first 22 minutes but things quickly deteriorated after that. Mitchell Gurney got the start in goal for the Rocks with Christian DelBianco between the pipes at the other end of the floor. Coquitlam opened the scoring at 1:18 when Jarred Pozzoban scored on the first shot on goal, a shot that seemed to go 5-hole. The Rocks tightened up and there was no more scoring for the next 8 minutes when Christian Bazzo gave the visitors a 2-goal lead, getting in close with a delayed penalty about to be called. Victoria replied at 10:16 when Brad McCulley rippled the twine with a run to the net. Just 13 seconds later, however, Reid Bowering regained the 2-goal lead, faking and shooting as he was in alone in front of Gurney at 17:47. That goal came on the power play and before the period ended, the Rocks replied with a power play marker of their own with just 6 seconds on the clock, Ryan Lewis doing the damage. Shots after 20 minutes favoured the Shamrocks by a 19-9 margin but they were down 4-2 on the scoreboard.

Things looked like they might improve for the home squad in period 2, Braylon Lumb scoring just 1:45 into the frame. Lumb, playing his first game since returning from school, got in close to pull the Shamrocks within a goal. As it evolved, that was the last time they would score until late in the final period, as the Adanacs rattled off 3 unanswered in the middle frame to take a 7-3 lead to the dressing room after 40 minutes. The Shamrocks still led in shots on goal but by a smaller margin, 31-25.

Coquitlam just kept on coming in period 3, adding 7 more goals, including a shorthanded marker and 2 on the power play to make it 14-3 by the 18:15 mark before Matthew Hamilton finally stopped the bleeding with a goal from outside the dotted line at 18:51. There would be no late heroics in this game and at the end of the game it was Coquitlam outshooting the Shamrocks 43-41.

Brad McCulley figured in on 3 of Victoria’s 4 goals, scoring once and adding 2 assists. Other goals came from Braylon Lumb, Matthew Hamilton and Ryan Lewis while Cole Pickup chipped in 2 assists.

The Shamrocks are on the road Sunday to face the improved Burnaby Lakers and return to the Q Centre next Saturday, May 14 to take on the New Westminster Salmonbellies at 5:00 pm.

- Janice Huckin