Shamrocks Finish on Winning Note

The Junior ‘A’ Shamrocks finished the regular season at home on a winning note, dominating the visiting Port Coquitlam Saints 10-3 Saturday at the Q Center.

Daniel Ramage got the start in goal for the Rocks while Ryder Bremner started for the visitors.  The first period was a tight battle with only a pair of goals scored, one by each team.  Victoria got on the board first as newcomer Trent Dicicco hit the scoresheet just 1:01 in with a low shot from in close.  PoCo replied at 8:15 when Jr. ‘B’ call-up Kenyon Nyman tallied on a run off a loose ball.  That was all the scoring despite Victoria holding a huge 23-9 edge in shots on goal.

Periiod 2 was all Shamrocks, however, as they stretched the lead to 9-2 over the middle 20 minutes.  Jonathon Boyd gave the home team the lead at 1:39 from in close late in the 30-second clock.  Patrick Dodds added a power play marker at 3:57, cutting across.  At 4:28 newly-arrived Mitch Sandberg extended the lead to 3 getting in close.  The Saints cut the gap to a pair on Brandon Woodward’s goal at 5:37 on a run but Victoria went on a 5-goal run before time ran out.  Shane Halliwell got things started with a hard shot from outside the dotted line at 8:04.  That was followed by Finn Halladay’s tally at 10:21 with a shovel shot in close to make it 6-2.  Boyd picked up his second of the game, unassisted, at 12:18 grabbing the ball from a scramble in front.  Jordan Neary added an unassisted goal at 14:22 off a loose ball, shooting over top of goaltender Bremner.  Dodds finished the scoring in the middle frame at 15:35, picking up his second of the game on a rebound off the back boards.  Again the Shamrocks held the lead in shots on goal by a margin of 30-7.  The teams played straight time beginning about ¾ of the way through the period by mutual consent, a rarity at the Junior ‘A’ level.

The final period was played at straight time and saw just 2 goals scored, one by each team.  Bremner was replaced between the pipes by Greyson Beggs for the Saints. Evan Law scored for the Shamrocks at 2:34 from outside the dotted line and Ty Fisher rounded out the scoring for PoCo with a power play goal at 15:05.

Victoria got a pair of goals from Patrick Dodds and Jonathon Boyd, the latter adding an assist as well.  Mitch Sandberg had a 4-point night on a goal and 3 assists while Evan Law and Trent Dicicco each had a goal and 2 helpers.  Shane Halliwell had a goal and an assist with Finn Halladay and Jordan Neary picking up singles.  Noah Manning chipped in 2 assists.  Daniel Ramage had a strong outing in goal kicking out 34 of the 37 shots he faced to pick up the win.

The win, coupled with a Nanaimo loss to the Burnaby Lakers gives the Shamrocks first place and a bye through the first round of playoffs.  The second place team will also get a bye through the first round, while the next 4 teams will play off with third place vs sixth and fourth facing fifth.  Stay tuned for further dates and times.