Rocks and Saints Battle to a Tie

The Tier 1Junior B Shamrocks hosted the Port Coquitlam Saints and 70 minutes solved nothing as they played to an 11-11 tie. The Rocks trailed 4-3 and 8-7 by period before outscoring the visitors 3-2 in the third period to tie things up. Each team scored once in the 10-minute extra frame.

It was Ryan Atkinson getting the start in goal for Victoria while Calvin Hafner set up between the pipes at the other end of the floor.  The Shamrocks got on the board first, Denton Macdonald scoring at 3:03 with a quick stick in close, late in the 30-second shot clock.  The Saints replied at 8:41, Jacob Dunbar with a hard shot from inside the dotted line connecting.  Casey Wilson put the Rocks ahead again at10:29 but the Saints would score 3 of the next 4 to take the lead going into the intermission.  First it was Dylan Baker tying the score at 14:11 then Dunbar picked up his second of the game at 16:08.  Victoria got a power play markerfrom Wilson, his second of the game at 17:05, the Rocks enjoying a 4-on-3 man advantage.  That tied the score at 3 but at 17:54 Butch LaRoue tallied for the Saints shorthanded to give the visitors the lead after 20 minutes.

The Saints made it a 2-goal lead at 1:21 of the middle frame, Dunbar getting in close.  Colt Gnech got the Rocks back within a goal with an unassisted goal at 3:02 but the Saints got that one back at 5:25,Jackson Miller finding twine.  Nolan Dalep replaced Atkinson in goal for the Shamrocks after that and Gnech picked up his second of the game for the home team at 6:47 to pull the Rocks within a goal.  Wilson got his hat trick goal at 7:51 on the power play and the score was even. The home team pulled ahead at 12:21, Brandon Mace getting in close but before the period was over, PoCo added two more off the sticks of Ryan McBeth and Ryan LaRoue.

The Saints made it a 2-goal lead 2:11 into period 3, McBeth getting his second of the game.  The Rocks looked like they would pull this one out, scoring the next 3 goals of the game.  At 3:22 Jonathan Boyd scored.  That was followed up by Garrett Wicks’ tally from outside the dotted line, Wicks having a great 2-way game and rewarded with the goal at 6:33.  Macdonald got his second of the night to give the Shamrocks a 10-9 lead, getting on a run but before time ran out, McBeth got his hat trick marker at 13:42.  That was all the scoring in regulation time and with the game tied at 10, the teams went into a 10-minute extra period.

It was Por Coquitlam scoring first, Ben Agnes getting on a run off a loose ball pickup atthe 5:53 mark.  It looked like they might squeak out the win but Wilson had other thoughts and pulled the Shamrocks even at 8:06 with a hard shot from outside the dotted line.  With nothing solved, the game goes into the books as a tie.

Casey Wilson led the Shamrocks’ offense with 4 goals and an assist.  Colt Gnech and Denton Macdonald each contributed a pair of goals with singles coming from Garrett Wicks, Jonathan Boyd and Brandon Mace.  Isaac Swan and Patrick Dodds each chipped in 3 helpers.

The Shamrocks are on the road Sunday to take on the Delta Islanders and will face the NanaimoTimbermen in Nanaimo on June 20.  That game is scheduled for 7:30 at the Frank Crane Arena.  Next home game isn’t until June 30 when they will take on the Maple Ridge Burrards at 1:00 pm at the Q Centre.  The Junior ‘A’ Rocks are also in action that day at 4:00 pm when they will host Langley and pay tribute to alumni of the Victoria Junior ‘A’ program over the years.