Rocks Drop Game 3

The season is over for the Tier 1 Junior ‘B’ Shamrocks as they dropped the deciding game 3 of their semi-final series, 6-5 to the visiting Delta Islanders Tuesday.  There wasn’t a lot to choose between the teams during the regular season, Victoria finishing just a point ahead of the third-place Islanders and there wasn’t a lot to choose during the series either.

Adam Bland took up his position between the pipes for the Rocks while Ashton LeClair was his counterpart at the other end of the floor.  Delta opened the scoring just 1:38 into the opening period, after some good ball control in the offensive zone, Peyton Hooper finding the back of the net.  Victoria replied, Brodie Wade scoring an unassisted goal at 4:24 off a rebound in front and it stayed tied at 1 until the 15:07 mark when Rhys Porteous gave the visitors the lead with a shot from the dotted line.  Delta outshot the Shamrocks 21-13 in the period and took a 1-goal lead into the dressing room after 20 minutes.

The home team got the score knotted at 2 with a shorthanded goal off the stick of Cole Arthur at the 47-second mark of period 2, on a break.  Delta regained the lead at 1:09 off the ensuing faceoff, Keegan Kuzack connecting on a bouncer from the dotted line.  They increased their lead to a pair of goals with Matt Burt’s tally at 3:23 as he intercepted an outlet pass right in front of Bland and found twine.  Victoria’s power play replied at 9:43, Graham Goodfellow getting on a break with just 1 second left in the man advantage.  The teams traded goals before the period ended, Hooper picking up his second for Delta at 10:39 in close and Cameron Lumb replying for the Shamrocks with an unassisted tally at 18:17, getting in close with the teams playing 4-on-4.  That made the score 5-3 after 40 minutes, the Shamrocks holding the edge in shots on goal 17-11.

Only two goals were scored in the final frame, Hooper picked up his hat trick marker and what would prove to be the winner at 3:08 with a hard shot from outside the dotted line.  Carson Echlin pulled the Rocks within a goal at 16:44 with an outside shot but, despite pulling the goaltender for the extra attacker were unable to get the equalizer.

Scoring for the Shamrocks were Graham Goodfellow, Brodie Wade, Cameron Lumb, Cole Arthur and Carson Echlin.  Adam Bland made 41 saves on 47 shots.  

The Delta Islanders now go on to face the Coquitlam Adanacs in the league final.  Coquitlam will represent the league at the Founders Cup while the Tier 1 Shamrocks will face a team from the Interior to determine the Provincial champion.  That will take place as a 2-game, total point series to be played here during the weekend of August 10-11.  More details will be provided at a later date.