CLEVE DHEENSAW
Times Colonist
It’s 12 consecutive wins and counting for the undefeated Victoria Shamrocks heading into tonight’s Western Lacrosse Association game at The Q Centre against the Burnaby Lakers (4-6-1).
The Shamrocks have held the Lakers to just five goals in their previous two meetings, not easy to do in lacrosse, in recording 7-5 and 9-5 victories. That highlights a general storyline for Victoria this season as the double-tandem goaltending of National Lacrosse League pros Chris Origlieri and Cam Dunkerley has been stellar.
Origlieri leads the WLA with a 6.99 goals-against average and .837 save percentage and Junior Shamrocks graduate Dunkerley is second with a 7.19 GAA and .832 save percentage.
An upset tonight would give the sixth-place Lakers, who are two points adrift of fourth place and a playoff position, a big boost toward any post-season ambitions.
Meanwhile, the King brothers had six points each to reach the family dozen on Wednesday night as the Shamrocks stopped the Nanaimo Timbermen 14-8 at The Q Centre to win not only the game but also the season Island derby. Victoria leads the three-game Island regular-season set against Nanaimo 2-0 and can’t be headed by the T-Men regardless of the result in the third and final game between the rivals at Frank Crane Arena in the Harbour City on July 20.
Veteran sniper Jesse King, the NLL pro out of Claremont Secondary and the NCAA Big Ten Ohio State Buckeyes, had four goals and two assists for the Shamrocks on Wednesday. Marshal King, the NLL pro with Las Vegas during winter box lacrosse, added three goals and three assists as Victoria put 60 shots on the Nanaimo goal.
Mathieu Gautier, the Edmonton product and NLL pro, continued his steady production for Victoria with two goals and an assist. Defenceman Liam Phillips moved up-floor to score two goals. Tom Vaesen, the former Junior Timbermen player, continued his breakout season with the Shamrocks with a goal and two assists.
Casey Wilson, who went to the NCAA Final Four this season at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with the University of Denver and a prime candidate for Canada when field lacrosse re-joins the Olympics at Los Angeles 2028, also had a goal and two assists. Forward Cole Pickup scored the other Victoria goal.
Six-foot-four NLL pro and Ohio State Buckeyes graduate Jason Knox had four goals for the Timbermen, who tumbled to 3-7-1 at the foot of the WLA table.
The Shamrocks led 4-2 after the first period and 9-7 after the second and put it away with a strong third period, which has been another recurring theme of their season.
