The rest of the Western Lacrosse Association is green with envy. The Victoria Shamrocks were crowned WLA champions for the 22nd time since the franchise’s inception in 1950 before an appreciative standing-room-only crowd of 2,533 on Friday night at the Q Centre.
The Shamrocks defeated the Langley Thunder 13-7 to sweep the best-of-seven league final in four games as Casey Wilson, a candidate to represent Canada when field lacrosse returns to the Olympics in 2028, was named first star with two goals and two assists as the Shamrocks overcame a 4-2 deficit. Second-star Clarke Petterson also had two goals and two assists for Victoria, and veteran Jesse King out of the Claremont Secondary Spartans and NCAA Big Ten Ohio State Buckeyes had two goals and four assists. Connor Robinson had three goals and three assists for Langley.
“Elimination games are always the hardest to win. We knew we were up against a desperate team fighting to keep its season alive. But every game through this season has been hard fought. There were no easy wins,” said Shamrocks general manager Chris Welch. “We are excited to be where we are, but it was a grind to get here.”
The Shamrocks advance to the 2024 Mann Cup national Senior A championship against the champions of the Major Series Lacrosse league in Ontario. The best-of-seven MSL final series is tied 2-2 between the Peterborough Lakers and defending Mann Cup-champion Six Nations Chiefs, heading into the fifth game Sunday.
The best-of-seven 2024 Mann Cup will be played between the Shamrocks and Lakers or Chiefs from Sept. 6-14, with all games at the home of the MSL champion. Although they will be a long way from home, Welch said the Shamrocks will take the spirit of their home-floor supporters with them to Ontario: “It was a real thrill to celebrate a WLA championship at home. Tonight was another reminder of what a special opportunity we have to play a sport we love in a city that supports it and supports us so enthusiastically.”
The Shamrocks will make their 22nd appearance in the Mann Cup and are after their 10th Mann Cup championship and first since 2015, which also represents the last time a WLA team won it. The Shamrocks have won the WLA’s last three Mann Cups in 2015, 2005 and 2003.
Victoria’s last appearance was in 2019 in a 4-1 games loss to the Peterborough Lakers at the Q Centre. Ontario teams have dominated by winning 15 of 16 Mann Cups since 2006. There was no competition in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. To make the Shamrocks’ task even more daunting is the fact no WLA team has won the Mann Cup on the road since the Salmonbellies in 1986 at Whitby, Ont.
Victoria’s nine Mann Cup championships are fourth all-time behind New Westminster’s 24, Peterborough’s 18 and Brampton’s 11. Nanaimo won its lone title in 1956.
The WLA season was a story told in three parts for the Shamrocks. First was the unprecedented unbeaten, untied regular season of 18-0. The second chapter was a short best-of-five opening-round playoff series against the cagey and defending-champion New Westminster Salmonbellies that had trap written all over it. It was almost just that, as it took Victoria the full five games to get past New West. The third chapter had the Shamrocks recapturing their footing in a four-game sweep of the Thunder in the league final.
Chapter four takes the Shamrocks out of league play to the Mann Cup national series, where they will attempt to win the WLA’s first Mann Cup on the road in nearly four decades.
“We are under no illusions,” said Welch. “The battles don’t get easier as you go along.”
