Road trips for the Victoria Shamrocks in the Western Lacrosse Association aren’t multiple-game, drawn-out affairs like they are in hockey or baseball leagues. But there-and-back to the Lower Mainland can be just as draining in its own way.
The Shamrocks, coming off a 3-0 stretch in road games, return to play in The Q Centre tonight against the New Westminster Salmonbellies, who were 5-4 heading into Thursday night’s game against the Maple Ridge Burrards.
“The three consecutive road games were a significant test for us and we got through it,” said head coach Mike Simpson, who has undefeated Victoria at 9-0 on the season.
“Catching the 2 p.m. ferry over to the Mainland, and returning home at 2:30 a.m. via the ferry to Nanaimo and then bussing back down-Island, makes for an extremely long day. And a lot of the guys have to be up early the next day for work. It can be tough. It’s hard on the road but I liked our determination and the fact we played with increasing confidence.”
The key game of the three straight away tilts was the last one, a signature 16-7 victory last week over the defending WLA-champion Salmonbellies at Queen’s Park Arena in New Westminster.
“That was our best game of the season from top to bottom,” said Simpson.
“The challenge is to do it again [tonight as the ’Bellies come into The Q Centre]. You know they are going to be grumpy. I think we are going to see a better version of the Salmonbellies. We have to answer the bell and to show that what happened last week in New Westminster was normal for us and not an exception.”
What made Victoria’s three consecutive road wins even more impressive is that they were accomplished without leading point-getter Jesse King, the NLL pro and NCAA Ohio State Buckeyes graduate, who missed them all due to other commitments. Making up for it was debutant Clarke Petterson, the NLL pro and former NCAA Cornell Big Red standout, who recorded three goals and seven assists for 10 points in his first three games for Victoria to show why he was so sought after by the Shamrocks despite his limited availability.
“Clarke fits into our offence so well, and we have yet to see him in combination with Jesse [King],” said Simpson.
Fans will have to wait a little longer for that, however, as Pettersson will miss tonight’s game and the next three Shamrocks games after that to attend the Team Canada try-out camp this month for the world box-lacrosse championship taking place in September at Utica, New York. Pettersson, also a candidate for the Canadian field-sixes team when lacrosse returns to the Olympic Games in 2028 at Los Angeles, will return to the Shamrocks for the late-season push and WLA playoffs.
The Shamrocks are in Coquitlam on Saturday to play the Adanacs (4-6).
