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Shamrocks come out on winnng side against Island foes

Junior ‘Rocks return to win column
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Rick Stiebel/News Gazette staff

The Junior Victoria Shamrocks came through Tuesday night with a hard-fought win against a familiar foe from Nanaimo to mark two wins in a row.

The Shamrocks pulled off a 16-13 victory, with Brad McCulley leading the way with five goals and five assists in the first of two visits by Nanaimo to The Q Centre. Cole Pickup continued his strong start with six goals and an assist against the Timbermen, while Braylon Lumb and Skyler Wilson pitched in with a pair of goals each. Marshal King was a major contributor as well, helping out on six Shamrock goals. Spencer Erwin was strong in net, stopping 40 of the 53 shots he faced. Zack Homer had a dominant performance in the faceoff circle, winning 21 out of 30. The teams will renew their rivalry with another game Tuesday at The Q Centre, followed by the final home game of the season Saturday, July 8 against the Delta Islanders.

The win comes on the heels of a split weekend. The Junior ‘Rocks fell 17-16 to the Langley Thunder on Saturday at The Q Centre. The local squad initially led 5-4 before Langley came back to knot the score at 10-10 after two periods. The teams combined for 13 goals in the final frame, including four shorthanded by the Thunder.

But the ‘Rocks got back in a winning groove on Sunday as they held on for a narrow 15-14 victory against the Burnaby Lakers at Copeland Arena. The junior squad enjoyed leads of 6-4 and 11-10 after the first two periods, paced by a nine-point night from captain Pickup on two goals and seven assists. King scored twice and added four assists, while Lumb and McCulley added three goals and one assist each. Preston had a goal and four helpers, with Cameron Garlin, Griffin Wilson, Nick Murray and Brian Robb adding goals. Will Kinnaird went the distance in net for the win.

Intermediate ‘Rocks hang on for the win

The Intermediate squad had a different outcome on Saturday than their junior counterparts, defeating the visiting Delta Islanders 12-9.

Victoria held period leads of 4-2 and 8-6, but fell behind 9-8 in the third before scoring the final four goals on the way to the win. Broady Black had five goals and four assists, Thomas Vaesen scored three goals and an assist and Jackson Boyd tallied a goal and five assists. Caleb Keuber added a goal and three helpers, while Josh Pickford and Liam Phillips each notched a goal. Next up for the team is the Coquitlam Adanacs on Saturday July 1 at 1:30 p.m in The Q Centre.

reporter@goldstreamgazette.com