Fans heading to The Q Centre this Friday to see the Victoria Shamrocks for the first time in two weeks will see the club sporting a different look in goal.
Midway through a nine-day break from Western Lacrosse Association play, the Shamrocks (5-2) took a step toward solidifying their roster at the back end last week with the acquisition of goaltender Adam Shute from the Coquitlam Adanacs.
Shute, 25, has appeared in 48 Western Lacrosse Association games over four seasons with the mainland club and finished second in the league in save percentage (.823) in 2015. In exchange for the Calgary native, the Shamrocks gave up a second round pick in the 2017 draft.
The move prompted Victoria to release veteran netminder Matt Roik. The 36-year-old goalie came over to Victoria last season after five years with the New Westminster Salmonbellies.
“This move was made in the best interest of the Shamrocks,” Shamrocks general manager Chris Welch said in a release. “It was a chance for us to get younger in a key position where there isn’t a big market. We think Adam will work well in tandem with Cody Hagedorn.”
Hagedorn has played the majority of minutes in net this season. He also played most regular-season games last year, but Aaron Bold, brought in for one season, started every playoff and Mann Cup game.
Victoria plays in Burnaby tonight then hosts New Westminster this Friday starting at 7:45 p.m.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com