This story, admittedly, has a few holes.
Like, who won Thursday's rematch where the Burnaby Lakers gave their response after falling 9-6 in Game 1 to the Victoria Shamrocks.
While a newspaper deadline limits our up-to-date coverage (this story was written before Thursday's contest), what is apparent is that the Lakers, heavy underdogs against the reigning Mann Cup and regular season champion ‘Rocks, are poised to put their best feet forward and push back after Tuesday’s setback in Victoria.
“We had them on the ropes, we were leading in the third and got the momentum,” remarked Laker veteran Dane Stevens. “Closing it out is something you have to do, and I think we learned an important lesson that we can use going forward.”
Burnaby gave Victoria a strong test, taking a 6-5 lead on goals by Eli McLaughlin and Josh Byrne early in the third period. McLaughlin’s marker came just 39 seconds into the frame and was followed by Byrne’s tally three minutes later, propelling the visitors into the lead for the first time in the game. In 10 minutes and with four goals, the Shamrocks erased that advantage and chalked up the opening win of the best-of-seven semifinal.
In Victoria, where the Q Centre stands are jammed with a vocal crowd of 2,000-plus fans, the atmosphere is both a heavy edge for the home team and also a great energizer for visitors.
"It is (noisy) but it's fun for the players," Lakers coach Rory McDade said of the atmosphere. "It's not something teams (on the Mainland) are use to... Victoria came out all fired up and we were expecting that. I was impressed how we battled back, that we played well and put them on their heels abit until (late in the third)."
While the crowd and the energy -- certainly heavy in the home team's favour -- are intense, it doesn't get in the way of how you play your game, said Stevens.
“You kind of go in there with a lot of things flowing through your mind. Victoria’s the defending national champs, the arena has a great atmosphere – it’s a tough barn to play in but it’s exciting for the guys.”
Those factors will be in play Friday as Game 3 takes to the Q Centre concrete. Game 4 is slated for Sunday, 6 p.m. at the Copeland Sports Centre.
McDade said for the squad to turn the series in their favour they need to show the resilience and focus that helped them turn around that 3-0 hole in the first game.
"We pushed back," he said. "The key for us is to do what we did after that opening 10 minutes. We'll have to make some adjustments in how we cover their top offensive players, but its not like they can be shut down. We've got to slow them down and continue being tough on defence."
In Game 1, Rhys Duch scored five times, including twice in the last 10 minutes of the contest, to power the Shamrocks to a come-from-behind victory.
A game of shifting momentum, the visitors found themselves down by three just 6:22 into the contest and rallied to tie it midway through the second period. While the Shamrocks regained the lead with two seconds left in the middle frame, Burnaby showed spunk in claiming the lead early in the third on goals by Robert Church and McLaughlin. Victoria, however, would use the final 10 minutes to complete the comeback.
The game featured a number of spirited confrontations, with three penalties deemed by the league as blows to the head in nature. It handed out one-game suspensions to Victoria's Jon Harnett and Corey Small and the Lakers Scott Rouse.
For Stevens, the fact that Burnaby is the underdog doesn’t detract from the fact that they are ready and eager to make this more than a learning experience.
“(Being the underdog) is fine for us if it helps us get where we want to go,” he said. “To get there, we have to beat some good teams, and this is the first year in a long time that I’m 100 per cent confident we can do something in the playoffs.
“I think our team, top to bottom, is as strong and talented as any other team.”
