Embracing their underdog role, the Victoria Shamrocks ventured into the Copeland Sports Centre Thursday with the intention of delivering a surprise.
The Island team handed the regular season champion Burnaby Lakers an 8-7 setback in Game 1 of their Western Lacrosse Association semifinal.
Victoria set a tone early, racking up a 3-0 lead in the game's opening four minutes and kept the Lakers off the scoresheet until the second period. But Burnaby showed resilience in firing off two goals to get back in the game.
It would be a scenario which would play out over the rest of the night. After Robert Church counted the home team's first two strikes, the Shamrocks used 2:55 to reply in force, scoring three times to go ahead 6-2 before the midway point.
Church, Cam Milligan and Dane Stevens, the latter on a powerplay early in the third, pulled Burnaby back within a goal.
But Victoria's Casey Jackson potted his third and fourth of the night, followed six minutes later by Sheldon Burns' goal with 6:05 left in regulation. Once again, the home team rallied with markers from Milligan, Stevens and Church -- the latter two coming with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker in the last minute. Church's fourth of the night came with 22 seconds on the clock.
The Lakers outshot Victoria 49-36.
Game 2 goes Saturday in Victoria. The series returns to Burnaby for Game 3, Monday, 6 p.m. at the Copeland rink.
* Standout WLA sophomore Josh Byrne counted seven goals in the final game of the Major Lacrosse League season, pacing the Chesapeake Bayhawks to a 23-19 victory over Denver. Byrne's offence established a new record for rookies in the pro field league, finishing with 39 goals over seven games.
