The Victoria Shamrocks are a game away from winning the west’s first Mann Cup in a decade.
The Western Lacrosse Association regular season and playoff champs defeated the Peterborough Lakers 7-5 in overtime at the Q Centre last night to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Mann Cup final series.
Dan Dawson led the ’Rocks with four points, including a goal and an assist in in the 10-minute extra time.
Dawson set up Corey Small for the eventual game-winning tally midway through OT, he then scored the icing on the cake in the final minute from Small and Cory Conway.
Aaron Bold backstopped the win in goal, stopping 32 Peterborough shots for a .865 save percentage. Matt Vinc was also tough to beat, making 39 stops in the Lakers cage.
Victoria led 3-1 after the opening 20 minutes and upped the lead to 4-1 on Rhys Duch’s shorthanded tally in the opening seconds of the middle frame.
Turner Evans finished off a three-goal Lakers’ rally on a Peterborough shorty midway through the second period before Scott Ranger put the home club in front 5-4 late in the period.
Peterborough’s Shawn Evans tied the score with the only goal of the final frame to force the first overtime of the series.
Victoria was the last team from the West Coast to hoist the Mann Cup. That happened in 2005, when the Shamrocks defeated a Peterborough Lakers team in a six-game series.
Game 6 between Victoria and Peterborough is Friday at 7 p.m.
