2013 Victoria Jr. A Shamrocks News
May 22, 2013
Shamrocks Win in Nanaimo
After a somewhat sub-par performance at home Saturday, the Jr. Shamrocks hit the road to take on the Nanaimo Timbermen Tuesday at the Frank Crane Arena. With team captain Brody Eastwood back from school and leading the way, the Rocks hammered the T’Men 15-10.
Starting goaltenders were Cody Hagedorn for the Rocks and Pete Dubenski at the other end of the floor. Nanaimo got on the board first, Travis Mickelson getting in close to score at the 2-minute mark. Victoria tied things up at 6:55 on a tally by Conrad Chapman and at 16:02 Max Fredrickson finished off some great ball movement on the power play to give the Shamrocks they would not relinquish. The first period ended with the visitors holding a 2-1 lead although they were outshot 15-12 by the Timbermen. It was also a relatively penalty-free 20 minutes, which turned out not to be a predictor of what was to come.
The Shamrocks opened the middle frame with a couple of quick goals off the stick of Dane Sorensen. They were almost from the exact same spot on the floor, the first coming at 1:53 and the second at 2:40, hard shots from the dotted line across the crease. Nanaimo got one back at 6:56 on the power play, Mitch Parker finishing off a play with just 2 seconds left on a 2-man advantage. The boys in green picked up the pace, running off 4 straight goals between 11:42 and 13:38. First it was Intermediate ‘A’ Shamrocks call-up Cole Pickup getting in close to find twine. At 12:28 Brody Eastwood got his first counter of the season finishing off some great passing. That was followed by a bouncer from the center slot off the stick of Dominik Pesek at 13:03. Chris Wardle rounded things off at 13:38 with Nick Kapusty doing some great work along the boards to retain position and getting a pass to him with virtually nothing left on the 30-second clock. Nanaimo got one back at 14:03, Nick Sanderson doing the damage. It took only 41 seconds for Victoria’s Kurtis Green to power to the front of the net and score an unassisted goal. A power play goal at 19:51 from Nanaimo’s Brett Hawrys finished the scoring for the period as the Shamrocks took a 9-4 lead to the dressing room. The period also saw a lot of penalties, including a 5-minute major and game misconduct to Kurtis Green, along with coincidental minors to Parker and Max Cullen, all of that coming at the 20-minute mark.
That power play opportunity resulted in a couple of early Nanaimo goals, Paul Nicholson scoring from the corner of the crease at the 28-second mark and Parker following up with his second of the contest at 2:44, a bullet from the dotted line. That got the home team within 3 but Victoria started another run of 5 goals with a shorthanded marker at 3:37 from Eastwood when he found himself inexplicably all alone in front. Eastwood followed up with his hat-trick marker at 5:50 putting the ball over top of Dubenski. Victoria took advantage of the break in play to replace and rest Cody Hagedorn and give Charles Claxton some game time. At 8:26 Max Cullen scored unassisted when he intercepted a pass and went coast to coast. Jamie Sorensen added a shorthanded tally at 10:02 and at 11:10 Eastwood added another to give the Shamrocks an 8-goal lead. Nanaimo rebounded with three quick goals, Hawrys picking up his second of the game at 11:37, followed by Sanderson with his second, on the power play at 13:39 and Mickelson getting his second at 14:23. The teams traded goals to finish the game, Eastwood scoring for Victoria at 15:42 and Hawrys getting the hat trick at 18:03. Again, period 3 was a penalty-filled affair, culminating in a heavyweight battle between Nanaimo’s Owen Barker and Victoria’s Brandan Smith at 18:14. Pretty silly stuff actually which also saw Jordan Kuziek of the T’Men receive an extra 5 minutes.
Victoria was led offensively by their captain Brody Eastwood who arrived home from New York just in time to catch the bus up island as he scored 5 times and added 1 assist. Dane Sorensen picked up a pair of goal while brother Jamie had a goal and 2 helpers as did call-up Cole Pickup. Dominik Pesek and Max Fredrickson each had a goal and 3 assists with other goals coming from Conrad Chapman, Kurtis Green and Max Cullen. Goaltender Cody Hagedorn stopped 37 shots before giving way to Charles Claxton who stopped 11 shots and had an assist in relief.
Nanaimo got the hat trick from Brett Hawrys while Nick Sanderson and Mitch Parker each had a pair of goals, chipping in 5 and 3 assists respectively. Travis Mickelson also had 2 goals with the other coming from Paul Nicholson.
Next up for the Jr. Shamrocks is a home game Saturday, May 25 when the Burnaby Lakers will be in town.
By Janice Huckin
May 18, 2013
Rocks Flattened by Adanacs
The Jr. Rocks were hoping to take a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head match-up against the Coquitlam Adanacs Saturday but came out a little flat as they were dominated physically in going down to a 12-6 defeat.
Cody Hagedorn got his fifth consecutive start for the home team while Coquitlam went with big Davide DiRuscio between the pipes. The Rocks jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 7:36 when Dane Schoor broke in alone off transition to beat DiRuscio. Coquitlam replied at 8:17, again coming off transition as Jordan Gilles scored. Schoor got his second of the night, again using his outstanding speed out of the defensive zone to make it 2-1 Victoria. That was the last time the Shamrocks would hold the lead as the Adanacs scored three straight power play goals before period 1 ended. Spencer Stevens tied things at 13:21, a shot that Hagedorn seemed to get a piece of. At 19:30 Steven Neufeld scored with Coquitlam holding a 5-on-3 manpower advantage after a particularly questionable double minor call made the Rocks 2 men short. Evan Wortley added another power play marker with less than a second remaining on the clock to give the visitors a 4-2 lead, despite Victoria holding a slight 17-13 edge in shots on goal.
Coquitlam added to their lead with two early goals in period 2, the first coming off the stick of Erik Klein at the 3:54 mark and the second, another power play goal from Stevens at 6:02. Max Fredrickson got one back for the Shamrocks at 6:49 and drew back within a pair when Chris Wardle tallied at 10:37 after an extended period of Victoria ball possession. The teams traded goals as Chase McIntyre scored at 11:20 for the Adanacs on a hard shot from the dotted lane and Jamie Sorensen replied for the Shamrocks just 11 seconds later on a 2-man break. At 15:15 another – yes yet another – power play goal for the Adanacs as McIntyre found the top corner restored the 3-goal lead. Fredrickson picked up his second of the contest at 17:26 on a tricky little shot right in front to cut the lead to 2 but two goals within the last minute by the Adanacs pretty much put the game away. Stevens scored his hat-trick goal at 19:19 and it was on the power play while Neufeld added his second of the game at 19:48.
The visitors added two unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes to salt away the victory. With Coquitlam scoring 6 goals on the power play, it’s another sign that the Shamrocks MUST stay out of the penalty box. Sometimes easier said than done. There seemed to be times when passes were not connecting for the Victoria squad, they were certainly physically dominated by the bigger Coquitlam players.
Dane Schoor and Max Fredrickson each picked up 2 goals in a losing effort, with singles coming from Chris Wardle and Jamie Sorensen. Cody Hagedorn was not his usual stellar self and it was bound to happen sooner or later as he gave way to Derek Anderson for the last half of the final period.
Steven Neufeld and Spencer Stevens each had the hat trick for the Adanacs while Chase McIntyre had a 5-point night on 2 goals and 3 assists. Davide DiRuscio kicked out 40 of the 46 shots he faced for the victory.
The Jr. Shamrocks go on the road Tuesday to face the Nanaimo Timbermen in a 7:00 pm start at the Frank Crane Arena before returning home next Saturday for a 5:00 encounter against the Burnaby Lakers.
By Janice Huckin
May 12, 2013
Rocks Rebound, Hand Islanders First Loss
After suffering their first defeat of the season Saturday, the Jr. Shamrocks rebounded to hand the Delta Islanders their first loss of the season, hanging on for an 11-9 victory.
Cody Hagedorn got his fourth straight start in goal for the Rocks and it was Matt Keith guarding the crease at the Delta end of the floor. As he did last night, it was big Kurtis Green getting the Shamrocks on the board first, going to the front of the net and beating Keith at 1:51. Delta replied at 4:12 with a shorthanded goal by Eli McLaughlin, going 1-on-2 right to the front of the net. How’s that again? Yes, it was 1-on-2. The Islanders took the lead at 6:18, Jon Phillips finding twine. At 10:27 the Shamrocks got even on a diving shot by Chris Wardle and Max Fredrickson gave the home team the lead at 14:49 with a quick stick. That was how the opening period ended, with the Shamrocks holding a slim 3-2 lead; shots on goal were even at 16 apiece in a well-played, quick period.
Delta picked up the first two goals of the middle frame, the first coming at 3:02, another shorthanded tally, this one off the stick of Mike Henry. At 10:55 they took the lead, McLaughlin picking up his second of the game. The lead continued to see-saw back and forth as that Delta goal began a run of 7 collective goals in less than 6 minutes. The Shamrocks replied with a pair of their own, the first off the stick of Jake Cullen with a hard shot at 11:17. Just 17 seconds later it was Dane Sorensen restoring a 1-goal Victoria lead. Next it was Delta’s turn to score a pair, Tyler Nett connecting at 12:41 and Phillips picking up his second of the game at 13:28, off a loose ball. Momentum swung back to the Shamrocks with a pair of power play goals. Cullen rattled off his second, just inside the post at 15:41 and Dominik Pesek added another at 16:11. After 40 minutes, it was the home team still holding a 1-goal lead.
It looked like the Shamrocks would put a bit of distance between them as they opened period 3 with two goals to make it a 3-goal gap. Wardle picked up his second of the game, a shorthanded goal when he walked in alone at 4:21. Green then notched his second of the contest with an unassisted goal at 6:33, getting a breakaway and shooting from a ways beyond the dotted line. The Islanders would not be denied and they replied with a 3-goal run to get things even. Evan Messenger tallied at 8:06, firing back over his shoulder to the back of the net. The next goal didn’t come until 16:25 when Taylor Northway scored 5-hole unassisted and then added a second unassisted goal at 17:25. Fans would be forgiven for wondering if they would be seeing a second consecutive overtime game but Devon Casey beat Keith with a hard low shot at 17:49 and Wardle added his hat trick marker at 19:39 on the power play to provide the margin of victory.
Jake Cullen and Devon Casey each had 5-point nights in the victory scoring 2 goals and 3 assists and 1 goal and 4 assists respectively. Veteran Chris Wardle, with another strong two-way performance had a hat trick and 1 assist while Max Fredrickson also picked up 4 points on a goal and 3 helpers. Kurtis Green picked up a pair of goals with other goals coming from Dominik Pesek and Dane Sorensen. Jamie Sorensen chipped in 3 assists. A few players were playing different roles than those in which we usually see them. Dane Schoor saw a lot of time at the defensive end of the floor and, although he didn’t get onto the scoresheet, his speed was instrumental in kick-starting the transition game and providing opportunities to score. Cody Hagedorn picked up his third win of the season in goal, kicking out 38 of the 47 shots he faced.
For Delta it was Taylor Northway, Jon Phillips and Eli McLaughlin each picking up a pair of goals.
As mentioned, it was Delta’s first loss of the season but they remain atop the league standings with a 4-1 record. The win puts the Shamrocks in a second-place tie with the Langley Thunder at 3 wins and a loss.
Next action for the Shamrocks is a home game next Saturday, May 18 when the Coquitlam Adanacs will be in town for a 5:00 pm encounter. Come out early and watch the Intermediate ‘A’ Shamrocks take on Delta at 1:30 pm. It’s good entertainment and the Intermediate Shamrocks are currently undefeated and playing an exciting brand of lacrosse.
By Janice Huckin
May 11, 2013
Shamrocks Suffer First Loss
It took 70 minutes but in the end, it was Langley scoring three goals in overtime to hand the Jr. Shamrocks their first loss of the season by an 11-8 margin Saturday at Bear Mountain Arena.
Cody Hagedorn made his third straight start in nets for the home team while Spencer England got the nod between the pipes for Langley. The Rocks got out to a quick start, scoring twice before the 2-minute mark. Kurtis Green made his way right to the front of the net at 1:08 to get things started and just 45 seconds later it was Devon Casey doing the same thing and the Shamrocks were up 2-0. Langley answered around the midway mark of the period, James Rahe notching a power play goal at 10:38 and Sean Lundstrom tying things up with yet another power play marker at 14:52, by which time the visitors held a 17-7 edge in shots on goal. Victoria took the lead at 15:48, Max Fredrickson scoring from the corner of the crease with a delayed penalty about to be called on Langley. At 18:20 Jake Cullen made it 4-2 Shamrocks finishing off some great ball control and another power play goal at 19:05, Fredrickson’s second of the contest, made it 5-2 as the period came to an end. Shots on goal favoured Langley 21-12.
It took almost half a period before the first goal of the middle frame was scored, as Chris Wardle put the ball over top of England to open up a 3-goal lead for the home team. Langley replied with a 3-goal run, two on the power play and 1 shorthanded to close the gap to 1. Jake Cullen picked up his second at the 16:47 mark, giving the Shamrocks a 7-5 lead after 40 minutes.
Things went from bad to worse in period 3 as Langley outscored Victoria 3-1, again two of those markers coming with the man advantage. The Shamrocks’ only goal came courtesy of Jake Cullen, giving him the hat-trick. It was a penalty filled period but the Shamrocks were being out-worked, out-run by the speedy transition game being played by Langley.
In league play, a tie in regulation time means 10 minutes of overtime and Langley scored three goals, one on a power play and one into an empty net as that was the end of that.
The Shamrocks seemed to struggle with ball control after a somewhat dominant first period and they were also plagued with some lackluster defensive play. Offensively the Shamrocks were led by a couple of rookies as Jake Cullen had the hat trick and 2 assists while Max Fredrickson had a pair of goals and 2 helpers. Single goals came from Kurtis Green, Devon Casey and Chris Wardle. Mason Pynn in his first game of the season chipped in 2 helpers. You couldn’t have asked more of Cody Hagedorn as he stopped 59 of the 69 shots he faced.
For Langley two players had 7-point nights with Adam Will picking up 3 goals and 4 assists while Brett Dobray had 2 goals and 5 helpers. Sean Lundstrom kicked in 4 goals and an assist.
There is no rest for the weary as the Shamrocks play a rare doubleheader at home, facing the Delta Islanders Sunday at Bear Mountain Arena. Game time is 5:00 p.m.
By Janice Huckin
April 28, 2013
Shamrocks Open 2 for 2
It was a good opening weekend for the Jr. Shamrocks as they travelled to the mainland Sunday to face last year’s champs, the Coquitlam Adanacs, and came away with an 8-6 win.
Both teams were playing their second game in 2 days but Coquitlam had the advantage of playing both at home. Cody Hagedorn got his second start in goal for the Rocks while big Davide DiRuscio was between the pipes for the home Adanacs. As they did against New Westminster Saturday, the Shamrocks got on the board early. Devon Casey came in off the opening faceoff and fired one to the back of the net just 14 seconds in. The Shamrocks made it 2-0 at the 42-second mark when Chris Wardle intercepted a pass and went in alone. It was 2 shots, 2 goals for the visitors. The Adanacs finally replied at 8:02 when Spencer Stevens scored on a power play. Stevens got things even at 2 apiece picking off an errant Victoria pass and scoring unassisted at 10:51. A shorthanded goal by Victoria’s Conrad Chapman restored the lead. This goal also came off an intercepted pass. That was how the period ended, with the Shamrocks holding a slim 3-2 lead despite being outshot 19-14 in the period.
Period 2 started with the Adanacs in the midst of a 4-minute power play but the Victoria penalty kill team did a great job to hold them off the board. The home team did manage to tie things up at 4:19, Taylor Raiche scoring off a rebound. It was all Shamrocks after that as the boys in green ran off 3 unanswered goals. Dane Schoor picked up a power play marker finishing off a slick passing play at 6:36. They then struck for 2 quick goals as Wardle picked up his second of the game at 15:50 off a quick pass from Kurtis Green at 15:50. At 16:58 it was Nick Kapusty capitalizing after Wardle made a diving play to push the ball into the offensive zone. The Shamrocks were full value for the 6-3 lead after 40 minutes and they also held the edge in shots on goal 17-12 in the period.
Czech import Dominik Pesek, made it a 4-goal lead for Victoria when he scored 1:37 into the final frame, diving across the front of the crease to bury the ball. Steven Neufeld got one back for the A’s at 7:12 after Hagedorn made the save but the ball trickled by him. Wardle picked up his hat trick marker for the visitors at 9:17 to make it an 8-4 lead. Coquitlam threatened to come back, scoring the next two goals, off the sticks of Joe Olson at 12:46 and Robyn Lowenberger at 13:48 but that was as close as they would come, despite pulling the goaltender for the extra attacker.
It was a pretty strong performance at both ends of the floor for the Shamrocks. Acting team captain Chris Wardle led the team in scoring with the hat-trick and 2 assists. Dominik Pesek chipped in a goal and 2 helpers while Conrad Chapman, Devon Casey, Dane Schoor and Nick Kapusty added the other goals. Jake Cullen contributed 3 assists and Cody Hagedorn kicked out 42 of the 48 shots he faced to pick up his second victory.
The Jr. Shamrocks’ next action comes in two weeks when they will enjoy a rare home doubleheader. The Langley Thunder come to Bear Mountain on Saturday, May 11 and the Delta Islanders visit on Sunday, May 12. Both games are at 5:00 p.m.
- by Janice Huckin
April 27, 2013
Rocks Hang on for Victory
It looked early like it might be a runaway for the Jr. Shamrocks in their home opener Sasturday but in the end they had to hang on to take an 11-10 victory over the visiting New Westminster Salmonbellies at Bear Mountain Arena.
Cody Hagedorn got the start in goal for Victoria while Michael Flintoff was his counterpart at the other end of the floor. The Rocks got things started with a power play goal at the 5:50 mark of the opening period – a bullet from Devon Casey. Two minutes later it was a picture perfect outlet pass from Hagedorn to a streaking Kurtis Green, who made no mistake. At 9:11 another power play goal, this time from Jake Cullen, had the home team up by 3. Chris Wardle made it a 4-goal difference at 9:43 when he knocked down a pass by the New West goalie who then gave chase giving Wardle an empty net to shoot at. The visitors got one back with an unassisted tally off the stick of Quinn Smith at 10:28. It took only 10 seconds for Victoria to get that one back, Derek Lecky firing a howitzer to the back of the net. The teams traded goals once more before the period ended, Nathan Stewart scoring on a New West power play at 13:38 and Max Fredrickson picking up his first of the season at 15:40, cutting by a host of players to get to the front of the net. Shots on goal were pretty even with the Salmonbellies holding a 24-22 lead in the category but it was the home team with a 6-2 lead on the scoreboard.
Just 43 seconds into period 2, the Salmonbellies connected on a power play as Daniel Perreault found the back of the net with a hard bouncer. The Rocks responded with a 3-goal run, the first from Cullen, his second of the night, on the power play at 4:24. Casey picked up his second of the game at 12:43 with a hard low shot and that was the end of the night for Salmonbellies goalie Flintoff as he was replaced by Tyler Landry. Fredrickson notched his second of the game just one minute later and New West rounded out the second period scoring with another power play goal at 19:15 as his team held a 2-man advantage. That made it 9-4 for the Shamrocks after 40 minutes but it was again the Bellies outshooting their hosts by a 17-11 margin.
Things got a little crazy in the final period; perhaps the home team thought they had it in the bag but New Westminster certainly had other ideas as they ran off 4 straight goals to start the period. At the 11:38 mark, they had closed the gap to a single goal before Victoria finally struck back at 11:58 when Cole Pickup, a call-up from the Intermediate ‘A’ team, found twine to restore a 2-goal lead. But two more straight goals from the visitors tied things up by 16:15 and things looked desperate for the home team. Fredrickson managed to squeeze a goal just inside the post at 16:32 and Hagedorn shut the door with the Bellies pressing in the final seconds to preserve the 1-goal victory.
Rookie Max Fredrickson led the Shamrocks with the hat-trick and 2 helpers while Chris Wardle had a 6-point night on a goal and 5 assists. Jake Cullen and Devon Casey each scored twice with other goals coming from Cole Pickup, Derek Lecky and Kurtis Green. Dominik Pesek and Dane Schoor each chipped in a pair of assists and Cody Hagedorn was at times spectacular as he faced 57 shots, turning aside 47 of them.
The Shamrocks are on the road Sunday to face the Coquitlam Adanacs. They don’t return to Bear Mountain until the weekend of May 11-12 with a rare home doubleheader.
- by Janice Huckin
April 22, 2013
2013 Season Begins Saturday
The Jr. Shamrocks begin their 2013 season at home Saturday, April 27 when the New Westminster Salmonbellies come to town. It was the ‘Bellies that eliminated the Rocks from the playoffs last season so it will be an opportunity for the home team to get some redemption.
The Shamrocks were very good in two pre-season games as they defeated the Nanaimo Sr. B Timbermen 12-5, then took an 11-7 victory over the Jr. A Timbermen April 17 in a game played at Fuller Lake Arena.
GM Rod Wood and his coaching staff all feel that this year’s Shamrocks squad has a solid chance to get to and win a Minto Cup. The last Victoria team to win that coveted trophy did so in 1988 so it is well overdue. This year’s head coach, Nirmal Dillon, coached that team so here’s hoping history repeats itself.
This year the team is about half returnees, half new players, many from last year’s silver medal winning Intermediate ‘A’ Shamrocks team. As with most teams in the B.C. Jr. A Lacrosse League, there will be a few regulars missing as the season begins due to scholastic commitments. Team captain Brody Eastwood, as well as Jesse King and Jordan Cunningham will not be available for the home opener.
There is a lot of excitement building around the team and indeed around the league this season. The league has committed to webcasting all games, which means you can follow the team at home and on the road. Former Shamrock and Jr. Rock alumnus Ted Jenner will be doing the play-by-play for Victoria home games. Cost per game (live) will be $7 and for an archived version $5. There will be a link on the league website to purchase webcasts so get your credit card ready.
New Westminster is one of the teams which will probably be undergoing a lot of changes in personnel this season so the Shamrocks are hoping to make them their first victim. The action begins at 5:00 pm at Bear Mountain Arena – come out and support your Victoria Jr. Shamrocks.
- by Janice Huckin
February 8, 2013
WLA Shamrocks Draft 5 Jr. Rocks
Monday, February 4 the Langley Events Center was the scene of the annual WLA draft of graduating junior players. Several of last year’s Jr. Shamrocks were taken by the WLA Shamrocks while a couple of other teams also dipped into the ranks of last season’s local graduates.
The Shamrocks didn’t have a selection until the 6th pick of round 3 and Rocks GM used that pick to grab last year’s Jr. Rocks team captain Jake Emms. Round 4 saw the Rocks with two picks, the first of the round which they used to select Kyle Dexter, a local player from the Peninsula minor association who spent a couple of seasons with Nanaimo before moving to Calgary to play with the Okotoks Raiders. Also in round 4, the Shamrocks took last season’s team scoring leader, Adam Brown. Oliver Phillips, Josh Fagan and Jason Gregg were selected by the Shamrocks in ensuing rounds.
Shea Wakefield was drafted by Maple Ridge in the 6th round while Braden Kmita was snapped up by Nanaimo. Paul Brebber and Glenn Foley who finished the season in green and white but are Nanaimo products were also selected by the Nanaimo Timbermen.
Incidentally, the first overall pick of this year’s draft belonged to the Maple Ridge Burrards and they chose Ben McIntosh from the Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs. New Westminster held the next two picks which they used to grab Logan Schuss and Jeff Cornwall from Delta and Coquitlam respectively.
Congratulations to all the drafted players and good luck with your respective WLA teams. Hopefully we’ll see you in the future on the floor at Bear Mountain Arena.
January 29, 2013
Jr. Rocks Reap Bounty of Saanich Players
The B.C. Jr. A Lacrosse League held its annual draft of midget-aged graduating players Sunday in Port Coquitlam after a couple of seasons on hiatus. It took a couple of years to re-establish rules around the draft but it finally came to fruition.
The Jr. Shamrocks stayed close to home, drafting 4 promising players from the Saanich organization and another hopeful from Comox.
Team GM Rod Wood had his eyes on a couple of players and was able to grab one of those with the 6th pick overall when he chose Nic Preston from Saanich. Preston is thought by many to be the best pick on the Island. Also from Saanich, Zac Christianson was chosen in the second round. Christianson is considered one of the top defenders on the island and is mobile and athletic. Wood did some wheeling and dealing throughout the draft to obtain additional draft picks in 2014 so his next pick came in Round 4 when he took Daniel Smith. You guessed it, Smith comes out of Saanich and is a tenacious two-way player. Round 5 got the Shamrocks Liam Reid from Comox, a goaltender who showed very well in the recently-conducted midget camp. Wood closed out the draft with another good all-round player who will fit in where needed, that being Devon Wicks from Saanich.
As most fans are aware, the drafted players are a couple of years away from junior age but the presiding thought is that they will hone their skills in the intermediate league until such time as they are required and able to fit in. Congratulations to all the draftees.
The Jr. Shamrocks are also able to announce there will be at least one exhibition game before the start of the season. A game is being organized which will see the Nanaimo Jr. Timbermen and the Jr. Shamrocks oppose each other at the Fuller Lake Arena on Wednesday, April 17. More details will be posted as they become available.
January 15, 2013
Queens Diamond Jubilee Awards
The Jr Shamrocks are proud to announce their very own, Ron McQuarrie was one of 55 members of the Canadian Lacrosse community to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal. See an excerpt from the official press release below.
"Today, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is pleased to announce that fifty-five (55) members of the lacrosse community have joined a very exclusive club amongst Commonwealth countries as they are recipients of a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal. This commemorative medal is a tangible and lasting way to pay tribute to those Canadians whose achievements have benefited their fellow citizens, their community, their organization and the country. It provides an opportunity to look back and recognize those who have made lacrosse what it is today.
These fifty-five individuals represent the backbone of Canadian lacrosse; they are the volunteers, the builders of our sport, administrators, coaches, and players. They give tirelessly to the sport they are so passionate about and as such the CLA is thrilled to have the opportunity to honour each of them".
Our congratulations and thank you to Ron McQuarrie for all his years of service to the game of lacrosse.
Here is a link to the entire article.
http://www.ilindoor.com/2012/12/18/55-canadian-lacrosse-legends-receive-queens-diamond-jubilee-medal/
August 23, 2012
League Awards/Coaching Announcement
by Janice Huckin
The Jr. Shamrocks will have a new head coach for the 2013 season. Team GM Rod Wood recently made the following announcement re: the stepping down of Larry Smeltzer after one year at the helm:
When Larry Smeltzer agreed to be Head Coach of the Junior Shamrocks last year he told us that it was for one year and he would re-evaluate things after that. Larry originally came on board to work with our goaltenders with the mandate to re-integrate the goalie back into the game as part of the defense and the offense as he has observed that it has become a lost art. With the success shown this past year he would like to concentrate on this aspect with both of our teams, The Junior and Intermediate Shamrocks, especially emphasizing the Junior Program.
With this in mind Larry has decided to step down as Head Coach and strongly suggested that his Assistant Head Coach, Nirmal Dillon, be his replacement. It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Nirmal Dillon to the Head Coach position of the Victoria Junior Shamrocks effective immediately. Nirmal, a lacrosse hall of famer, was the last coach to win the Minto Cup in Victoria and I am confident that a team lead by Nirmal can bring it back again.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Larry for all his hard work in the past year as Head Coach and look forward to having him, full time, working in his new role.
************************************
In other news, the B.C. Jr. A Lacrosse League recently announced its all star teams and league award winners. A few of our Jr. Shamrocks made those lists as follows:
Forward Brody Eastwood was selected to the first all star team and graduating player Adam Brown made the second all star team. Adam and Brody finished 1-2 in team scoring in 2012.
Goaltender Cody Hagedorn was named the winner of the Outstanding Accomplishment Award. Hagedorn was an instrumental part of the Shamrocks’ offense, piling up 20 points, something that has not been accomplished by a goaltender for at least 8 years.
Congratulations to Brody, Adam and Cody