The Victoria Junior ‘A’ Shamrocks will have a chance later this month to compete for the Minto Cup, awarded to the best junior lacrosse teams in Canada.
The team booked their tickets to the tournament in Brampton from Aug. 22 to 29, after beating the Langley Thunder 11-8 Saturday in Game 6 for their fourth and final victory in the BC Junior A Lacrosse League finals.
Patrick Dodds scored four goals and added two assists in the victory while Mitch Sandberg scored twice with three assists. Brayden Laity and Shane Halliwell each had a goal and an assist with singles coming from Cameron Lumb, Jordan Neary and Finn Halladay.
Victoria’s Adam Bland saved 37 of the 45 shots, as he helped the Shamrocks stay in the game during its early phase, which the hosts had dominated. The Shamrocks turned a 3-1 deficit into an 8-6 lead after two periods before clinching their victory in the third period.
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The Minto Cup bears the name of Lord Minto, Canada’s governor-general from 1898 to 1904. First awarded in 1901, it became the top title for junior lacrosse in Canada in 1937. The Shamrocks will be competing against the Junior A provincial champions of Alberta (RMLL) and Ontario (OJLL) as well as the host team.
This year’s competition is the first held since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victoria hosted the last pre-COVID-19 tournament with the Junior A Shamrocks losing in the finals against the Orangeville Northmen.
Saturday’s victory by the Junior A Shamrocks comes as the Victoria Shamrocks are preparing for their Game 6 showdown Sunday afternoon against the Langley Thunder in the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) playoff action. The Shamrocks lost Game 5 10-8 as the Thunder took a 3-2 series lead. Game time is 5 p.m. at The Q Centre.
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