CALGARY, AB — We’re well into the first round of the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) playoffs and two teams have taken commanding leads.
Both the Victoria Shamrocks and the Maple Ridge Burrards have taken a 3-1 series lead.
For Victoria, they opened the seven-game series with three consecutive wins over the Burnaby Lakers. Burnaby was able to stave off elimination in Game 4 with a 10-8 win on home turf.
This series has plenty of Calgary Roughnecks content.
The Shamrocks boast defenceman Tyler Burton, Greg Harnett, and Jon Harnett, as well as forward Jeff Shattler. The Lakers, meanwhile, have only two with defenceman Peter McFetridge and forward Tyler Digby.
Shatter has been a big factor offensively for Victoria, netting three goals and nine assists in four games. Burton has four assists in the series to go along with being the second star in the opening game. Greg Harnett matched Burton’s second star by scoring his only two goals of the series in Game 3. Jon Harnett has only suited up in three games as he was suspended for Game 2 of the series after racking up 17 penalty minutes in Game 1.
Digby matched Shattler’s 12 points with four goals and eight assists, while adding four penalty minutes. The big righty has been very consistent through four games, registering at least two points in each contest. McFetridge was quite a bit more quiet with regards to the scoresheet. He was scoreless in the first three games, but he tallied a big goal midway through Burnaby’s lone win.
On the other side of the bracket, the Burrards won the first two games of the series before falling to the Salmonbellies in Game 3. Maple Ridge responded in Game 4 with a tight 10-9 win over New West.
One player who has gotten better as the playoffs has gone on is Brandon Goodwin. The lefty put up only a single assist in the first two games, but followed that up with a two goal, one assist performance that earned him the second star for Game 3. He outdid himself once again in Game 4, scoring a single goal, and getting the apple on four more.
In between the pipes for the Burrards, Frankie Scigliano has been fantastic. He’s faced a barrage of shots in each game and hascome up with big save after big save. In total, he’s faced 195 shots in four games and made 162 saves, good for a .830 save percentage. The young netminder has his team one win away from completing the upset over the Salmonbellies.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Maple Ridge Burrards vs. New Westminster Salmonbellies — Aug. 17
Burnaby Lakers vs. Victoria Shamrocks — Aug. 17
Victoria Shamrocks vs. Burnaby Lakers — Aug. 19 **If Needed
New Westminster Salmonbellies vs. Maple Ridge Burrards — Aug. 20 **If Needed
Burnaby Lakers vs. Victoria Shamrocks — Aug. 21 **If Needed
Maple Ridge Burrards vs. New Westminster Salmonbellies — Aug. 22 **If Needed
