The Victoria Shamrocks box lacrosse team beat the Langley Thunder on Sunday, July 28, breaking a 59-year-old Western Lacrosse League (WLA) record by winning their 17th game in a row.
More than 2,000 fans watched the Shamrocks beat the consecutive wins record at the Q Centre in Langford.
Despite goals from Victoria forwards Marshall King and Casey Wilson in the first period, Langley managed to tie the game before the intermission.
The goal-laden second period ended with Victoria in the lead by two points.
Langley scored once in the third period, but Victoria managed to stave off their opponent's last-ditch attempts to tie the game.
With just two minutes left in the game, Shamrocks defenceman Trent DiCiccio cranked the ball into Langley’s open net. The final score was 10-8.
Victoria's head coach Mike Simpson said the players have never focused on the team's win streak.
“We talk about each individual game and details and effort-level," he said. “We’ve never discussed a streak in any way in the dressing room."
Instead, the team has been hyper-focused on winning the Mann Cup – a trophy presented to the winning team of the Canadian box lacrosse playoffs.
On Thursday, Aug. 1, Victoria will battle the New Westminster Salmonbellies in their final match of the regular season. The Shamrocks will then progress to the finals, along with three of the seven other WLA teams.
Simpson said that Victoria's deep roster has helped it get as far as it has.
“When we have injuries or guys that are away, we fill their spots with very capable players,” he said. “We don’t really have one player who is way ahead of everybody else in terms of points – we’re very balanced.”
Simpson thinks the Ontario-based Six Nations Chiefs, which won the Cup home last year, are the team to beat in the finals, and he is hopeful that Victoria can do just that.
“I think that we have a great opportunity in front of us," he said.
