MVP a year ago, former Western Lacrosse Association Senior A roadrunner Brett Hawrys appears poised to fire up the Armstrong Shamrocks again this season.
Hawrys pulled the hat trick and counted two helpers as the Shamrocks stuffed the host Kamloops Rattlers 12-5 in a warm Memorial Arena Sunday night.
There is no actual Okanagan Senior C League this year so the Irish and Rattlers will play a six-game, total-goal series to determine the Shaw Cup winner. The teams meet Friday night at Nor-Val Sports Centre in Armstrong. The provincials go in early August in Maple Ridge.
Kyle Versteeg clicked first for the Shamrocks on the power play, zipping a top-cheese marker from the left shooter position. Returning sniper Steve McIlwrath scored his first of two on the night by gobbling up a juicy rebound before making five fakes in the crease before dunking the ball over the top of goalie Scott Helton.
Steve Clark, another ex-WLA product, ripped a low shot from around a screen to make it 4-0 after 20 minutes.
The Rocks started strong in the second period with Hawrys notching his first of three straight goals by beating his check one-on-one and then using a dangler move. Hawrys converted again after some impressive ball movement had the Rattlers’ defence spinning around to give Hawrys the open shot with time to pick a sweet spot.
Mike Henry supplied the Rattlers’ first snipe on a delayed penalty with an extra attacker but Hawrys answered right back on a three-on-one, using two righties as a decoy and burying a howitzer.
Armstrong’s Craig Bigsby scored his first of two on a four-on-three power play to make it 8-1.
Recently returned Shamrock phenom Logan Strohm then took a turn to shine, finessing a low sub-shot, five-hole and then slashing across the crease and ripping a shot past Helton for a 10-1 Irish lead after two periods.
The Rattlers took advantage of some uninspired efforts by the Shamrocks in the third period and rang up four unanswered goals from JJ Woldum (2), Henry and Victor Rowe.
Bigsby rolled out of the corner and blasted a shot far side, while veteran Jamie MacGregor went five-hole on the power play to complete the Armstrong attack in front of veteran goalie Chad Pieper, who had a tryout with the NLL Philadelphia Wings a few years ago.
The big, fast and athletic play of the Shamrocks’ defence limited the Kamloops shooters to bad-angle shots and nearly every loose ball battle was won by the green and gold.
Cameron Nelson played a strong physical game and tried valiantly on four breakaway attempts to score only to be turned away by Helton’s belly pad. Carston Schlaak and Brennan Plante literally planted Rattlers’ sniper AJ Lockwood lifting him into the air in front of Pieper as he cut to the net and firmly rode him to the concrete.
Brandon Northcott and Clayton Schlaak teamed up to hunt Kamloops captain Mark Jurista and introduced him unceremoniously to the end boards while the Rattlers tried to rag the ball.
Ryan Emery of the Rattlers and Jamie Cockerill of the Shamrocks engaged in a third-period scrap.
“Austin Lewarne was his typical spider monkey defensive self, smothering and frustrating the Rattlers’ attackers all evening,” said Shamrocks’ coach/GM Ryan Nitchie. “This team can dominate in all three aspects of the game and we showed that tonight for two periods. But I don’t want us to develop bad habits. We need to play a full 60-minute game from start to finish and I’m certain we will at home Friday.”
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