The lacrosse season officially kicked off for Thompson Okanagan Senior (TOSLL) clubs on Friday, April 12, with the Armstrong Shamrocks and Vernon Tigers facing off against one another.
Both teams were bringing back a slew of experienced players, including the Shamrocks Owen Barker, who recently played in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) with the Vancouver Warriors.
The Tigers, meanwhile, welcomed back goaltender Brodie MacDonald, whose career in the NLL and Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) spanned several seasons.
Hosted at Armstrong’s Nor-Val Arena, in front of 350 fans, the Shamrocks would score three times in the opening period, twice from Logan Strohm and one from captain Steve Clark. Grizzled veteran Darcy Rhodes got the Tigers on the board on the power play, as the Tigers trailed 3-1 heading into the second.
Six goals were rung up in the frame, as Armstrong would add to their lead, 7-3, leading into the final period.
The Tigers would come out flying early, netting one to get back to a three goal deficit, but the offensive prowess of the Shamrocks proved to be too much. A hat trick from Armstrong’s Owen Barker helped pace the hometown team to a 11-5 victory.
“It was great to play an opening night game against Vernon that was fast paced, physical and competitive,” said Shamrocks assistant captain Cam Nelson.
The Shamrocks dominated in shots, firing 77 on net, to just 33 from Vernon. Strohm had a five point night (two goals, three assists), while Barker backed up his hat trick with three helpers. Five different goal scorers contributed for Vernon.
“Its great to see more parity in our league and great to compete in that environment,” added Shamrocks captain Clark. “It should be a great season if that’s any indication of what we can expect.”
Armstrong will be back home again, on Friday, April 19, to battle the Kelowna Raiders, which is a rematch of last year’s final. Also on Friday, the Tigers will be in Kamloops to tango with the Rattlers.
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