Armstrong Shamrocks beat Vernon Tigers 9-5 in junior lacrosse exhibition play

The ice has officially broken at Armstrong’s Nor-Val Sports Centre, and no more ice at the rink means it’s time for lacrosse season.

The Armstrong Shamrocks are off to a strong start at the Archie Jack Memorial Icebreaker, an exhibition tournament to start the 2022 season of the Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League (TOJLL).

Each of the league’s five teams play a pair of games Saturday, April 23, in the first league action since 2019 due to the pandemic.

The Shamrocks opened the tournament with a 9-5 win over the Vernon Tigers. Armstrong’s Jorge Johnny Hall was the game’s top scorer with four goals and an assist. His teammate Ethan Campbell added a goal and two assists. On the Vernon side, Jacob Brewer notched two goals and an assist while Kael Black scored a goal and an assist.

It was a physical affair with Armstrong and Vernon service 18 and 19 penalty minutes respectively.

The Shamrocks play the South Okanagan Flames at noon, while Vernon will face the Kamloops Venom at 1:30 p.m.

This morning, the Venom defeated the Kelowna Kodiaks by a final score of 5-3.

When the regular season starts, the South Okanagan takes on Vernon April 29 at 7 p.m., Kelowna plays Kamloops April 30 at 6:30 p.m. and Armstrong faces Vernon April 30 at 7 p.m.