Andrew Kew Scores Five as Shamrocks Down Timbermen

Shawn Slaght

I've been a professional journalist since 2005 and I've covered sports across Saskatchewan and Alberta including World Cup Alpine Skiing, national and world curling championships and junior hockey. I've been cover lacrosse and the Saskatchewan Rush since 2017.

Andrew Kew had five goals and six points as the Victoria Shamrocks held on for an 11-9 win over the Nanaimo Timbermen on Wednesday night.

The win puts Victoria (9-1-1) three points clear of the Coquitlam Adanacs (8-2-1) for first place in the WLA standings. It also gives the Shamrocks the season series over Nanaimo, winning all three matchups.

Jesse King also had a six-point night for Victoria with a goal and five assists, while Alex Simmons chipped in with a goal and four assists. Cam Dunkerley got the start in goal and stopped 40 of 49 shots in the win.

The Timbermen remain in seventh place in the WLA standings at 1-11, sitting two points back of the Burnaby Lakers for sixth.

Colton Lidstone and Luke Pilcher each had a hat trick and two assists for Nanaimo, while Ryan Sheridan added two goals and two assists. Devlin Shanahan faced a heavy workload, stopping 56 of 66 shots in the loss.

Timbermen Keep It Close in the First

The Timbermen stayed within striking distance in the first period, trailing by just one goal after 20 minutes.

Zach Manns opened the scoring 3:34 into the game, followed by Kew on the power play at 6:18 to give Victoria a 2-0 lead.

Lidstone cut the lead to one at 7:41, but Mathieu Gautier replied at 8:53 to make it 3-1.

Pilcher scored on the power play with 7:04 left as the first period ended with Victoria ahead 3-2.

Nanaimo Tries to Keep Pace

Victoria struck early in the second, with Kew scoring three straight goals in a 6:26 span to make it 6-2.

The Timbermen responded with three in a row of their own. Sheridan scored at 9:09, Lidstone added a shorthanded marker at 12:02, and Pilcher converted on the power play at 13:18 to make it a one-goal game.

Kew scored his fourth of the period at 14:15, but Noah Manning answered 44 seconds later to bring the score to 7-6 heading into the third.

Comeback Falls Short

Nanaimo continued to battle in the third but couldn’t find the tying goal.

Simmons scored just one minute into the period to put Victoria ahead by two.

Lidstone cut the deficit to one at 6:25, but King answered 26 seconds later to make it 9-7. Gautier then scored off a feed from Kew at 7:07 to extend the lead to 10-7.

The Timbermen refused to go away, with Pilcher scoring at 14:25 and Sheridan adding an unassisted goal with 3:41 remaining to make it 10-9.

Nanaimo pulled Shanahan for the extra attacker in the final minute, but Nick Preston sealed the win with an empty-netter with 22 seconds left.