Chris Origlieri was spectacular, stopping 50 shots as the Victoria Shamrocks defeated the New Westminster Salmonbellies 6-1 to wrap up the WLA regular season on Thursday night.
New Westminster outshot Victoria 51-39 but couldn’t find an answer for Origlieri. Ashton Leclair also had a strong night in goal for the Salmonbellies, stopping 33 of 39 shots.
Victoria now heads into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed with a record of 16-2 and will face the 8-10 Nanaimo Timbermen in the first round.
On Thursday night, the Shamrocks were led by Zach Manns with a goal and two assists. Kyle Pepper and Luke Pilcher each had a goal and an assist, while Cole Pickup added two assists.
The lone goal scorer for New Westminster was Conner Cook, with Ben Soenen picking up the assist.
First Period
Victoria seized control midway through the opening period with three goals in less than three minutes.
Koen Block opened the scoring at 8:42 off a feed from Pickup before Manns doubled the lead just 43 seconds later.
Brodie Wade capped the onslaught at 11:17 to send the Shamrocks into the first intermission with a commanding 3-0 lead.
Despite trailing by three, the Salmonbellies held a 16-14 edge in shots, but Origlieri turned aside every chance he faced.
Second Period
The Shamrocks picked up where they left off, with Pepper scoring just 28 seconds into the second period off a feed from Manns.
Pilcher added another at 7:41, finishing off a setup from Pickup and Mathieu Gautier to stretch Victoria’s lead to 5-0.
New Westminster continued to generate opportunities, firing 17 shots on goal in the period, but Origlieri remained perfect through 40 minutes.
Third Period
The Salmonbellies spoiled Origlieri’s shutout bid at 7:31 of the third period when Cook scored a shorthanded goal off assists from Soenen and Leclair.
Victoria answered later on the power play as Patrick Dodds scored at 14:05, with Manns and Pilcher picking up the assists to restore the five-goal cushion and cap the scoring.
The Shamrocks finished the night being outshot 51-39, but thanks largely to Chris Origlieri’s stellar play between the pipes, they secured the 6-1 victory.
Top Scorers
Victoria Shamrocks
- Zach Manns, 1g 2a
- Kyle Pepper, 1g 1a
- Luke Pilcher, 1g 1a
- Cole Pickup, 2a
New Westminster Salmonbellies
- Conner Cook, 1g
- Ben Soenen, 1a
- Ashton Leclair, 1a
Three Stars
- Chris Origlieri, Victoria Shamrocks
- Ashton Leclair, New Westminster Salmonbellies
- Zach Manns, Victoria Shamrocks
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