The Victoria Shamrocks picked up a key win, defeating the Coquitlam Adanacs 12-8 on Friday night in WLA action.
Leading 6-5 after the first period, the Shamrocks used a dominant second period to pull away from the Adanacs.
Zach Manns led Victoria with a hat trick and two assists, while Marshal King had a goal and four assists. Luke Pilcher and Patrick Dodds each finished with two goals and two assists, and Mathieu Gautier added a pair of goals.
Between the pipes, Chris Origlieri stopped 41 of 49 shots for the win.
For Coquitlam, David Charney had two goals and three assists, while Adam Noakes recorded two goals and two assists. Jalen Chaster finished with a hat trick and one assist for the Adanacs.
Christian Del Bianco got the start in goal and stopped 35 of 47 shots in the loss.
It was a key win for the Shamrocks as they moved two games ahead of the Maple Ridge Burrards for first place with a 13-2 record. Meanwhile, the Adanacs lost ground, falling to 8-6. They remain in third place, one game ahead of the Nanaimo Timbermen with a game in hand.
First Period
The game went back and forth right from the opening faceoff.
Noakes gave Coquitlam the lead just 25 seconds into the contest, but Elijah Gash and Gautier responded with back-to-back goals to put Victoria ahead 2-1.
Neither team could build much momentum as the lead changed hands several times.
Chaster scored twice in the opening period for the Adanacs, while Noakes added his second of the game to give Coquitlam a 5-4 advantage late in the frame. Gautier and Dodds scored for Victoria.
Victoria answered immediately. Manns tied the game just 30 seconds after Chaster’s power-play goal before adding another power-play marker with 24 seconds remaining to send the Shamrocks into the first intermission with a 6-5 lead.
Second Period
Victoria took control in the middle frame with five goals.
King extended the lead before Carter Cook briefly pulled the Adanacs within one at 7-6.
From there, the Shamrocks took over. Pilcher restored the two-goal cushion before Manns completed his hat trick. Dodds struck just 23 seconds later to stretch the lead to 10-6.
Frustration started to set in for Coquitlam at the 17:07 mark. Del Bianco took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and tempers flared. Coquitlam’s Remo Schenato and Victoria’s Ari Stevens dropped the gloves, with both players receiving fighting majors.
Victoria capitalized shortly after the fight, with Pilcher scoring on the power play at 18:10 to make it 11-6.
Charney answered for the Adanacs just 18 seconds later, but the Shamrocks still carried a comfortable 11-7 lead into the final period.
Third Period
The Adanacs attempted to rally in the third.
Charney scored his second of the game on the power play to cut the deficit to three, but that was as close as Coquitlam would get.
Eli McLaughlin answered with a power-play goal at the 11:49 mark to restore the four-goal margin and cap the scoring as the Shamrocks picked up a key win, 12-8 over the Adanacs.
Top Scorers
Victoria Shamrocks
- Zach Manns, 3g 2a
- Marshal King, 1g 4a
- Luke Pilcher, 2g 2a
- Patrick Dodds, 2g 2a
Coquitlam Adanacs
- David Charney, 2g 3a
- Adam Noakes, 2g 2a
- Jalen Chaster, 3g 1a
Three Stars
- Mathieu Gautier, Victoria Shamrocks
- Zach Manns, Victoria Shamrocks
- David Charney, Coquitlam Adanacs
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