After a huge come from behind effort in game three, the Victoria Shamrocks look to hold a 3-1 series strangle tonight when they face the Six Nations Chiefs in game four of the Mann Cup at the Iroquois Lacrosse Park tonight. Just like game one and two the Chiefs opened the scoring in game three, but to credit the Shamrocks they didn’t let it discourage them at all by fighting and clawing their way back.
The Shamrocks finally slowed down Craig Point and held him to a single point after being all over the score sheet in the first two games and with Johnny Powless drawing into the lineup for the Chiefs the Shamrocks definitely had their hands full on defense.
If the Shamrocks expect to take this series over, players like Rhys Duch and Scott Ranger need to play like they did last night. Late in the third with the Shamrocks down, Ranger and Duch seemed to take over and make the difference, but with the depth of skill on the Rocks bench they can’t rely on just two players.
When you have guys like Dhane Smith and Corey Small who can move the ball around and make a defenseman think twice about over committing, and this Chiefs team who is loaded with talent and huge bodies on the back end, need to be spread out and kept on their heels or it’s simple turn overs and a quick transition game that the Shamrocks don’t want to try and compete with.
On the Chiefs side of the ball, they did everything they were supposed to in order of winning a lacrosse game but just didn’t come out on top.
Johnny Powless and Cody Jamieson fed off one another last night as they do in Rochester in the NLL and that experience showed as they moved the ball with ease and Jamieson did exactly what he does on a regular basis and that is put up points.
Finishing the game with a blazing 7 points (3G,4A) I don’t think the Shamrocks will be able to totally shut him down but they need to limit his time with the ball and make life tough, but, to his help Cody has the likes of Colin Doyle and Jesse Gamble to move the pressure off him and as long as Brandon Miller keeps seeing the ball the way he is with the tough defense in front of him there’s no reason the Chiefs can’t tie this series and make game four another barn burner!
