Adanacs Sweep ‘Rocks

The Victoria Shamrocks headed to the Coquitlam Sports Centre down 2-0 in the best of 5 to the Adanacs hoping to stay alive with a win this afternoon.

The Shamrocks got off to a rough start as Adanacs’ Jean-Luc Chetner scored 16 seconds into the first period to make it 1-0. Michael Messenger of the Adanacs received four minutes for checking from behind at 1:56, which gave the Shamrocks a great opportunity to even the score and maybe get ahead. Unfortunately for the Shamrocks, the Adanacs had the ball most of the time, as the Shamrocks couldn’t keep control.

Adanacs’ Chase McIntyre made it 2-0 at 7:00 and the Adanacs looked to make it 3-0 when Shamrocks’ Chris Kasper and Brock Thompson-Marshall had to take a seat in the penalty box for high sticking and slashing, 24 seconds apart. Shamrocks’ goaltender Charles Claxton made a few of his 18 saves of the period on that penalty kill and kept the score 2-0.

Adanacs’ Cole Shafer got a disallowed goal at 11:16 as McIntyre got called for cross checking, but Shafer got his goal back at 13:30 to make it 3-0. Eli McLaughlin received a two-minute penalty for cross checking after the goal, but it didn’t stop Chetner in scoring his second of the game shorthanded, which forced the Shamrocks to call a timeout.

The Shamrocks got their game plan sorted out during the timeout as Jake Cullen scored on the power play at 14:59 to get the ‘Rocks on the board.

The Adanacs increased their lead at 18:11 when McIntyre netted his second of the game on the power play and then Taylor Stuart scored with 20 seconds left in the period to give the Adanacs a 6-1 lead at the end of the first period.

The second period saw more life from the Shamrocks, as the Adanacs seemed to have taken a back seat for the period.

Cullen notched his second of the game early into the period, but Adanacs’ James Rahe got the goal back for the Adanacs to make it 7-2. It became 7-3 shortly after when Shamrocks’ Karver Everson scored at 4:09.

The Adanacs started to get into a bit of penalty trouble as Challen Rogers got called for slashing at 4:58 and Andy Taylor got a holding call at 6:01, but the Shamrocks still could not generate any scoring chances on the power play, that is until the third try. Erik Klein took a seat in the penalty box for 7 seconds as Matt Hamilton scored to make it 7-4. Just over 40 seconds later, Cullen got his hat trick to cut the Adanacs lead to 2.

Claxton made 14 saves in the second period, but he couldn’t stop Chetner’s shot at 18:56 as the Adanacs led 8-5 heading into the third period.

Just like the other two games of this series, the Adanacs completely controlled the third period, but it was a period to forget for Adanacs goaltender Pete Dubenski as he allowed 4 goals and made 6 saves. Eli McLaughlin and Ray Banister scored before the four-minute mark to put the Adanacs up 10-5.

Max Fredrickson of the ‘Rocks scored shortly after, but Adanacs’ Brett Hawrys stretched the Adanacs lead back to 5 and followed up with another goal at 9:34 on the power play to make it 12-6.

It was the end for goaltender Claxton when Shafer scored at 11:05, making way for Ryley Brown to finish the afternoon for the Shamrocks. Shafer evened up with Chetner in the goal scoring department as he got his hat trick at 16:16 to make it 14-6.

The Shamrocks’ power play decided to click near the end of the game as Fredrickson scored on a 5-on-3 and then McLean Chicquen scored less than a minute later, but it was too little too late.

McLaughlin added another goal along with Shamrocks’ Mason Pynn, but the Adanacs swept the Shamrocks 3-0 as they go on to win game 3 by a score of 15-9.

Three stars of the game
1. Coquitlam – Eli McLaughlin – 2 goals, 5 assists
2. Coquitlam – Chase McIntyre – 2 goals, 3 assists
3. Coquitlam – Cole Shafer – 3 goals, 2 assists

The Adanacs will now look to defend their title in a rematch of last year’s final as they take on the New Westminster Salmonbellies. This final will surely be just as exciting or more than last year’s final with the change to a best of 7 series as last year’s final was only a best of 5.