Defence led by six-foot-four, 220-pound American defender Elijah Gash, son of 12-season NFL fullback Sam Gash
It wasn’t the Victoria Royals and Vancouver Giants — even though they played a lacrosse game Wednesday night at the Langley Events Centre and a hockey score ensued.
Nothing encapsulated the Victoria Shamrocks’ season to date — a staunch defence covering for an underachieving offence — more than the 6-3 Western Lacrosse Association victory over the Langley Thunder.
“I love our commitment to and toughness on defence,” said Shamrocks head coach Mike Simpson.
“It is strong and difficult to penetrate. It is also very athletic. It is a big group that can really move around.”
It is led by six-foot-four, 220-pound American defender Elijah Gash, the son of 12-season NFL fullback Sam Gash, a two-time Pro Bowler who won the Super Bowl in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens.
The younger Gash played field lacrosse in NCAA Division 1 for the University of Albany Great Danes. The 25-year-old native of South Lyon, Michigan, plays pro in the National Lacrosse League for the Toronto Rock. He has quickly found his way around WLA floors with the Shamrocks and has stopped opposition forwards cold with his brick-wall defence while contributing four goals and seven points going the other way.
Gash’s presence has been invaluable this season for Victoria, although he does have a WLA-leading 41 penalty minutes. Those are a result of circumstance, say the Shamrocks.
“Elijah is the victim of his size and strength,” said Simpson.
“He is the biggest and strongest guy on the floor and they are watching for him, and Elijah is aware of that. But it’s not a crime to be big and strong and fast. Elijah leads our defence and we don’t want him to change.”
When shots do get through the Victoria defence, the goaltending has been there to stop them, with Chris Origlieri leading the WLA in both goals-against average at 6.25 per game and save percentage of .863. Origlieri, who plays pro in the NLL for the San Diego Seals, was named the first star of the game Wednesday in Langley for his 41 saves on 44 Thunder shots.
The Victoria offence remains a mystery, however, averaging 8.9 goals per game, low for lacrosse. This is not a sport in which you win too many games by scoring only six goals, which the Shamrocks managed to do in Langley thanks to the defence and Origlieri’s goaltending.
“We are aiming for 10 goals a game at least. But we’ve had some injuries on offence and that is showing,” said Simpson.
“It is not a finished product.”
Zach Manns scored twice for the Shamrocks in Langley while Patrick Dodds, Chris Wardle, Kyle Pepper and Nick Preston scored the other Victoria goals. Claremont Secondary grad Jesse King, the veteran NLL pro and former NCAA Big Ten star out of the Ohio State Buckeyes, had four assists for the ’Rocks.
The Shamrocks (10-2-1 in wins-losses-ties) meet Langley (5-8) in the back end of the home-and-home set on Friday night at The Q Centre in Colwood.
The last-place Nanaimo Timbermen (2-12) are in Coquitlam on Saturday night to face the Adanacs (9-2-1 heading into their Thursday night game in New Westminster) before the T-Men return home to play the Maple Ridge Burrards (4-7-2) on Sunday night at Frank Crane Arena in the Harbour City.
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