The Victoria Shamrocks are a Senior A
box lacrosse
Box lacrosse, also known as boxla, box, or indoor lacrosse, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in the 1930s in Canada, where it is more popular than field lacrosse. Lacrosse is Canada's officia ...
team, based in
Victoria,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. The team competes in the 7-team
Western Lacrosse Association
The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) is a men's Senior A box lacrosse league with seven teams in British Columbia. The playoff championship team each season advances to the play against the Major Series Lacrosse champions for the Mann Cup. The ...
(WLA).
The Shamrocks entered the former Inter-City Lacrosse League, which is now the WLA, in 1950. The team became known as the Victoria Pay Less in 1982 to reflect a major sponsorship by Pay Less Gas. The team readopted the Shamrocks name in 1995.
The Shamrocks have won the
Mann Cup
The Mann Cup is the trophy awarded to the senior men's box lacrosse champions of Canada. The championship is a best-of-seven, East vs West series played between the league champions of Major Series Lacrosse, the East, and Western Lacrosse Associat ...
Canadian National Championship a total of 9 times; in 1955, 1957, 1979, 1983, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2015. They have won a total of 21 Provincial Championships.
Some of the greatest
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...
players in the world have been proud to wear the green and white, including
Jack Bionda, Rick Brown, Archie Browning, Fred "Whitey" Severson, Geordie Johnston, "Bobby" Monaghan, Kevin Alexander, both
Paul
Paul may refer to:
People
* Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people
* Paul (surname), a list of people
* Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament
* Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
and
Gary Gait, and
John Tavares. The Shamrocks home arena features a "Wall of Fame" where many great players, coaches, trainers and managers who have been part of the team are enshrined.
On September 16, 2005, the Victoria Shamrocks won their 8th Mann Cup, defeating the Peterborough Lakers 4 games to 2 in a classic, hard-fought series. Shamrocks' goaltender
Anthony Cosmo was awarded the
Mike Kelley Memorial Trophy as the series Most Valuable Player.
Almost 10 years later, on September 11, 2015, the Victoria Shamrocks won their 9th Mann Cup, once again defeating the Peterborough Lakers 4 games to 2 in another hard-fought series. Shamrocks' forward
Corey Small was awarded the
Mike Kelley Memorial Trophy as the series Most Valuable Player.
Current RosterCurrent WLA Scores and Stats
All-time record
External links
Victoria Shamrocks Official WebsiteKevin Light's Photos of Home GamesGary Woodburn's Photos of Home GamesWestern Lacrosse Association WebsiteVictoria Junior "A" ShamrocksVictoria Intermediate "A" Shamrocks
{{British Columbia Sports
Shamrocks
Western Lacrosse Association teams
Lacrosse clubs established in 1950
1950 establishments in British Columbia