Victoria Shamrocks Lacrosse

The Victoria Shamrocks are our hometown Senior A box lacrosse team. Established in 1950, the team has seen tremendous success, winning 20 Provincial Championships and the Mann Cup, which is the Canadian National Championship 9 times. In the past decade or so, they have been fielding strong teams every year and seem to be perennial favourites to win – or at least compete for – the Mann Cup.

The Victoria Shamrocks play home games at the Q Centre located at the Westshore Parks and Recreation complex.

The 25-player roster consists of 2 goalies and 23 runners and with a name like Shamrocks, they predictably wear a green and white uniform.

When the team was formed in 1950, they were known as the Shamrocks but with a Pay Less Gas sponsorship between 1982 and 1994, they changed their name and went by the Victoria Pay Less.

Thank goodness that ended, because they went back to their original name in 1995 and hopefully won’t get any ideas of changing names again!

Basics of Box Lacrosse

The field of play is called a box and is frequently an ice hockey arena that has had ice removed for the summer. The Shamrocks play at the arena where the Victoria Grizzlies hockey team plays in the winter. Some teams may play at an outdoor “cage”. Field lacrosse is a different game played on grass.

The game is played with a stick with a small net on one end and a rubber ball (the ball is very hard – at least two went through the window when my brother practiced against the side of our house growing up)

Like hockey, the game is played with 6 players per side – one goalie and 5 runners

A game is three 20-minute periods

Players must wear some protective equipment, including a sport-specific lacrosse helmet with face mask

The object is to score on the opponent by throwing the ball into the opposing teams net; there are specific rules regarding how quickly a shot must be taken and how quickly the team must leave their defensive end

There are no offsides which makes it a fast-flowing game

Score the most points and you win; tie games go to overtime

Most people recognize that ice hockey is Canada’s national winter sport but did you know what our national summer sport is? It’s lacrosse! If you are visiting Victoria between May and July and enjoy thrilling, live action sports entertainment, then check out the Victoria Shamrocks schedule and head down to the Q Centre.