Dakota Grismmer-Voght of the Kamloops Venom collects a pass in front of the Vernon Tigers net. Allen Douglas/KTW
Despite being cheered on by a large home crowd in hot and smelly Memorial Arena on Thursday night, the Kamloops Venom could not hoist the Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League trophy in Game 4 of the playoff final.
Entering the game with a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five championship series, Kamloops watched the visiting Vernon Tigers break a 6-6 tie in the third period and coast to a 13-6 victory to even the series and force a fifth and deciding game in the North Okanagan city.
Jerome Thorne had a hat trick for the Venom, while goaltender Mitch Horseman was injured in the third period when he took a hard shot to the mask. The bullet of a shot felled Horseman, who had to be tended to. The netminder was wobbly for the remainder of the period.
Game 5 will be played at Vernon’s Kal Tire Centre on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Each team has won once and lost once at home in the series.
Kamloops took a 1-0 lead with a 16-12 win in Vernon. The Venom extended that lead to 2-0 with a 17-10 victory at home. The Tigers took the next two games — 13-9 in Vernon and 13-6 in Kamloops.
The winner of Monday’s game will capture the league championship and advance to the B.C. Junior B Lacrosse Championship in Victoria, which runs from July 31 to Aug. 2.
The TOJLL champion will join the West Coast Junior Lacrosse League champions (Coquitlam is playing New Westminster in that league’s final) and two Vancouver Island teams — West Shore and Saanich.
The provincial champion will advance to the Founders Cup, the Canadian junior B lacrosse championship, which will be held in Calgary from Aug. 17 to Aug. 23.
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