The Hammers took on Peterborough over two legs at the weekend and came away with an eight-point aggregate victory to earn a shot against Comets, who reached the final by beating Scunthorpe.
Team manager Tony Jackson said: "We weren’t particularly bothered who we got really, they’re still there to be beaten.
"I think the lads showed on Saturday that they can overcome anything.
"The riders are probably happy that Lakeside race at Rye House now because a lot of our lads didn’t like their track, so that probably takes a way a bit of their advantage and helps us out a bit.
"As we saw at the weekend, it’s all on the day and anything can happen."
Lakeside led by 10 points going into the Shield second leg and held the Panthers to a 46-44 win to progress with former Comet Richard Lawson, from Maryport, scoring 12 points and a bonus as he won three races to help his side through.
Lakeside boss Will Pottinger said: "We put ourselves in a good position on Saturday night by getting a double-figure lead but we treated the second leg as 0-0 from the start.
"I know it’s a cliché but we wanted to try to win on the night. We fell just short of that in the end but we got the job done overall, so we’re more than happy.
"We know we can do well here, so it gives us a good chance of doing well again next week, which is the crucial one in the play-offs – but the Shield is a final we’re now in, and we’re pleased to be there."
Dates for the two legs are still to be confirmed.
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