BCEHL PLAYOFF UPDATE - MARCH 17-19
For Immediate Release
March 15, 2023
Saanichton, B.C. - A big weekend is in store in the BCEHL! The Fraser Valley Thunderbirds and Okanagan Rockets take the ice in the U17 Championship, while a pair of semi-final matchups are slated in both the Female U18 and U18 leagues. Let's see what else is happening around the BCEHL!
Female U18 AAA
The semi-finals for the Female U18 playoffs are this weekend. After defeating the Northern Capitals two games to one in the best-of-three Survivor Series, the fifth-seeded Greater Vancouver Comets move on to face the first-seeded and defending Champion Fraser Valley Rush in a best-of-three series in Langley. In Game Three, Sadie Mulligan’s third period goal was the difference in a 3-2 win. Comets’ forward Rowan Brooke Hu found the back of the net in all three games, and totaled five points (3g-2a) during the series. The Rush finished the season with a record of 30-2-0-0 and were 8-0-0-0 versus the Comets. Fraser Valley was bolstered offensively by eight of the league’s top 10 scorers in Leah Barnard (26g-34a), Aynsley D’Ottavio (15g-39a), Vienna Rubin (19g-23a), Anna McKee (22g-14a), Hannah Dods (14g-19a), Erica Barnard (11g-22a), Solana Cooper (12g-19a) and Katherine Leroux (15g-10a). The Rush's goaltending tandem of Rebecca Noble and Clara Juca finished the regular season with a total of 28 goals allowed across a combined 28 starts.
The second-seeded Thompson-Okanagan Lakers and third-seeded Vancouver Island Seals meet in a best-of-three series in Vernon. The season series between the Lakers and Seals was split four games a piece. Vancouver Island claimed victories in the first four meetings, while Thompson-Okanagan were winners of the most recent four games. The Lakers finished the regular season on a high note, with victories in their final four games. During that span, the tandem of Chelsea West and Reese Sliskovic combined to allow a total of two goals. West, February’s Female U18 Player of the Month, was in net for three of the four victories, which included a shutout in a 3-0 victory against the Greater Vancouver Comets on February 25th. The Seals closed out their regular season against the Northern Capitals on March 4th and 5th. Grace Gonyer increased her goal total to 23 with a pair of goals in the regular season finale on March 5th, which trailed only Fraser Valley’s Leah Barnard, who finished the season with 26.
Playoff Format
March 10-12 (Survivor Series – Best-of-Three)
(4) Northern Capitals vs. (5) Greater Vancouver Comets
- The Greater Vancouver Comets advanced with a 2-1 series win
March 17-19 (Semi-Finals – Best-of-Three)
(1) Fraser Valley Rush hosting the (5) Greater Vancouver Comets
(2) Thompson-Okanagan Lakers hosting the (3) Vancouver Island Seals
March 24-26 (Championship – Best-of-Three)
Winner of the two semi-final series’, hosted by the highest remaining seed
Friday’s Female U18 Playoff Games
Game One – (3) Vancouver Island Seals @ (2) Thompson-Okanagan Lakers – 5:00 p.m. – Kal Tire Place
Game One – (5) Greater Vancouver Comets @ (1) Fraser Valley Rush – 6:00 p.m. – Langley Twin Rinks
Saturday’s Female U18 Playoff Games
Game Two – (1) Fraser Valley Rush @ (5) Greater Vancouver Comets – 12:45 p.m. – Langley Twin Rinks
Game Two – (2) Thompson-Okanagan Lakers @ Vancouver Island Seals – 1:30 p.m. – Kal Tire Place
Sunday’s Female U18 Playoff Games
Game Three (if necessary) – (5) Greater Vancouver Comets @ (1) Fraser Valley Rush – 8:45 a.m. – Langley Twin Rinks
Game Three (if necessary) – (3) Vancouver Island Seals @ (2) Thompson-Okanagan Lakers – 9:30 a.m. – Kal Tire Place
Watch All Female U18 Games Live Here
U18 AAA
The U18 league moves on to the semi-finals with a pair of best-of-three matchups. The top seeded Greater Vancouver Canadians and the sixth-seeded Valley West Giants take the ice in a three-game series. The Canadians were winners of all five meetings during their season series.
It took all three games for the Canadians to knock-off the eighth-seeded Thompson Blazers in their quarter-final matchup. In Game One, Massimo Fazio scored in double-overtime to secure a 3-2 win and a 1-0 series lead. After a 6-5 Blazers victory in Game Two that forced a series-deciding third game, Markus Lam pitched a shutout and guided Greater Vancouver to a 4-0 win and the series victory. After dropping the first game of the series against the Vancouver NW Hawks, Valley West clawed their way back with victories in Games Two and Three to claim the series two games to one. In the series deciding game, Samuel Elliott recorded four points (2g-2a), while Nishaan Parmar scored the overtime winner in a 5-4 victory.
In Kelowna, the second-seeded Okanagan Rockets and the fourth-seeded Vancouver NE Chiefs meet in a best-of-three semi-final matchup. Their season series saw the Rockets claim victories in all four meetings during the regular season.
The Rockets clinched their spot into the semis after taking down the Cariboo Cougars in two games during their best-of-three series. In the series, Okanagan forward Hunter Laing recorded five points (3g-2a) that included a hat-trick in Saturday’s series-deciding 6-2 victory. The defending League Champion Chiefs' quarter-final matchup against the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds went the full three games, where a 4-2 victory on Sunday clinched the series for the Chiefs. Charlie Gardiner was a key contributor for the Chiefs during the series, as the forward collected five points (1g-4a) that included a goal in Sunday’s victory.
Playoff Format
March 10-12 (Quarter-Finals – Best-of-Three)
(1) Greater Vancouver Canadians vs. (8) Thompson Blazers
- The Greater Vancouver Canadians advanced with a 2-1 series win
(2) Okanagan Rockets vs. (7) Cariboo Cougars
- The Okanagan Rockets advanced with a 2-0 series win
(3) Vancouver NW Hawks vs. (6) Valley West Giants
- The Valley West Giants advanced with a 2-1 series win
(4) Vancouver NE Chiefs vs. (5) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds
- The Vancouver NE Chiefs advanced with a 2-1 series win
March 17-19 (Semi-Finals – Best-of-Three)
(1) Greater Vancouver Canadians vs. (6) Valley West Giants
(2) Okanagan Rockets vs. (4) Vancouver NE Chiefs
March 24-26 (Championship – Best-of-Three)
Winners of the two semi-finals, hosted by the highest remaining seed
Friday’s U18 Playoff Games
Game One - (4) Vancouver NE Chiefs @ (2) Okanagan Rockets – 4:45 p.m. – Capital News Centre
Game One - (6) Valley West Giants @ (1) Greater Vancouver Canadians – 6:00 p.m. – Ladner Leisure Centre
Saturday’s U18 Playoff Games
Game Two – (2) Okanagan Rockets @ (4) Vancouver NE Chiefs – 2:00 p.m. – Capital News Centre
Game Two – (1) Greater Vancouver Canadians @ (6) Valley West Giants – 5:00 p.m. – Ladner Leisure Centre
Sunday’s U18 Playoff Games
Game Three (if necessary) – (6) Valley West Giants @ (1) Greater Vancouver Canadians – 9:30 a.m. – South Delta Recreation Centre
Game Three (if necessary) – (4) Vancouver NE Chiefs @ (2) Okanagan Rockets – 10:30 a.m. – Capital News Centre
U17 AAA
The stage is set for the U17 Championship! In Abbotsford, the first-seeded Fraser Valley Thunderbirds and the second-seeded Okanagan Rockets will square off in a three-game championship series. A competitive series should be expected as both teams claimed two victories each during their season series.
The Rockets advanced to the finals after a 2-1 series victory against the Cariboo Cougars. In Game One’s victory, forwards Austin Horbachewsky and Jace Williams each had two-goal games, while goaltender Ethan Sawyer pitched a shutout in the series-deciding game as the Rockets claimed a 3-0 victory. Fraser Valley earned their spot in the championship series after they swept the Valley West Giants in the semi-finals. Troy Horn scored a pair of goals on route to a 5-3 Fraser Valley victory in Game One, while a collective effort of five different goal scorers guided the Thunderbirds to a 5-1 win in Game Two and the series victory.
Playoff Format
March 3-5 (Quarter-Finals – Best-of-Three):
(1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds vs. (8) Vancouver NE Chiefs
- The Fraser Valley Thunderbirds advanced with a 2-1 series win
(2) Okanagan Rockets vs. (7) South Island Royals
- The Okanagan Rockets advanced with a 2-1 series win
(3) Cariboo Cougars vs. (6) Greater Vancouver Canadians
- The Cariboo Cougars advanced with a 2-1 series win
(4) Vancouver NW Hawks vs. (5) Valley West Giants
- The Valley West Giants advanced with a 2-0 series win
March 10-12 (Semi-Finals – Best-of-Three):
(1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds vs. (5) Valley West Giants
- The Fraser Valley Thunderbirds advanced with a 2-0 series win
(2) Okanagan Rockets vs. (3) Cariboo Cougars
- The Okanagan Rockets advanced with a 2-1 series win
March 17-19 (Championship – Best-of-Three)
(1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds vs. (2) Okanagan Rockets
Friday’s U17 Playoff Games
Game One - (2) Okanagan Rockets @ (1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 6:15 p.m. – MSA Arena
Saturday’s U17 Playoff Games
Game Two - (1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds @ (2) Okanagan Rockets – 2:15 p.m. – MSA Arena
Sunday’s U17 Games
Game Three (if necessary) - (2) Okanagan Rockets @ (1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 1:00 p.m. – Abbotsford Centre
U15 AAA
Congratulations to the Greater Vancouver Canadians on capturing the BCEHL U15 Championship!
The U15 Championship took place at Langley Twin Rinks last weekend. Teams skated in four round-robin games, followed by a single-elimination knockout stage, where all teams were seeded based on the results of the round-robin stage. Sunday’s championship game saw the Greater Vancouver Canadians take on the Okanagan Rockets, where multi-point games from John Bethell and Luca Martyniuk, along with a stellar performance in goal from Liam Leslie, guided the Canadians to a 4-2 victory and the U15 Championship.
Over the course of the weekend, Rockets’ forward Raine Lepin led the tournament in scoring with 12 points (8g-4a), Greater Vancouver’s Alan Peregrym led the way in net with four victories.
Playoff Format
March 8-10 (Round Robin)
Each team plays against the three other teams in their group, with all teams advancing to the quarterfinals and seeded based on round-robin results.
Pool A
- (1) Okanagan Rockets
- (4) Greater Vancouver Canadians
- (5) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds
- (8) Thompson Blazers
Pool B
- (2) Vancouver NE Chiefs
- (3) Valley West Giants
- (6) Vancouver NW Hawks
- (7) North Island Silvertips
March 11 (Quarter-Finals)
- QF 1 – Okanagan Rockets defeated the North Island Silvertips
- QF 2 – Greater Vancouver Canadians defeated the Vancouver NE Chiefs
- QF 3 – Fraser Valley Thunderbirds defeated the Vancouver NW Hawks
- QF 4 – Valley West Giants defeated the Thompson Blazers
March 11 (Semi-Finals)
- SF 1 – Okanagan Rockets defeated the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds
- SF 2 – Greater Vancouver Canadians defeated the Valley West Giants
March 12 (Championship Final)
- Greater Vancouver Canadians defeated the Okanagan Rockets
If you can’t make it out the games you can stream all BCEHL games live at: www.playfullscreen.com.
To stay up to date on everything going on in the BCEHL visit the website to view schedules, standings, stats, and scores: BCEHL.net, follow @BCEHL on Twitter, @BCEHL_AAA on Instagram, and join the conversation by using #BCEHLAAAHOCKEY.
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