BCEHL PLAYOFF UPDATE - MARCH 8-12

For Immediate Release

March 8, 2023

Saanichton, B.C. - Playoff season is upon us in the BCEHL! The U15 Championship begins on Wednesday in Langley, while post-season action takes place in the other three leagues. Let's take a look at what's in store around the BCEHL!

Female U18 AAA

The Female U18 playoffs begin this weekend with the best-of-three Survivor Series between the fourth-place Northern Capitals (9-19-4-0) and fifth-place Greater Vancouver Comets (5-25-2-0). The winner of the matchup will go on to face the first-place Fraser Valley Rush in the semi-finals. The two teams are familiar opponents, having met on eight occasions during the regular season. The Capitals grabbed victories in four games, while the Comets won three, with one ending in a tie. The Comets picked up a pair of victories against the Capitals in February, where forward Paige Whitworth picked up four points (2g-2a) across both games. Cariboo goaltender Payton Planetta will look to continue her success against Greater Vancouver, as she picked up three victories during the regular season.

Playoff Format

March 10-12 (Survivor Series – Best-of-Three)

(4) Northern Capitals vs. (5) Greater Vancouver Comets

March 17-19 (Semi-Finals – Best-of-Three)

(1) Fraser Valley Rush hosting the winner of the Survivor Series
(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 – (5) Greater Vancouver Comets @ (4) Northern Capitals – 6:00 p.m. – Kin Centre

Saturday’s Female U18 Playoff Games

Game Two – (4) Northern Capitals @ (5) Greater Vancouver Comets – 5:45 p.m. – Kin Centre

Sunday’s Female U18 Playoff Games

Game Three (if necessary) – (5) Greater Vancouver Comets @ (4) Northern Capitals – 8:45 a.m. – Kin Centre

Watch All Female U18 Games Live Here

U18 AAA

The U18 playoffs kick off this week with four quarter-final matchups. The first-place Greater Vancouver Canadians (27-3-4-2) host the eighth-place Thompson Blazers (7-25-1-1) in a best-of-three series Richmond. The teams played on four occasions during the regular season, where the Canadians swept the regular season series. Greater Vancouver enters the playoffs on a high note, as they’ve been winners of five of their previous six. Tyler Tse finished the regular season on a six-game point streak, where the Greater Vancouver forward put up seven points (6g-1a) in total. Blazers’ forward Nolan MacPherson found the back of the net in both of the two most recent games against the Canadians’ on December 10th and 11th.

Kelowna’s Rutland Arena will host the best-of-three quarter-final between the second-place Okanagan Rockets (26-5-2-1) and the seventh-place Cariboo Cougars (15-18-1-2). The Rockets’ claimed victories in five of six meetings against the Cougars during the regular season, which recently included 7-3 and 5-1 victories in Kelowna on February 25^th and 26^th. Okanagan possessed the top-ranked offense during the regular season, with 5.44 goals per game as a team. Erik Pastro helped Okanagan offensively as he led the U18 league in scoring during the regular season with 67 points (32g-35a) in 32 games. The Cougars’ offense was led by seven skaters, Mason Loewen (18), Joshua Sale (14), Isaiah Bagri (14), Reid Arberry (13), Keenan Holland (11) and Parker White (10), who all had double-digit goal totals during the regular season.

The third-place Vancouver NW Hawks (22-10-3-1) and sixth-place Valley West Giants (15-18-1-2) face off in a best-of-three series at Hollyburn Country Club. The Hawks’ claimed three of four games against Valley West this season, which most recently included a 4-3 victory at Abbotsford’s U18 showcase on January 27^th. The Hawks’ second-ranked defense that allowed only 2.39 goals per game during the regular season will be put to the test against a Valley West offense that scored 4.83 goals per game, which was good for fourth in the league. Between the pipes for the Hawks’, Joshua Ravensbergen led the league in wins (18) during the regular season, and posted a 2.10 goals against average. The Giants’ boast a pair of skaters that finished inside the top-five in league scoring as Nishaan Parmar’s 66 points (25g-41a) was second, while Miles Burgin’s 62 points (29g-33a) was good for fourth.

Burnaby’s Scotia Barn will host the fourth-place Vancouver NE Chiefs (20-10-4-2) and fifth-place Fraser Valley Thunderbirds (19-15-2-0) in a best-of-three series. In six games during the season series, Fraser Valley were winners of four games, while the Chiefs claimed wins in the other two. The Chiefs’ closed out the regular season with three consecutive wins, which included a 7-4 win over the Thunderbirds on February 25^th. Jonah Power-Smith and Josh Kelly will look to carry their offensive success into the playoffs, as Kelly had a hat-trick in their win on February 25^th, and Power-Smith scored three times in a 6-3 victory over the Hawks’ on the 26^th. Fraser Valley forward Cale Colwell finished the regular season with a two-goal performance in a 3-3 tie against the Giants on February 26^th. On the season, Colwell scored 19 goals, which was good for third on his team.

Playoff Format

March 10-12 (Quarter-Finals – Best-of-Three)

(1) Greater Vancouver Canadians vs. (8) Thompson Blazers
(2) Okanagan Rockets vs. (7) Cariboo Cougars
(3) Vancouver NW Hawks vs. (6) Valley West Giants
(4) Vancouver NE Chiefs vs. (5) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds

March 17-19 (Semi-Finals – Best-of-Three)

Highest remaining seed hosting the lowest remaining seed
Second-highest remaining seed hosting the third-highest remaining seed

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 - (5) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds @ (4) Vancouver NE Chiefs – 4:30 p.m. – Scotia Barn

Game One - (8) Thompson Blazers @ (1) Greater Vancouver Canadians – 5:45 p.m. – Richmond Olympic Oval

Game One - (7) Cariboo Cougars @ (2) Okanagan Rockets – 7:00 p.m. – Rutland Arena

Game One - (6) Valley West Giants @ (3) Vancouver NW Hawks – 8:00 p.m. – Hollyburn Country Club

Saturday’s U18 Playoff Games

Game Two - (1) Greater Vancouver Canadians @ (8) Thompson Blazers – 1:00 p.m. – Ladner Leisure Centre

Game Two - (4) Vancouver NE Chiefs @ (5) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 3:30 p.m. – Scotia Barn

Game Two - (2) Okanagan Rockets @ (7) Cariboo Cougars – 6:45 p.m. – Rutland Arena

Game Two - (3) Vancouver NW Hawks @ Valley West Giants – 7:00 p.m. – Hollyburn Country Club

Sunday’s U18 Playoff Games

Game Three (if necessary) – (8) Thompson Blazers @ (1) Greater Vancouver Canadians – 9:30 a.m. – Ladner Leisure Centre

Game Three (if necessary) – (7) Cariboo Cougars @ (2) Okanagan Rockets – 9:45 a.m. – Rutland Arena

Game Three (if necessary) – (5) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds @ (4) Vancouver NE Chiefs – Scotia Barn

Game Three (if necessary) – (6) Valley West Giants @ (3) Vancouver NW Hawks – 12:00 p.m. – Hollyburn Country Club

Watch All U18 Games Live Here

U17 AAA

The U17 playoffs roll into the semi-finals with a pair of best-of-three matchups. In the first matchup, the top-seeded Fraser Valley Thunderbirds host the fifth-seeded Valley West Giants. Fraser Valley’s quarter-final matchup against the Vancouver NE Chiefs needed all three games, as a 3-2 Thunderbirds win clinched the series on Sunday. Jake Torget picked up both wins between the pipes for the Thunderbirds, which included a shutout in a 5-0 victory in Game One on March 2^nd. Valley West needed only two games to clinch their quarter-final matchup against the Vancouver NW Hawks. Game One saw Ryder Marks’ three-point game (1g-2a) help the Giants’ to a 4-2 victory, while Jacob Baumann (2g-1a) and Hudson Pereira (2g-1a) each picked up three points in Game Two’s 6-3 victory.

The other semi-final matchup sees the second-seed Okanagan Rockets host the third-seed Cariboo Cougars in Kelowna. After dropping the series opener in the first round, the Rockets’ won the final two games to clinch the series 2-1 against the South Island Royals. In Sunday’s series-deciding game, Rockets’ forward Austin Horbachewsky came up clutch with a three-point performance (2g-1a) in a 4-1 victory. Cariboo also lost the opening game of their first round series against the Greater Vancouver Canadians, but came back to win the final two games and clinch the series. Carter Boomer (2g-0a), Jack Tidsbury (0g-2a) and Kade Lawlor (0g-2a) each recorded multi-point games in Game Three’s 5-3 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
(2) Okanagan Rockets vs. (3) Cariboo Cougars

March 17-19 (Championship – Best-of-Three)

Winner of the two semifinals, hosted by the highest remaining seed

Friday’s U17 Playoff Games

Game One - (3) Cariboo Cougars @ (2) Okanagan Rockets – 3:00 p.m. – Rutland Arena

Game One - (5) Valley West Giants @ (1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 7:00 p.m. – Abbotsford Centre

Saturday’s U17 Playoff Games

Game Two - (2) Okanagan Rockets @ (3) Cariboo Cougars – 3:30 p.m. – Rutland Arena

Game Two - (1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds @ (5) Valley West Giants – 4:30 p.m. – MSA Arena

Sunday’s U17 Games

Game Three (if necessary) - (3) Cariboo Cougars @ (2) Okanagan Rockets – 10:45 a.m. – Prospera Place

Game Three (if necessary) - (5) Valley West Giants @ (1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 2:00 p.m. - MSA Arena

Watch All U17 Games Live Here

U15 AAA

Eight teams will travel to Langley Twin Rinks and take part in this year’s U15 Championship from March 8^th-12^th. Teams will be divided into two pools of four, with each team playing three games against the other teams in their group. At the conclusion of the group stage, all teams will advance to the single-game knockout stage and will be seeded based on the results of the group stage. In the quarterfinals, the top-ranked team in each group will cross-over and play the fourth-ranked team in the other group, while the second seed in each group will cross-over to play the third seed in the other group. The semifinals will feature the four remaining teams competing for a berth in Sunday’s championship final, where one team will be crowned as champion at the end.

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 - 1A vs. 4B
QF 2 - 2A vs. 3B
QF 3 - 3A vs. 2B
QF 4 - 4A vs. 1B

March 11 (Semi-Finals)

SF 1 – Winner of QF 1 vs. winner of QF 2
SF 2 – Winner of QF 3 vs. winner of QF 4

March 12 (Championship Final)

Winner of SF 1 vs. winner of SF 2

Wednesday's U15 Playoff Games

All games played at Langley Twin Rinks

Vancouver NW Hawks @ Valley West Giants – 4:00 p.m.

North Island Silvertips @ Vancouver NE Chiefs – 4:30 p.m.

Fraser Valley Thunderbirds @ Greater Vancouver Canadians – 7:00 p.m.

Thompson Blazers @ Okanagan Rockets – 7:30 p.m.

Thursday’s U15 Playoff Games

All games played at Langley Twin Rinks

North Island Silvertips vs. Valley West Giants – 8:00 a.m.

Vancouver NW Hawks vs. Vancouver NE Chiefs – 8:30 a.m.

Greater Vancouver Canadians @ Okanagan Rockets – 11:00 a.m.

Thompson Blazers @ Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 11:30 a.m.

North Island Silvertips vs. Vancouver NW Hawks – 4:00 p.m.

Valley West Giants vs. Vancouver NE Chiefs – 4:30 p.m.

Thompson Blazers vs. Greater Vancouver Canadians – 7:00 p.m.

Fraser Valley Thunderbirds vs. Okanagan Rockets – 7:30 p.m.

Friday’s U15 Playoff Games

All games played at Langley Twin Rinks

North Island Silvertips vs. Vancouver NE Chiefs – 11:45 a.m.

Vancouver NW Hawks vs. Valley West Giants – 12:15 p.m.

Thompson Blazers vs. Okanagan Rockets – 5:00 p.m.

Fraser Valley Thunderbirds vs. Greater Vancouver Canadians – 5:30 p.m.

Saturday’s U15 Playoff Games

All games played at Langley Twin Rinks

QF 1 - 1A vs. 4B – 8:00 a.m.

QF 2 - 2A vs. 3B – 8:30 a.m.

QF 3 - 3A vs. 2B – 11:00 a.m.

QF 4 - 4A vs. 1B – 11:30 a.m.

SF 1 – Winner of QF 1 vs. Winner of QF 2 – 4:00 p.m.

SF 2 – Winner of QF 3 vs. Winner of QF 4 – 7:00 p.m.

Sunday’s U15 Playoff Game

Championship Final – Winner of SF 1 vs. winner of SF 2 – 10:00 a.m. – Langley Twin Rinks

Watch All U15 Games Live Here

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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