Round 3 of the Rogers BCHL Playoffs begins tomorrow with an Interior Conference Finals rematch before the Coastal Conference Finals matchup kicks off on Saturday. We preview both series below.
Interior Conference Finals
#1 Penticton Vees vs. #3 Salmon Arm Silverbacks
Head to Head:
Salmon Arm won the season series 5-1 with one win coming in overtime and another in the shootout.
Top Playoff Performers:
Penticton – F Callum Arnott (8 points), F Anselmo Rego (7 points), D Larry Keenan (6 points), G Will Ingemann (.943 save percentage)
Salmon Arm – F Cole Cooskey (13 points), F Patrick Raftery (10 points), F Nathan Mackie (9 points), G Eli Pulver (.939 save percentage)
Breakdown:
These two teams met in the 2023 Interior Conference Finals and the Vees won the series in five games.
Penticton has only played one game above the minimum to reach the Conference Finals, sweeping Prince George in the first round and beating Vernon in five in Round 2. That being said, it has been far from an easy road for the Vees. They had two one-goal wins over the Spruce Kings. with one coming in double overtime, then had an extremely tight series against the Vipers, including three overtime games with some dramatic comebacks. With a team mostly full of first-year BCHL players, they can confidently say that they are now playoff tested after two rounds. The offence continues to be spread around with zero player in the top-20 in playoff scoring, but team defence and goaltending remain the key to success for Penticton. They have only allowed 12 goals through nine games in the postseason, by far the lowest among remaining teams. In net, the Vees have alternated between Will Ingemann and Andrew Ness and that approach seems to be working. Ingemann leads the league with a 1.09 goals-against average in the playoffs and has the second highest save percentage at .943. Ness’ 1.47 goals-against is third best, while he owns a .917 save percentage.
On the Silverbacks side, they had the Vees number during the regular season, winning five of six meetings, so they will look to that success to give them confidence in this series. While the Vees goaltending has been superb in the playoffs, Salmon Arm goalie Eli Pulver has been outstanding as well. He owns a .939 save percentage and a 1.90 goals-against average and was just named BCHL 1st Star of the Week after leading his team to a series win over the West Kelowna Warriors. On offence, Cole Cooksey has been the catalyst so far these playoffs. He leads the team and sits fourth in the league with 13 points in 11 games, while his seven goals are just one back of the league lead. The Silverbacks also got a huge boost from their captain Nathan Mackie in Round 2, who stepped up to produce seven points over the five-game series win, including six points in the first two games alone.
Schedule:
Game 1: May 2 – Salmon Arm at Penticton – 7 p.m. PT
Game 2: May 3 – Salmon Arm at Penticton – 7 p.m. PT
Game 3: May 6 – Penticton at Salmon Arm – 6 p.m. PT
Game 4: May 8 – Penticton at Salmon Arm – 6 p.m. PT
Game 5: May 10 – Salmon Arm at Penticton – 7 p.m. PT*
Game 6: May 11 – Penticton at Salmon Arm – 6 p.m. PT*
Game 7: May 14 – Salmon Arm at Penticton – 7 p.m. PT*
*If necessary
Coastal Conference Finals
#1 Surrey Eagles vs. #3 Alberni Valley Bulldogs
Head-to-Head:
Surrey won the season series 3-1 with one win coming in overtime.
Top Playoff Performers:
Surrey – F Micah Berger (16 points), F Zachary Wagnon (11 points), D Rylan Bonkowski (10 points), G Jaiden Sharma (.960 save percentage)
Alberni Valley – F Hayden Stavroff (14 points), F Grayson Badger (12 points), D Mason Croucher (6 points), G Callum Tung (.942 save percentage)
Breakdown:
These two teams met in the second round of the 2023 playoffs and the Bulldogs won the series in seven games.
After dispatching the Cowichan Valley Capitals in five games in the first round, the number-one overall seed Eagles faced a tough test in Round 2, going six games with the Victoria Grizzlies before advancing to the Coastal Finals. Late season pickup Micah Berger has been clutch for Surrey and currently leads all players with 16 playoff points on seven goals and nine assists. Second-year Eagles forward Zachary Wagnon has also been clutch, scoring several big goals in the postseason so far, including the game-winner in Game 5 against Victoria and another important goal in their Game 6 win. On the blueline, defenceman Rylan Bonkowski has taken his game to another level in the playoffs. After totaling 22 points in 52 games in the regular season, Bonkowski already has 10 points in 11 postseason games and leads all BCHL defencemen. In the crease, Surrey has alternated between Top Goaltender finalist Ajeet Gundarah and rookie Jaiden Sharma throughout the playoffs and it seems to be paying off. It’s Sharma with the big numbers so far as he leads the league with a .960 save percentage, while Gundarah owns an impressive .933 mark.
Alberni Valley went the distance in a seven-game series win against the Coquitlam Express in Round 1, but offset that with a four-game sweep of the Chilliwack Chiefs in the second round. Goaltender Callum Tung continues to prove his worth as a starting goalie in the league and owns a .942 save percentage and a 1.96 goals-against average in the playoffs. Between the Coquitlam and Chilliwack series, he was named first star in five straight contests, allowing just one goal in each game. Hayden Stavroff has continued his excellent form from the regular season where he led all BCHL players in goals. He is currently tied for the playoff lead in goals as well with eight and is the third leading postseason scorer with 14 points in 11 games. 19-year-old forward Grayson Badger has also been a major offensive contributor for the Bulldogs, scoring six goals and adding six assists for 12 points to sit tied for fifth in playoff scoring.
Schedule:
Game 1: May 4 – Alberni Valley at Surrey – 7:15 p.m. PT
Game 2: May 5 – Alberni Valley at Surrey – 6:30 p.m. PT
Game 3: May 8 – Surrey at Alberni Valley – 7 p.m. PT
Game 4: May 9 – Surrey at Alberni Valley – 7 p.m. PT
Game 5: May 11 – Alberni Valley at Surrey – 7:15 p.m. PT*
Game 6: May 13 – Surrey at Alberni Valley – 7 p.m. PT*
Game 7: May 14 – Alberni Valley at Surrey – 7:15 p.m. PT*
*If necessary
Courtesy BCHL
