BCHL Coastal Conference Playoff Preview:

This is in the BC Hockey Now Newspaper:

BCHL Coastal Conference Playoff Preview

Thursday, February 24, 2011 /

By Mark Janzen /

Really, it all begins now.

After the BCHL’s 60-game regular season came to an end last week, the trek to Camrose, Alta. – home of this year’s RBC Cup – begins this weekend.

But just getting out of the Coastal Conference will be a feat in itself.

With Powell River securing top spot and a first round bye and awaiting a first-round victor, and with Coquitlam sneaking into the playoffs on the last weekend of the year, the match-ups have been set.

Now the fun can begin.

We preview the Coastal Conference’s three opening round match-ups.

Powell River (1)

The Kings earned a well-deserved bye with a 46-9-3-2 record. They finished the season winning 12 of their last 13 games and go into the playoffs ranked No. 2 in the CJHL Top 20. Goalie Michael Gartieg finished the season with a 1.69 GAA and .934 save percentage, both league records and seven shutouts, which has him tied for the league record.

Surrey (2) vs. Coquitlam (7)

For the first time since 2008, the Express organization is back in the playoffs. And it just so happened that their playoff-clinching win on the last Friday of the regulars season was a 7-4 decision over the very same Eagles they’ll be playing in the opening round. And with Surrey having won the previous six meetings between the teams, including a game the night before, the win is most certainly a huge confidence boost for Coquitlam.
While there was a 19-point disparity in the standings between the two teams, when it comes to goals for, Coquitlam averaged 3.63 goals per game while Surrey averaged 3.60 goals per game.
The difference between the teams and the factor that could well decide the series is defence. Surrey gives up 3.12 goals per game compared to Coquitlam, which surrenders 4.22 goals per contest. Eagles goalie Karel St. Laurent is third in the league in save percentage at .916 and will give Coquitlam’s offence far more trouble than his opposing netminder Khaleed Devji.
Up front, the Eagles will need the tandem of Bradley McGowan and Richard Vanderhoek to continue to lead the offence while much is expected of Mitch Jones and Riley Sweeney on the back end.
As for Coquitlam, they’ll be in tough. Massimo Lamacchia caught fire near the end of the year with nine points in his last three games so they’ll need him to keep on sniping and Devji will need to take his game to a new level if the Express hope to win.

Langley (3) vs Alberni Valley (6)

While the Langley Chiefs made their way to the playoffs with a respectable 6-4-0-0 record, the same can’t be said for the Bulldogs, who limped into the post-season with a 3-7-0-0 record. So this series has the makings of being short and to the point.
And the difference in the series could well be as simple as offensive firepower. The Chiefs have been the highest scoring team in the conference all year, averaging 4.00 goals per game, while the Bulldogs were the lowest scoring team in the conference, averaging 2.93 goals per game.
To continue the contrast, Langley’s Josh Myers led his team with 40 goals and 40 assists, while Josh Mitchell, who had just 17 goals and 45 assists, led Alberni Valley.
So the question becomes: can Bulldogs goalie Frank Slubowski keep Alberni Valley in the series? Last year, in 13 playoff games, Slubowski’s numbers proved that he could be the man between the pipes. But he had a much better team in front of him and in this series he might have to steal every game.

Victoria (4) vs. Nanaimo (5)

The two Island rivals battled each other all season for home-ice advantage in the playoffs and ultimately it came down to the final game of the regular season.
With the Clippers only trailing Victoria by one point, the Grizzlies secured fourth-place with a 5-3 win and for their efforts open the playoffs at home.
While there’s not a whole lot between these two teams, the subtle differences that do exist favour Victoria. The Grizzlies score more goals (3.63/game to 3.38/game) and give up fewer goals (3.28/game to 3.42/game). They are also marginally better on the powerplay (21.9 per cent to 21.4 per cent) and penalty kill (79.6 per cent to 76.2 per cent).
Victoria also has David Morley (76 points in 52 games) and Joel Lowry (67 points in 42 games) up front while Nanaimo has Andrew Gladiuk (65 points in 60 game) and Ryan Stanimir (55 points in 56 games).
In net, Matt Gin will dual either Charles-Alexy Premont, who played in Victoria’s last two games, or Charles-Andre Pelletier, who was the starter in 46 games, this year.
All signs point to Victoria, especially because Nanaimo’s record is inflated with seven overtime losses, but the Clppers are still a Bill Bestwick-coached team.

Cowichan Valley (did not qualify)

The Capitals were close to a playoff spot but ultimately fell three points shy of seventh place. Jordan Grant finished the year with a team-leading 89 points, which had him second in league scoring, behind Mike Hammond, who had 93 points and played the first 40 games of the year with Cowichan Valley.