Coastal Conference Playoff Preview:

Coastal Conference Preview: Local rivalries set to heat up in first round

Friday, February 26, 2010 - Submitted by BCHL Media

The Coastal Conference quarter-finals begin on Friday evening with games in Powell River, Victoria, and Langley.

#2 - Powell River Kings vs. #7 - Cowichan Valley Capitals

Powell River: 36-17-1-6; 79 points
Cowichan Valley: 25-32-0-3; 53 points

Recent Form: The Cowichan Valley Capitals may be the Coast's seventh seed, but the team's play in recent weeks shows all the makings of a tough opponents. The Caps finished the regular season with seven wins in 10 games and posted a 16-10-0-2 record after December 6th. Powell River, meanwhile, came through in big February wins over Vernon, Victoria and Langley to grab the Coast's second playoff seeding.

Head-to-Head Record: Powell River won the first five meetings between the clubs, outscoring Cowichan Valley by a 20-8 margin, before the Capitals topped the Kings by a 3-1 score at the Island Savings Centre in their final showdown on February 12th.

Players to Watch: Few players have been as dynamic down the stretch as Cowichan Valley forward Mike Hammond. The 19-year old racked up 51 points in his final 22 regular season games while being held off the scoresheet just three times during that span. Powell River saw five forwards average a point-a-game or better, but the key to playoff success may lie in the play of captain Mat Bodie and an excellent core of veteran defencemen that includes Darcy Huisman and Reid Campbell.

Game 1: February 26th @ Powell River
Game 2: February 27th @ Powell River
Game 3: March 1st @ Cowichan Valley
Game 4: March 2nd @ Cowichan Valley
Game 5: March 4th @ Powell River
Game 6: March 5th @ Cowichan Valley
Game 7: March 6th @ Powell River


#3 - Victoria Grizzlies vs. #6 - Nanaimo Clippers

Victoria: 34-18-2-6; 76 points
Nanaimo: 24-25-1-10; 59 points

Recent Form: The Grizzlies and Clippers both enjoyed strong performances down the stretch drive of the regular season. Both clubs picked up seven wins in the last 10 games, with Nanaimo losing just once in regulation in eight February contests. Victoria's strong second half was puncuated by an eight-game winning streak in January.

Head-to-Head Record: The Grizzlies came out on top in six of the eight meetings between the teams, but the season series included a string of close games. Only once was a team beaten by more than two goals (a 7-4 Victoria win on Dec. 2), while the Clippers picked up a pair of points from two overtime losses.

Players to Watch: Victoria will be missing starting netminder Ryan Holfeld and defenceman Brad Pawlowski early in the series, so the Grizzlies will rely heavily on captain and Coastal co-Top Defenceman winner Jordan Heywood to lead the team's defensive efforts. Nanaimo's Teal Burns proved himself a timely finisher with six game winners amongst his 23 goals, and will look to do further damage against his old team.

Game 1: February 26th @ Victoria
Game 2: February 27th @ Victoria
Game 3: March 1st @ Nanaimo
Game 4: March 2nd @ Nanaimo
Game 5: March 5th @ Victoria
Game 6: March 6th @ Nanaimo
Game 7: March 7th @ Victoria


#4 - Langley Chiefs vs. #5 Surrey Eagles

Langley: 33-22-2-3; 71 points
Surrey: 30-24-0-6; 66 points

Recent Form: Langley closed out the regular season with a 3-3-1-0 month during which the Chiefs played on home ice just once. Surrey, meanwhile, won just twice during a difficult February stretch that ended with a three-game Interior road swing. The Eagles and Chiefs tied as the BCHL's fifth best road performer with matching 15-12-0-3 records.

Head-to-Head Record: The Chiefs finished the season on a four-game win streak against the Eagles and took the overall series 7-3. The team's 10 contests included five one-goal games, though Langley did outscore their Lower Mainland rivals by a 32-22 margin overall.

Players to Watch: Chiefs sniper Colton Beck, a Coastal Conference MVP candidate, is the maestro of the Langley offence. His 39 goals and 86 points easily topped the team's scoring leaders and he put up four of more points on five occasions. Surrey netminder Vinny Lessard often holds the key to victory for his club; he tied for second in the conference in wins and games played while stopping more shots than any other Coastal netminder.

Game 1: February 26th @ Langley
Game 2: February 27th @ Langley
Game 3: March 1st @ Surrey
Game 4: March 2nd @ Surrey
Game 5: March 4th @ Langley
Game 6: March 5th @ Surrey
Game 7: March 6th @ Langley