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Chiefs clash with Kings

An old rivalry fires up this weekend with the Chilliwack Chiefs taking on a past playoff foe.

Jacob Bestebroer writes a weekly hockey column during the BCHL season.

 

Let’s kick off this week’s column with a quick round of Jeopardy.

The category is ‘Free Stuff.’

Answer: Single complimentary carbonated beverage lavished upon entire populace at Friday’s sporting encounter involving the Chilliwack Chiefs and Powell River Kings at Prospera Centre.

Cue Jeopardy music (which I guess makes this a round of Final Jeopardy).

Question: What is one free Coca Cola to everyone attending Friday’s Chiefs game versus Powell River.

Yes, everyone in attendance Friday night will be given a voucher for a free Coke as they enter the building.

Seeing the Chiefs play Powell River always brings me back to the 1995 BCHL final between these two teams. The Chiefs won that series in five games to capture their first championship. Interestingly, it will be the same bench bosses leading their teams Friday night as 1995.

Chiefs head coach Harvey Smyl has been behind the Chiefs bench since 1993, and while Kent Lewis has endured a few stints coaching other teams since then, he is back running the show for the Kings and has led them to the last three BCHL finals.

They’ve come up short in each of those series but Lewis has brought that program back to respectability. Friday’s game will be the 59th regular season game between the Chilliwack version of the Chiefs and the Kings. Chilliwack has won 30.

The Chiefs have a rare Saturday night off before they are in Surrey Sunday afternoon for a 4 p.m. game.

We’re only five games into the season and five games is too small a sample size to make too big a deal out of any type of stats. Having said that the two things that stand out so far for the Chiefs has been their play at even strength versus their special teams play. Five on five the Chiefs have generated just six goals. That’s not good enough. On the flip side their special teams have been very good. The power play is clicking at just over 20 per cent while their penalty killing is over 90 per cent.

For your special teams to be considered good you want those two numbers adding up to at least 100, so a total of 110 is very positive.

The Chiefs are once again implementing their Guardian Angel program and need help to do so.

The program sees fans anonymously adopt a player and provides that player with a small gift on scheduled weeks which can range from sundries to home baking. At the end of the season the Guardian Angel and their player meet at our year end banquet. If you are interested in being a Guardian Angel please contact Andrea at the Chiefs office 604-392-4433.