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Chilliwack Chiefs roll Rivermen to start BCHL season

Jordan Kawaguchi's four points and Connor McCarthy's two goals helped the Chiefs double up their Mainland division foes.

Connor McCarthy had six goals all of last season.

After just one game in 2016-17, he’s already got two.

The big blueliner had a pair of goals in a 6-3 road win over the Langley Rivermen Friday night.

Veterans Kale Kane, Linden Hora and Jordan Kawaguchi added singles and BCHL rookie David Jankowski sniped his first junior A goal as the Chiefs routed their Mainland division foes.

Kawaguchi’s destroy-the-league-for-one-more-year tour started in style.

Captain K added three assists for a four point night and seems ready to dominate as a 19 year old.

The Chiefs trailed by one just 109 seconds into this one when Langley’s Nicholas Ponak opened the scoring.

Jankowski got the Chiefs on the board at 14:59, with Nolan Zweep and Powell Connor drawing assists.

Kawaguchi’s goal at 17:13 had the Chiefs up by one at the break.

A shorthanded goal by Langley’s Ryan Barrow got the Rivermen within one early in the middle frame.

But on the same Chilliwack power play, just 35 seconds later, McCarthy blasted his first of the game past veteran Langley keeper Bo Didur.

Chiefs forward Kale Kane and Langley’s Zac Masson traded goals 69 seconds apart to make the score 4-2 and Hora tallied at 12:02 to wrap up the second period scoring.

Chilliwack lit the lamp one more time, at 6:16 of period three, with McCarthy sniping his second of the game on another power play.

Chiefs goaltender Mark David earned the win in his first BCHL start, stopping 28 of 31 shots.

Typical of games where one team dominates, the game got chippy in the final frame.

Chiefs rookie Will Calverley dropped the mitts with Langley’s Sean Gulka at 9:08 and Olivier Arseneau scrapped with Ponak at 14:47.

 

- McCarthy was the game’s first star.

Langley’s Ryan Barrow was the second star and Kawaguchi the third.

 

- Only 800 fans (the announced total) saw the game as Langley opened in their new home at the 43 year old George Preston Arena.

 

- The Chiefs remain on the road Friday night in Salmon Arm before hosting Langley Saturday night at Prospera Centre.



Eric Welsh

About the Author: Eric Welsh

I joined the Chilliwack Progress in 2007, originally hired as a sports reporter.
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