The Chilliwack Chiefs are scheduled to play three games this weekend, but due to a possible strike by Prince George city workers they may only play one.
Friday night the Chiefs will host the Interior Conference leading Penticton Vees on their annual Toque/Teddy Bear toss night.
After the Chiefs score their first goal fans can toss a new stuffed animal or toque on to the ice. They will be gathered up and donated to Chilliwack Community Services. The first thousand fans through the door will also receive free Home Hardware inflatables.
The Vees, under the guidance of Fred Harbinson, are once again a serious contender for a league title and will enter the weekend with 46 points in 32 games.
They are 7-2-0-1 in their last 10.
This is the second and final meeting this season between the two teams. The Vees defeated the Chiefs 9-4 in Penticton two weeks ago.
Chilliwack enters the weekend having lost seven straight and remain in fifth place in the Mainland Division.
They are now 10 points out of a playoff spot.
The Chiefs are scheduled to play in Prince George Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. As of my writing this there is still a chance those games will not happen.
Prince George city workers filed strike notice on Wednesday at 8 a.m so job action could begin Saturday morning. If the games are cancelled they would be rescheduled for another time this season. There is also the possibility that the games would be moved to a neutral site. By the time you read this it may be decided so keep an eye on the Chiefs website for further updates.
Some strange happenings with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies this week. A mostly new ownership group took over the team and promptly dismissed General Manager and Head Coach Bill Bestwick.
The reason given for the decision was simply that the new ownership group wanted to go in a new direction right away. Bestwick’s contract runs through the end of this season.
Two seasons ago the Grizzlies, under the guidance of Len Barrie were a mess. Bestwick came in last year and promptly led them to a first place finish.
This season he had them in third place overall.
It was also said that Bestwick has been owed some money by the team for some time. Bestwick is one of three BCHL coaches to have coached 1000 games and earned 500 wins (Chilliwack’s Harvey Smyl and Powell River’s Kent Lewis are the others), so the decision to go in a different direction is puzzling to say the least.
If you’re looking for some Chiefs related Christmas gift ideas head over to the Chiefs website and check out the Holiday Pack. The new Chiefs jerseys are also in and on sale at a greatly reduced price for the month of December.