The Chilliwack Chiefs finish the regular season with three games this weekend.
With Wenatchee failing to pick up a win against Langley Tuesday night, the Chiefs have officially clinched first place in the Mainland division.
They will face the Coquitlam Express in a first round best-of-seven playoff series that begins in Chilliwack Mar. 4-5.
They’re in Coquitlam tonight before hosting the Express Saturday and wrapping up the regular season on home ice versus the Victoria Grizzlies on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Saturday’s special guest will be BC Lions linebacker Adam Bighill, courtesy of Fix Auto. He’ll sign autographs during the first intermission.
The Chiefs need just one point this weekend to secure second overall in league standings which may come into play should they be able to advance to the third round of the playoffs. The third round this season will once again be a three team double round robin involving the Island, Mainland and Interior division champions. The teams will be seeded 1, 2 and 3 based on their regular-season points total.
Each team will play two home games and two road games with a minimum of six games scheduled.
The difference this season is that there will not be a scenario like last season which saw the Chiefs eliminated from round three when Penticton, who had already secured spot in the league finals, had to win a game that meant nothing to them in Nanaimo for the Chiefs to stay alive.
Penticton rested some of their top players, lost the game and the Chiefs season was done.
That can’t happen this season.
Once a team has earned three wins in this round, they go to the final and will have home-ice advantage there.
The remaining two teams continue playing until one of them achieves three wins, at which point round three is over.
Lots of work to be done yet before any of this matters to the Chiefs. Should they be able to advance past the opening round against Coquitlam they will face the winner of the Wenatchee–Langley series. Wenatchee will have home ice advantage and Langley may be forced to play some of their home games in a smaller arena but this series is very much a toss up.
Nanaimo has clinched first place in the island division and will face either the Alberni Valley Bulldogs or Victoria Grizzlies in round one.
The Grizzlies and Bulldogs are tied with 50 points in the race for the division’s final playoff spot. They each have two games left. Victoria would win the tie breaker should they end up tied in points. Powell River will finish second and face the third place Cowichan Valley Capitals in round one.
In the Interior, the first place Penticton Vees will face either the Vernon Vipers (49 points), the Trail Smoke Eaters (48 points) or the Merritt Centennials (47 points) who are all still in the hunt for the fourth and final playoff spot. In what could be the league’s best first round matchup, the second place West Kelowna Warriors will take on the third place Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
jb@chilliwackchiefs.net