Heading into the final weekend of the BCHL regular season, there is only one matchup set in stone and one other confirmed, but with home-ice yet to be decided.
Here are the different Rogers BCHL Playoff implications and scenarios heading into teams’ final two games of the year.
Coastal Conference
Final spot: The Langley Rivermen and Prince George Spruce Kings have been in a battle for weeks for the final playoff spot in the conference. Langley is currently in the driver’s seat, three points up on PG. With total wins as the first tiebreaker, the Rivermen will need two points this weekend to guarantee themselves a postseason berth as the teams are currently tied with 21 wins apiece. The team that gets in will face the first-place Chilliwack Chiefs in the first round.
Matchups:
Langley – vs. Coquitlam, vs. Chilliwack
Prince George – vs. Powell River, vs. Powell River
Race for second: There is currently a three-way tie for second place in the Coastal between the Cowichan Valley Capitals, Surrey Eagles and Victoria Grizzlies, who all have 63 points. The first tiebreaker goes to the team with the most wins, currently held by Cowichan with 30. Sitting three points back, the Nanaimo Clippers have an outside shot at catching someone, although they would need some help. If the Clippers did pull off the feat of catching one of the teams ahead of them, they would get home-ice advantage in the first round.
Matchups:
Cowichan Valley – vs. Nanaimo, vs. Alberni Valley
Surrey – at Alberni Valley, at Nanaimo
Victoria – at Chilliwack, at Coquitlam
Nanaimo – at Cowichan Valley, vs. Surrey
Other implications:
- Coquitlam sits one point back of Nanaimo for fifth place and could climb as high as fourth
- Sitting four points back, Alberni Valley has an outside chance of catching Coquitlam for sixth
Interior Conference
Final spot: The final playoff spot in the Interior will come down to the Okotoks Oilers and the Spruce Grove Saints. Okotoks holds the eighth seed at the moment and is three points up on Spruce Grove. The Saints cannot catch the Oilers in wins, which is the first tiebreaker, so they will need to get all four points and hope Okotoks loses both their games in regulation in order to pass them.
Matchups:
Okotoks – vs. Brooks, at Sherwood Park
Spruce Grove – at Brooks, vs. Blackfalds
First place: The Penticton Vees are currently in prime position to clinch the Ron Boileau Trophy as the regular season’s top team for the third time in the past four years. They come into the weekend four points up on the Brooks Bandits for top spot in the league and the conference and just need to earn a single point, or for the Bandits to drop a single point, to finish first.
Matchups:
Penticton – vs. Cranbrook, vs. Salmon Arm
Brooks – vs. Spruce Grove, vs. Okotoks
Other implications:
- Salmon Arm and Sherwood Park are locked into a first-round playoff matchup, but home-ice advantage is still up for grabs. The Crusaders sit two points back, but would win a tiebreaker if the teams were to finish with the same amount of points.
- Trail and Cranbrook are the only series that is set in stone with the Smoke Eaters clinching home-ice as the third seed and the Bucks locked into the sixth seed
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Tiebreakers:
The following criteria will be used in tiebreaker situations:
- Team having the most wins
- Team having the most wins in games against each other
- Team having the most points in games against each other
- Team having the best goal differential in games against each other
- Team with the most points in games against in-conference opponents
