The Rogers BCHL Playoffs begin this Friday with all eight series getting underway. Today, we look at the Interior Conference side of things with a preview of the four matchups.
Interior West Division
#1 West Kelowna Warriors vs. #4 Cranbrook Bucks
Head-to-Head:
West Kelowna won the season series 6-1.
Top Performers:
West Kelowna – F Ruslan Jamaldinov (63 points), F Dylan Krayer (63 points), Natan Éthier (51 points), G Angelo Zol (six shutouts)
Cranbrook – F Adam Csabi (49 points), D Jack McMinn (39 points), F Grant Denuccio (37 points), F Kaslo Ferner (35 points)
Fast Facts:
- West Kelowna won the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy as the top team in the regular season
- Warriors goaltenders Angelo Zol and Bor Glavič earned the Wally Forslund Trophy as the goaltenders playing for the team with the lowest goals-against average in the regular season
- Zol led the BCHL in shutouts (six), goals-against average (1.98) and save percentage (.925)
- Jamaldinov and Krayer tied for ninth in league scoring
- West Kelowna had the second best penalty kill (82.6%) and the third best power play (29.2%) during the season
- Cranbrook was the last team to clinch a playoff spot on March 20
- McMinn finished tied for ninth in defencemen scoring
- The two teams last met in the 2024 playoffs when West Kelowna beat Cranbrook in seven games of the first round
#2 Trail Smoke Eaters vs. #3 Salmon Arm Silverbacks
Head-to-Head:
Trail won the season series 4-3.
Top Performers:
Trail – F Christian Kim (60 points), F Cash Carter (52 points), F Erik Pastro (48 points), G Chayse Johnson (2.96 GAA)
Salmon Arm – F Landon Mackie (54 points), D Luke Lepper (42 points), F Keifer Miller (37 points), G Daniel Dirracolo (3.05 GAA)
Fast Facts:
- Kim’s 60-point season was a career high, surpassing his previous best of 58 last year
- Carter scored 26 goals to the lead the Smoke Eaters in that category
- Trail goalie Cooper Michaluk missed significant time with an injury midseason, but returned in late January
- The Smoke Eaters gave up the sixth fewest goals in the league during the regular season
- Lepper’s 42 points ranked seventh among all defencemen
- After being acquired midseason, Landon Mackie had 15 goals, nine assists and 24 points in 21 games with Salmon Arm
- The two teams last met in the first round of the 2017 postseason when Trail defeated Salmon Arm in five games
Interior East Division
#1 Brooks Bandits vs. #4 Spruce Grove Saints
Head-to-Head:
Brooks won the season series 6-1.
Top Performers:
Brooks – F Jack Good (70 points), F Liam Fitzpatrick (58 points), F Isaac Johnson (54 points), G Zach Zahara (30 wins)
Spruce Grove – F Chris Battaini (61 points), F Declan Waddick (52 points), F Tre Peck (47 points), D James Richards (38 points)
Fast Facts:
- Brooks is the defending league champion
- Brooks led the league with 253 goals scored this season (4.69 per game) and had the BCHL’s best power play (32.7%)
- Good’s 48 assists were the most in the BCHL this season, while his 70 points were the third
- Fitzpatrick finished second in the league with 34 goals
- Zahara led the BCHL with 30 wins
- The Saints acquired Battaini in a midseason trade with the Powell River Kings and he finished tied for 11th in league scoring
- Richards’ 35 assists were fifth most among blueliners
- Spruce Grove has won four straight games heading into the postseason
- The Saints went on two separate six-game winning streaks midseason to turn their year around and solidify their playoff spot
- This is the first playoff meeting between the teams as BCHL franchises
#2 Blackfalds Bulldogs vs. #3 Sherwood Park Crusaders
Head-to-Head:
Blackfalds won the season series 5-1-1.
Top Performers:
Blackfalds – Nikita Ivashchenko (69 points), F Thomas Neu (61 points), D Noah Mertz (50 points), G Carson Mertz (.910 SV%)
Sherwood Park – F Joseph Sinclair (60 points), F Braeden O’Keefe (60 points), F Bode Sampair (44 points), D Erik Kald (44 points)
Fast Facts:
- Blackfalds is by far the most improved team in the BCHL this season, going from missing the playoffs with 32 points to fourth overall in the league standings with 76 points
- Ivaschenko was the fourth leading scorer in the BCHL with 69 points and tied for third in goals with 31
- The Bulldogs goaltending tandem of Carson Mertz and Olivér Király finished second and third in both save percentage and goals-against average, while Király had four shutouts, third most in the BCHL
- Blackfalds had the best penalty kill in the BCHL during the season (32.3%)
- Kald’s 44 points were tied for third among defenceman and Stevie Grumley’s 41 put him in eighth
- Grumley’s 17 goals tied for the most among all blueliners
- Crusaders goalie Filip Vavro posted a .902 save percentage on the year, tied for sixth in the league
- The two teams played in the 2024 Alberta playoffs where the Crusaders won in a four-game sweep
