All has gone according to plan so far in the BCHL playoffs, at least if you're judging by the way the teams were ranked after the regular season. No lower-seed team has advanced and now we're down to Penticton and Powell River, the #1 seeds from each conference.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Penticton: defeated Chilliwack Chiefs 4-2 in Interior Conference semifinals, defeated Merritt Centennials 4-1 in Interior Conference finals
Powell River: defeated Coquitlam 4-2 in Coastal Conference semifinals, defeated Surrey Eagles 4-1 in Coastal Conference finals
The Kings are in the Fred Page Cup Finals for the fourth-straight season, hoping to capture the prize that eluded them their previous three trips. Forward Cohen Adair leads the team in playoff scoring and ranks fifth in the league with five goals and six assists.
Special teams could be the Kings' Achilles heel in this series. Powell River ranked 10th during the regular season in power play scoring, are fifth in the playoffs, and are currently 1-19 on the road. But Powell River's strength lies in its defence, leading the league in goals against in the regular season and playoffs, the Kings are at 86 per cent in postseason penalty killing.
The Vees are the antithesis of the Kings' physical, defensive style. Penticton used a dominant offence that averaged 5.57 goals per game to lead the BCHL, winning a league record 42-straight in the regular season. That doesn't mean they don't play D; Penticton is second only to Powell River in defence, however they've been without Goaltender of the Year Michael Garteig for the entire postseason.
Vees forward Mario Lucia could be a key player on offence, the Interior's Rookie of the Year had a hat trick versus the physical Kings in the December meeting and is currently tied at 15 points with teammate Wade Murphy for most in the playoffs.
There has only been one meeting between the Vees and Kings in the 2011-12 season, but it's difficult to gage whether it's a sign of things to come in the best-of-seven finals. The Vees won 7-2 on Dec. 17, but faced Kings goaltender Jamie Phillips, who is no longer on the team. Sean Maguire has been the primary starter for the Kings ever since and has led the league with a .946 save percentage in these playoffsAlso, Garteig and top scorer
