Due to the disappointment felt across the league after the Shaw BCHL Playoffs were cancelled, the BCHL has partnered with its players and its teams to create a simulation of the remainder of the postseason using EA Sports NHL 20.
After the eight remaining BCHL playoff teams were created in the game, each team selected a player rep to go head-to-head in an online contest which decided the winner of their would-be second round series.
The Round 2 matchups and their player reps are:
- Coquitlam Express (Joe Howe) vs. Surrey Eagles (Hassan Akl)
- Nanaimo Clippers (Josh Kagan) vs. Cowichan Valley Capitals (Nolan Barrett)
- Penticton Vees (Conner Hutchison) vs. Vernon Vipers (Trey Taylor)
- Trail Smoke Eaters (Kent Johnson) vs. Salmon Arm Silverbacks (Ethan Langenegger)
Rather than live-streaming a full series, the league has compiled highlights of the games using calls from the BCHL broadcasters as well as videos submitted by the player reps.
“We were looking for a way to keep our fans engaged during this unfortunate downtime and we think this initiative accomplishes just that,” said BCHL Commissioner Chris Hebb. “By involving our players and our broadcasters in the project and creating our teams in the NHL 20 video game, we’ve tried to make it a fun and unique BCHL experience for everyone to enjoy.”
The video for the first matchup between the Coquitlam Express and the Surrey Eagles was released today and you can watch it here.
The remaining three second-round games will be published in the coming days and Round 3 will commence next week.
