Photo credit: Garrett James Photography
Coquitlam Express – 5
Langley Rivermen – 4 (OT)
Josh Wildauer scored twice in the third period, but it was Danny Peason who played hero in this one, scoring his first of the postseason 7:49 into overtime to give the Coquitlam Express the 5-4 win over the Langley Rivermen and take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Connor Gregga got the scoring started for Coquitlam with a first-period tally, but Brendan Budy replied for Langley shortly after to tie the game after one. Matthew Hubbarde scored the lone goal of the second frame and gave the Rivermen their first lead of the series, which they would carry into intermission.
The floodgates opened up in the third period, starting with Wildauer who tied the game for the Express 1:26 in, only for the Rivermen to regain the lead just over a minute later with Hubbarde notching his second of the game. Wildauer again evened things up, only to have Langley answer back again, this time on a goal from Ryan Helliwell near the midway mark of the third to make it 4-3 Rivermen. It looked like that score would hold up until Will Margel wired a shot home for Coquitlam with just 10 seconds to play and force overtime.
In the extra frame, it was Pearson who picked up a loose puck in the slot off a broken play and wristed one by Langley goalie Braedon Fleming to clinch the win for the Express.
Coquitlam will look to close things out in Game 4 tomorrow and become the third team to advance to the second round.
West Kelowna Warriors – 2
Penticton Vees – 1 (OT)
Johnny Derrick made 38 saves and Tyler Cristall scored the overtime winner as the West Kelowna Warriors extended their series with a 2-1 victory in Game 4 over the Penticton Vees. Lukas Sillinger scored for Penticton late in the first period to make it 1-0 Vees, but West Kelowna got a third-period goal from Ryan Novecosky to tie things up and force overtime. After Warriors captain Jake Harrison kept a puck in at the blueline in the extra frame, he spotted Cristall behind the Penticton defence, fed him the puck and the rookie forward made no mistake for his second of the postseason and the overtime winner. With his all-world performance in taming the Vees potent offence, Derrick was named the first star of the game.
Salmon Arm Silverbacks – 3
Victoria Grizzlies – 2
Luke Mylymok scored his fourth goal in as many games in the series and Ethan Langenegger continued to shine this postseason, making 28 of 30 saves in the win as the Salmon Arm Silverbacks beat the Victoria Grizzlies 3-2 to complete the sweep of their first round series. Henri Schreifels got the Grizzlies on the board midway through the opening period, but Mylymok scored with just three seconds left to tie the game at one. Salmon Arm managed to carry that momentum into the second when Logan Shaw scored early in the frame to give his team the lead, before Kieran Ruscheinski added on in the third. Victoria captain Marty Westhaver wouldn’t let his team go down without a fight as he cut into the lead later in the frame, but Langenegger shut the door the rest of the way. The Silverbacks will have to wait to see how the rest of the Interior Division plays out before finding out who they will face in Round 2.
Trail Smoke Eaters – 3
Prince George Spruce Kings – 1
Jameson Murray scored the game-winning goal as well as the insurance marker into an empty net, while Logan Terness made 24 saves as the Trail Smoke Eaters came back to beat the Prince George Spruce Kings 3-1 to advance to the second round. In another tight-checking game in this series, the Spruce Kings took a first-period lead on a goal from Corey Cunningham to make it 1-0 after one. Philippe Lapointe got Trail on the board in the second period with a power-play goal to tie things up and set the stage for Murray’s late-game heroics. Murray had just one goal for Trail in 47 regular-season games, but managed to give his team the lead early in the third and seal it with an empty-netter in the final minutes. Like Salmon Arm, Trail will have to wait and see who there next opponent will be.
Nanaimo Clippers – 3
Alberni Valley Bulldogs – 2
Kyler Kovich had a goal and an assist and Jordan Naylor stopped 39 of 41 shots as the Nanaimo Clippers outlasted the Alberni Valley Bulldogs by a score of 3-2 to take a convincing 3-0 series lead. The Clippers got off to a hot start with goals from Liam Ryan and Kovich in the first and second period respectively, but the Bulldogs came to play in the third, testing Naylor with 21 shots in the final frame alone. Jackson Doucet was the first to beat the Nanaimo goalie with a goal early in the period, but Aiden Hansen-Bukata restored the two-goal Clipper lead with a tally of his own later in the frame. Dawson Tritt would get the Bulldogs close again with just over six to play, but they couldn’t beat Naylor to tie the game. Luke Pearson was also impressive in the Alberni net, facing 50 shots and making 47 saves in a losing effort. The Bulldogs will look to avoid the sweep in Game 4 on Thursday.
Vernon Vipers – 4
Wenatchee Wild – 2
Ryan Shostak, Connor Marritt and Dawson Holt each had two-point nights for the Vernon Vipers as they doubled up the Wenatchee Wild 4-2 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead. A pair of defencemen traded goals in the first period with Landon Fuller scoring for Vernon and Noah Lugli tallying for Wenatchee to make it 1-1 after one, but Matt Kowalski and Shostak each scored their second of the postseason in period two to make it 3-1 Vipers heading into the third. Nick Cafarelli scored for the Wild early in the frame, but Marritt sealed it with an empty-netter in the final minute to make it a 4-2 final. Vernon goalie Reilly Herbst made 24 saves to get the win.
Surrey Eagles – 5
Chilliwack Chiefs – 2
Thomas Scarfone stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced and the Surrey Eagles got five different goal scorers as they won Game 4 of their series 5-2 over the Chilliwack Chiefs to even things up 2-2. Gabe Schovanek scored his third of the postseason and Christian Fitzgerald got his first to give Surrey a 2-0 lead after one. Trevor Adams replied for Chilliwack in the second, but Owen Nolan and Buddy Johnson answered back for the Eagles to make it 4-1 heading to the third. Cade Alami added to the Surrey lead before Kyle Penney closed out the scoring for the Chiefs to make it a 5-2 final. Scarfone’s solid performance earned him first star of the game.
Powell River Kings – 3
Cowichan Valley Capitals – 0
Derek Krall stole the show in Game 3 of the Island Division semifinal, making 41 saves to earn the shutout in a 3-0 victory for the Powell River Kings over the Cowichan Valley Capitals to get their first win of the series. Devin Leduc got the scoring started for the Kings in the first period and Michael Abgrall and Jack Long added on in the second to give them the three-goal advantage. That would be all they would need as Cowichan was unable to solve the Powell River netminder. Zach Borgiel stopped 23 of 26 for the Capitals in a losing effort. The Kings will look to even the series in Game 4 tomorrow night.
