The BC Hockey League is well on its way to the 2022-23 season. On June 9, the BCHL released its full schedule for all 18 teams. With this article, I’ll break down the Chilliwack Chiefs schedule from significant matchups to the number of games against each team.
Important Dates
The Chiefs open up their 2022-23 campaign against a familiar opponent – the Langley Rivermen. It’s Langley’s home opener on Sept. 23. Chilliwack hosts Merritt in its home opener on Oct. 1.
The Chiefs have a three-week road trip where, on three consecutive weekends, they travel to Vancouver Island twice as well as into the Interior. On the first trip to the Island on Oct. 21 and 22, the Chiefs play the Cowichan Valley Capitals and Victoria Grizzlies. On the second trip on Oct. 28 and 29, the Chiefs play Victoria again and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Chilliwack finishes the third leg of the road trip in Salmon Arm and Vernon on Nov. 4 and 5, respectively.
The Chiefs have their 2022 playoff opponents visit the Chilliwack Coliseum early in the season. The Coquitlam Express arrives at the “new barn” on Oct. 14 for its first visit since game seven of the first round of the BCHL playoffs. The Fred Page Cup finalist Nanaimo Clippers sail into the Coliseum on Nov. 19. Earlier this spring, the Clippers swept the Chiefs in the second round of the playoffs.
The Chiefs play every team in the BCHL next season, barring any other big delays like we saw last season, which means the first game against the BCHL’s newest team from Cranbrook. The Bucks play their first game against the Chiefs on Jan. 7. It’s the first time since April 1995 that a Cranbrook junior A team faces the Chiefs. The last time was when the Cranbrook Colts played the Chiefs in the 1995 Mowat Cup finals.
Teams by the numbers
Coastal Conference
Alberni Valley Bulldogs: two home, two away
Coquitlam Express: four home, four away
Cowichan Valley Capitals: two home, two away
Langley Rivermen: four home, four away
Nanaimo Clippers: two home, two away
Powell River Kings: two home, two away
Surrey Eagles: four home, four away
Victoria Grizzlies: two home, two away
Interior Conference
Cranbrook Bucks: one home
Merritt Centennials: one home
Penticton Vees: no games
Prince George Spruce Kings: one home
Salmon Arm Silverbacks: one away
Trail Smoke Eaters: one away
Vernon Vipers: one away
Wenatchee Wild: one away
West Kelowna Warriors: one home
The Chiefs will also play a pair of games during the BCHL Showcase to bring their season total to 54 games. The league hasn’t released the Showcase match-ups yet, but one big omission from the Chiefs 2022-23 schedule is a game against the defending champion Penticton Vees.
The Vees are the only team the Chiefs aren’t scheduled to play during the season, but I’d expect one of those games at the BCHL Showcase to be against Penticton and the other against a Vancouver Island-based team.
