The BC Hockey League playoffs are underway and the Interior and Coastal Conference semifinals are set. Each of the top four seeds in each conference moved past the first round.
A few of the series followed a few patterns this post-season. For Salmon Arm and Wenatchee, the home team won all seven games. Between Chilliwack and Coquitlam, no team won back-to-back games, and for Prince George and Cranbrook, each team won two in a row.
Interior Conference
(1) Penticton Vees vs. (4) Prince George Spruce Kings
The Vees rectified their first-round playoff horrors from 2019 by defeating the Trail Smoke Eaters four games to one. The Smokies put some doubt in the Vees after taking game one in the first round, but the Vees showed their dominance by winning the next four in easy fashion.
The Vees will play Prince George in the second round. PG is the defending champion who defeated the Cranbrook Buck four games to two in round one. The Spruce Kings and Penticton split the season series with three wins apiece. This pairing could push a six or seven games series.
Prediction: Penticton in six
(2) Salmon Arm Silverbacks vs. (3) West Kelowna Warriors
The Warriors come into this tough matchup after dispatching the defending Interior Conference playoff champion Vernon Vipers in five games. West Kelowna has peaked at the right time, moving up the standings to finish third in the regular season standings.
The Silverbacks are coming off a tough first-round matchup with the Wenatchee Wild, winning the series in seven games. Travel played a factor in the series as the home team was victorious each time out. The Backs were the huge favourites in the series, but after going seven with Wenatchee, West Kelowna made the gap a lot closer.
The Warriors lost the season series to Salmon Arm 4-2, but anything can happen in the playoffs
Prediction: Silverbacks in seven.
Coastal Conference
(1) Alberni Valley Bulldogs vs. (4) Langley Rivermen
The Bulldogs were the first team into the conference semifinals by dispatching the eighth seeded Cowichan Valley Capitals in four straight games. The Dogs were heavy favorites and not a lot of people picked against them in that matchup.
Langley is making an appearance in the conference semis for the first time since 2014. The Rivermen were the best team in the Coastal Conference up until the final mouth of the season when they slipped to fourth. Langley tamed the Victoria Grizzlies in five games in the first round.
The Bulldogs and Rivermen is an intriguing matchup as the two teams fought for top spot in the conference for much of the season. Alberni Valley took the season series 3-1.
I can see this series going seven games as the Rivermen have already traveled to Vancouver Island for one series during this post-season.
Winner: Langley in seven games
(2) Chilliwack Chiefs vs. (3) Nanaimo Clippers
The Clippers defeated the Surrey Eagles in four games in the quarterfinals. It is the first time in six years Nanaimo has made it past the first round.
The Chiefs are probably the hottest team coming into the playoffs, winning their final five games of the season to move up to the second seed. They derailed the Coquitlam Express in seven in the first round.
Chilliwack meeting Nanaimo is a rematch of the 2000 and 2004 Coastal Conference semifinals. The Clippers and Chiefs have met in the playoffs six times with each team winning twice and then splitting getting out of the three-team round-robin in 2015 and 2016.
This year’s series will go either six or seven. The Chiefs won the season series 3-1 after a convincing 6-3 win in Nanaimo on Mar. 4.
Prediction: Chiefs in seven games
