B.C. Division Update

The month of February has come and gone. Western Hockey League teams are bearing down on playoff spots, with some jockeying for position still destined to be a big part of the March schedule.

The 68-game schedule is coming to an end and the B.C. Division standings provide only a pair of absolutes. The Vancouver Giants are top dogs and the Prince George Cougars will again be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

We’ve tossed in another couple of items this time around – each team’s record when leading after two periods and their records when trailing after 40 minutes. It’s pretty apparent that the potentially playoff bound teams in the BC Division are great front runners. However, none seems to be a threat to rally from behind for victory.

Here we go, from worst to first – but let’s start by looking ahead to the playoffs!

THE RACE TO THE POST-SEASON
It seems highly unlikely the Kelowna Rockets will track down the Victoria Royals for second place in the B.C. Division. Both teams have eight games to play and the Royals are nine points ahead.

If second place is not already nailed down by the Royals, a sweep of the Cougars in Victoria this weekend probably gets it done. The Royals will play in the post-season.

The Rockets and Blazers have some unfinished business to tend to.

While Kelowna can’t seem to shake Kamloops, the Blazers can’t seem to catch Kelowna. The Rockets have to win to protect its five-point lead on the Blazers for third place. Kelowna would appear to have the tougher schedule down the stretch. Can they muster a .500 record the rest of the way? Will that be enough to hold off Kamloops?

Regardless, it says here the team that finishes in third place in the B.C. Division will have a legitimate chance to win that first round playoff series.

Prince George Cougars (17-37-5-3…42 points)
Games remaining: 6
Divisional games: 4
Kelowna: 0; Victoria: 2; Kamloops: 2 Vancouver: 0.

February Record: 1-10-2-1

Record when leading after two periods: 13-1-2-1.
Record when trailing after two periods: 1-31-2.

Average Home Attendance: 2,569 in 31 games.

Done. Like. Dinner.

A somewhat tumultuous season in Prince George is coming to and end. Mired in a 17-game losing streak during the second half of the season, the Cougars simply did not have the tools required to reel in its division rivals.

The only realistic playoff position Prince George had in sight was a third-place finish in the B.C. Division and the team’s early season success against the Kelowna Rockets may have given supporters some hope that a post-season berth could evolve. In fact, the Cougars went 6-3 against Kelowna this season, which is certainly a triumph for an organization that has languished in head-to-head meeting between the two clubs for many years.

General manager Mark Lamb took over behind the bench a few weeks ago and will be heavily involved with the brain trust in the coming months to inject renewed energy and enthusiasm into the dressing room and the fan base. There are youngsters waiting in the wings to contribute in the WHL and the Cougars are stacked with high selections in upcoming WHL Bantam drafts.

Offence has been hard to come by in PG this season, as Vlad Mikhalchuk leads the way with 43 points in 61 games. Josh Maser leads the Cats with 26 goals, while defencemen Cole Moberg (11-24; 35) and Ryan Schoettler (4-26; 30) have contributed from the backend. Goaltender Taylor Gauthier has been brilliant, posting a 3.19 goals against average in 48 appearances.

The Cougars certainly have an opportunity to finish with a flurry, as its four divisional games can have an enormous impact on the playoff seeding in the Western Conference and indeed, the B.C. Division.

Kamloops Blazers (23-29-4-2…52 points)
Games remaining: 10
Divisional games: 8
Prince George: 2; Victoria: 1; Kelowna: 2; Vancouver: 3.

February Record: 4-4-1-1.

Record when leading after two periods: 16-1-0-1.
Record when training after two periods: 5-21-0-1.

Average Home Attendance: 4,048 in 27 games.

Kamloops can control its playoff fate with a successful run these next couple of weeks. In fact, Kamloops will play seven of its final 10 games at the Sandman Centre.

For the Blazers, it’s simple. Really.

Just knock off the Rockets in both games of a weekend doubleheader (March 8 & 9) and win each of its two games in hand on Kelowna. That would be a huge step toward a sneaking into the post-season. While a third-place finish in its division and a date with the Victoria Royals in the first round might seem unlikely, it’s very do-able.

Include a win over the Seattle this weekend and the Blazers could also make the Thunderbirds sweat in the hunt for the final wild-card berth.

Unfortunately, the Blazers have not shown a propensity to create much of a winning streak during the second half of the season. The B.C. Division has arguably been the weakest in the WHL this season and the consistently inconsistent Blazers have contributed to the evidence.

New head coach Serge Lajoie has endured the struggles offensively in Kamloops, although, much like Prince George, there are youngsters waiting in the wings to excel against their respective age classes in the coming seasons. A strong push through the March portion of the schedule may produce some much-needed confidence.

Goaltender Dylan Ferguson, 20, has appeared in 46 games this season and will have to be at his absolute best the rest of the way. Zane Franklin, now 20, has been an offensive catalyst this season with 26 goals and 33 assists in 58 games. Connor Zary, who will celebrate his 19th birthday in August, is providing a glimpse of his offensive potential, collecting 52 points in 53 games.

Waiting in the wings for a full-time gig with the Blazers is Logan Stankoven, a local product lighting up the BC Major Midget League this season as a member of the Thompson Blazers with 45 goals and 46 assists in 34 games.

Kamloops appears as healthy physically as it has been all season, ensuring a full roster should be available down the stretch.

Kelowna Rockets (26-29-4-1…59 points)
Games remaining: 8.
Divisional games: 5.
Prince George: 0; Victoria: 0; Kamloops: 2; Vancouver: 3.

February Record: 6-4

Record when leading after two periods: 19-1-1-1.
Record when trailing after two periods: 2-24-2.

Average Home Attendance: 4,758 in 29 games.

There is trepidation among the fan base in Kelowna as the Rockets are not assured a playoff position at the 60-game mark of the regular season. Since arriving in Kelowna, the Rockets have made it a habit to play in the post-season, missing the playoffs only once (2006-07).

An early season coaching change, with the team off to a brutal 4-10 start, has yielded some success, as Adam Foote has stepped in and brought energy to the head coach position. However, it’s about more than that – winning – which is what the organization and its supporters expect.

The Rockets embark on a busy three-game weekend against the Vancouver Giants in Langley, then a pair of games at home against the Portland Winterhawks. With its playoff fate in its own hands, Kelowna has been dealt a tough mountain to climb with six of its last eight games against teams with vastly superior records. Indeed, a couple of regulation victories could make the playoff picture much clearer by the end of the weekend, but it’s fair to say this edition of the Rockets has not done anything the easy way this season.

The Rockets are 13-15-2-1 against B.C. Division teams, an uncharacteristic standard for an organization that has feasted on divisional rivals for much of the last decade. The weekend doubleheader against the Kamloops Blazers next weekend may be the tell-tale with post-season aspirations in mind.

Kyle Topping (21-41; 62), Leif Mattson (21-37; 58) and Kaden Korczak (3-23; 26) are the only Rockets to have played in each of the team’s 60 games this season. Nolan Foote (31-22; 53) leads the team in goal scoring, while import Lassi Thomson (16-22; 38) leads the WHL in scoring among rookie defencemen.

The return of Liam Kindree last week from a broken nose and power-forward Ted Brennan is very welcome to a roster that has included affiliate players on many occasions during the second half of the season.

Victoria Royals (31-25-2-2…66 points)
Games remaining: 8.
Divisional games: 3.
Prince George: 2; Kamloops: 1; Kelowna: 0; Vancouver: 0.

February Record: 7-6-1

Record when leading after two periods: 23-1.
Record when trailing after two periods: 0-23-1.

Average Home Attendance: 4,699 in 31 games.

Victoria has created enough of a gap ahead of the Rockets that should result in home-ice advantage during the first round of the playoffs. However, the question remains – are the Royals a shoo-in to knock off the B.C. Division third place finisher?

The Royals have received an efficient “scoring by committee” contribution this season and arguably possess the top goaltender among the teams chasing the B.C. Division teams front-running Vancouver Giants.

With only three games remaining against divisional foes – including two against Prince George – the Royals do have a tough run against teams from the U.S. Division. In addition to the traditional season-ending home-and-home duel with the Everett Silvertips, Victoria will play three games in four nights at Tri-City, Seattle and Spokane on the same weekend Kelowna and Kamloops meet. Each of the Washington State-based playoff teams is ahead of the Royals in the conference standings.

Kaid Oliver, 19, has had a breakout season offensively with 27 goals and 22 assists in 58 games. Defenceman Scott Walford, a Montreal Canadiens, prospect has also been productive with nine goals and 37 assists, the best numbers of his four-year career on the Island. Griffen Outhouse has had a lighter workload this season, appearing in 43 games, but he remains the anchor for a club that will need great goaltending to push the top Western Conference teams in the playoffs.

The injury bug has played a role in Victoria and just as veteran defenceman Ralph Jarrett returns to the lineup, Oliver is listed as week-to-week.

Vancouver Giants (41-14-2-2…85 points)
Games remaining: 9.
Divisional games: 6.
Prince George: 0; Kamloops: 3; Kelowna: 3; Victoria: 0.

February Record: 7-3-0-1

Record when leading after two periods: 26-1.
Record when trailing after two periods: 4-11-1-2.

Average Home Attendance: 3,785 in 31 games.

Vancouver is playing out the string, not as a perennial cellar-dweller, but firmly in control of the B.C. Division with a 19-point lead on the second place Royals.

It has been a successful campaign for general manager Barclay Parneta and head coach Michael Dyck during their first season with the team. The veteran core has been productive all season long and the roster has been flush with top producers from the goal crease and out.

Destined to clash with one of the Western Conference wild-card qualifiers in the first round of the playoffs, it is very likely the opponent will be a strong representative from the U.S Division. A post-season preview may surface soon as the Giants visit Tri-City, Seattle and Spokane in March.

Defenceman Bowen Byram, 17, has produced “worth the price of admission” play all season, collecting 59 points in 59 games. Import forward Milos Roman, a Calgary Flames prospect, has remained healthy, contributing 15 of his 23 goals on the power play. Trent Miner and David Tendeck are the best goaltending tandem in the WHL.

Injuries have entered the picture of late, but the Giants have earned the luxury of resting players as well.