BURNABY, B.C. – The 2022 Shaw BCHL Playoffs start tonight as the league begins its first postseason in two years with 16 teams competing for the Fred Page Cup.
The playoffs open up with the Penticton Vees hosting the Trail Smoke Eaters tonight in Game 1 of their Interior Conference quarterfinal, before the other seven series begin this weekend.
“We are thrilled to be back playing playoff hockey again,” said BCHL Deputy Commissioner Steven Cocker. “It’s been a long couple of years since our last postseason series and our players and fans have been through a lot. We can’t wait to get things started tonight and to showcase the best our league and our game has to offer.”
The last time the BCHL played playoff hockey was Mar. 8, 2020 when the Surrey Eagles defeated the Chilliwack Chiefs 3-2 in Game 7 of their first-round series. The league was forced to shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic less than a week later.
With two cancelled playoffs in a row, the BCHL has not awarded a league champion since 2019 when the Prince George Spruce Kings went 16-1 through the postseason to win their first Fred Page Cup in team history.
Matchups
Interior Conference:
#1 Penticton Vees vs. #8 Trail Smoke Eaters
#2 Salmon Arm Silverbacks vs. #7 Wenatchee Wild
#3 West Kelowna Warriors vs. #6 Vernon Vipers
#4 Prince George Spruce Kings vs. #5 Cranbrook Bucks
Click here to view the Interior Conference Playoff Preview.
Coastal Conference:
#1 Alberni Valley Bulldogs vs. #8 Cowichan Valley Capitals
#2 Chilliwack Chiefs vs. #7 Coquitlam Express
#3 Nanaimo Clippers vs. #6 Surrey Eagles
#4 Langley Rivermen vs. #5 Victoria Grizzlies
Click here to view the Coastal Conference Playoff Preview.
+++
Click here to view the full Shaw BCHL Playoffs schedule.
Click here to buy playoff tickets.
-30-
About the BCHL:
Sending more players on to college hockey every season than any other hockey league in Canada, the BCHL has established itself as a national leader in the development of young student athletes. Considering today’s NHL features more NCAA alumni than ever before, Junior A hockey is fast rivaling other leagues in North America as a breeding ground for the sport’s most elite and successful players. In 2019-20 alone, there were 196 BCHL players who received scholarships to top schools in the U.S. and Canada.
