For the second straight year the Chilliwack Chiefs will face the Coquitlam Express in round one of the playoffs.
Games one and two of the best of seven series go tonight (Friday) and Saturday in Chilliwack, with both games starting at 7 p.m.
On paper it’s a mismatch.
Over the course of the 58 game regular season, the Chiefs won 38, 16 more than the Express. They scored 249 goals, 68 more than Coquitlam. Defensively the Express allowed 239 goals. The Chiefs allowed 155.
Head to head it’s even more one sided.
The two teams faced each other seven times. Chilliwack won all seven, out-scoring the Express 47-19.
Individually the Chiefs top guns have put up ridiculous numbers in those seven games. Vimal Sukumaran scored eight times and added nine assists. Jordan Kawaguchi played in six of the games and scored ten goals and six assists. Jeremy Germain chipped in a goal and 11 assists.
The Express goaltenders struggled mightily against the Chiefs this season. In just over 80 minutes Tyger Howat, who may not be available due to injury, allowed ten goals. Lawson Fenton, who left Saturday’s game in Chilliwack with an injury allowed 27 goals in 252 minutes.
I don’t know what Coquitlam’s game plan will be.
All the numbers above prove that they cannot get into an exchange of scoring opportunities with the Chiefs. If they do, it will not go well for them.
Will they try and play it tough and intimidate the Chiefs?
They tried that here on Saturday night and failed miserably, losing the game 8-4 while coming out on the losing end of the majority of the physical battles they instigated.
I can’t see that working for them.
That leads me to believe they are going to have to go into a defensive shell and do whatever they can to limit the Chiefs offensive chances. With this game plan they would hope that implementing a few variations of the neutral zone trap will frustrate the Chiefs into turning the puck over which in turn would lead to more scoring chances for them.
We haven’t seen the Express do this against Chilliwack this year. Which is another reason it’s something they will likely consider doing.
Will whatever they do work? I doubt it but you never know.
Strange things happen in sports. I’m reaching way back into the archives for this example but nobody thought Chilliwack’s first BCHL team, the 1970-71 Bruins had a chance in their first round playoff series against the Victoria Cougars. The Bruins won just 12 of 60 regular season games and finished 59 points behind the Cougars.
Chilliwack won the series in seven games. It’s still the biggest playoff upset in BCHL history.
So don’t think the Express have no chance in this series. Barry Wolff is an excellent coach who will get the most out of his players.
I just don’t think it will be enough.
Chiefs in five
jb@chilliwackchiefs.net
