The results of a hugely successful 58 game regular season are in danger of being wiped out in less than a week.
A 5-0 loss to Langley in a BCHL playoff game Monday night has the regular-season champion Chilliwack Chiefs trailing 0-3 in their best-of-seven first round series, teetering on the edge of elimination.
They can thank Mark Gallant for most of that.
It was the Massachussetts native who scored the double overtime winner Saturday and lit the lamp three times in the first two games.
He took it to the next level in game four, scoring four goals. The 18 year old had the Rivermen staked to a 2-0 lead when Tuesday’s game was 11:28 old, and CJ Walker’s first of the postseason sent Langley to the break up 3-0.
Chilliwack goaltender Daniel Chenard was pulled after 20 minutes, giving up the three shots on just 10 shots.
Backup Nolan Hildebrand took over, and Gallant welcomed him to the net by scoring two more goals, giving him seven in the playoffs after he scored 10 in 56 regular season games.
Hildebrand was a busy guy for the rest of the game, facing 31 shots, but he kept the score from getting any worse.
Chilliwack made it too easy on his Langley counterpart.
Braedon Fleming had just 19 pucks to deal with, just six in the second and third periods, stopping them all for his first BCHL playoff shutout.
Fleming, Gallant and the Rivermen can end Chilliwack’s season tomorrow night when game four goes at the George Preston Arena.
Game time is 7:15 p.m.
