It was never going to be easy, for either team, but it’s the 100 Mile House Wranglers which find themselves down two games to none in its hard-nosed playoff series with the Kamloops Storm, the cream of the crop in the Doug Birks Division.
Both games in the Round 2 match up were tight, however, with Kamloops etching out 1-0 and 3-1 wins on March 3 and March 2, respectfully.
It’s some of the most drawn-out physical hockey coach Dale Hladun as seen in his time in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
“The kids are just pounding Kamloops. It is frustrating the Storm. Right now, their experience is definitely working in their favour. But you can see they’re getting frustrated now.”
Heading into Games 3 and 4 in 100 Mile House, Hladun says the game plan is, simply, to stick to the game plan – knock bodies off the puck, and capitalize on more quality chances in the offensive zone.
“This will be a long series. We’re going to wear them down. We’re playing the defending Okanagan Shuswap Conference champions, and they don’t go down with one punch.”
It took nearly 50 minutes for Kamloops to get a puck past Wranglers MVP goalie Kristian Stead in Game 2. Rookie forward Alexander Buchanan notched the winner for the Storm at home in the third period. Stead faced 39 shots. The Wranglers fired 26 at Storm goalie Bailey De Palma, who earned the shutout and home team star of the game. Defenceman Jayden Syrota won star of the game for the Wranglers.
In Game 1, Michael Lynch put the Wranglers on the board first on the road in Kamloops, and 100 Mile House took a 1-0 lead into the second frame. But that’s where the Storm flipped the script.
The Storm notched three goals in the middle period, and shut the Wranglers out in the third, taking Game 1, 3-1.
100 Mile House managed 22 shots on goal, while Kamloops threw 39 at Stead, who took star of the game honours for the away team.
Micky Turner assisted on Lynch’s goal.
Game 3 is March 5 in 100 Mile House.
Game 4 is March 6 in 100 Mile House.
Game 5 (if necessary) is March 7 in Kamloops.
Game 6 (if necessary) is March 9 in 100 Mile House.
Game 7 (if necessary) is March 10 in Kamloops.
All games are 7 p.m. starts.
Defenceman Josh Odelein is expected to miss a few games with a shoulder injury.
“Fans are going to watch some terrific hockey,” Hladun says. “To our guys, [I’m saying], stay the course, you’re doing the right thing. A lot of times we want immediate results. But the results are there, we just can’t see it [yet]. We are wearing them down. We are a formidable foe. That’s why they make these best-of-seven series. It’s not a one game, winner take all.”
The Wranglers dispatched a dangerous Chase Heat team in Round 1 for a second straight year.
100 Mile House hammered the Heat in the last two games of their playoff series: 7-0 in Game 5 on Feb. 26 in Chase, and 7-2 in Game 6 in front of a packed, raucous South Cariboo Rec. Centre crowd on Feb. 27.
Coach Hladun says it was the physicality of the Wranglers which wore the Heat down throughout the series, which 100 Mile House won four games to two.
“We finish hits. All four lines. We have seven defenceman. We’ve got good goaltending. We might win a game, we might lose a game. But after a while, you saw Chase, they were physically getting pounded. They have high end skill that suddenly couldn’t show up as much.”
Game 6 was tight until the final period, where 100 Mile House erupted for five goals, remarkably clinching a playoff series in back-to-back years after joining the league in 2013-14.
The Wranglers and Storm met eight times in the regular season. Kamloops won three games and the Wranglers won five, with one game being defaulted to the local club because Kamloops had an ineligible player.
After beating Chase, Hladun admitted it was going to be a difficult, different series against Kamloops, an experienced club that plays on a larger ice surface.
However, Hladun adds he believes the Wranglers have the goaltending edge with starter Kristian Stead, who was named the team’s MVP this season.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the kids. And I think we’ve got way more to show.”
Syrota was named the Doug Birks Division’s top defenceman this season by the KIJHL.
