BCEHL PLAYOFF UPDATE - MARCH 27
For Immediate Release
March 27, 2024
Saanichton, B.C. - The final weekend of the BCEHL Playoffs have come to an end as the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers captured the Female U18 AAA Championship, and the Vancouver NE Chiefs took home the U18 AAA Championship. The Lakers' will now turn their attention to the Esso Cup, while the Chiefs continue their quest to the TELUS Cup as they now prepare for the Pacific Regional Championship.
Female U18 AAA
Congratulations to the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers, who were crowned BCEHL Female U18 Champions last weekend!
The best-of-three Female U18 Championship took place last weekend between the top-seeded Fraser Valley Rush and the second-seeded Thompson-Okanagan Lakers at Langley Twin Rinks.
Friday night saw the Fraser Valley Rush jump out to a 1-0 series lead, after a goal with 3:42 left in the third period from Hannah Dods gave her squad a 3-2 victory. In Game 2, the Lakers bounced back with a 1-0 victory, backed by a shutout from goaltender Reese Sliskovic. It all came down to Sunday's series-deciding Game 3, where goals from Lily Roberts and Emma Deleurme propelled the Lakers' to a 2-1 series win and the Female U18 Championship.
Thompson-Okanagan now has time to rest and recharge ahead of the 2024 Esso Cup. The Lakers' will welcome the top Female U18 AAA programs from across the country from April 21-27 at Kal Tire Place in Vernon.
Results
March 8-10 (Survivor Series - Best-of-Three)
- (5) Vancouver Island Seals vs. (4) Northern Capitals
The Vancouver Island Seals advanced with a 2-0 series win
March 15-17 (Semifinals - Best-of-Three)
- (1) Fraser Valley Rush vs. (5) Vancouver Island Seals
The Fraser Valley Rush advanced with a 2-0 series win
- (2) Thompson Okanagan Lakers vs. (3) Greater Vancouver Comets
The Thompson-Okanagan Lakers advanced with a 2-0 series win
March 22-24 (Championship - Best-of-Three)
- (1) Fraser Valley Rush vs. (2) Thompson-Okanagan Lakers
The Thompson-Okanagan Lakers defeated the Fraser Valley Rush with a 2-1 series win
U18 AAA
Congratulations to the Vancouver NE Chiefs who took home the BCEHL U18 Championship last weekend!
Burnaby's Scotia Barn played host to the best-of-three U18 Championship last weekend between the second-seeded Vancouver NE Chiefs and the fourth-seeded Okanagan Rockets.
In Game 1, the Chiefs found the back of the net early and often with three goals in the opening 10 minutes of the game on route to a 5-0 victory. With the championship trophy in the building, the Chiefs got the job done in Game 2 with a 4-1 victory and were crowned champions as forward James Eagle scored twice, including the game-winning goal in the second period.
The Chiefs now move on to the Pacific Regional Championship, a best-of-three series against the champions of the Alberta Elite Hockey League, the Calgary Buffaloes. They will hit the ice from April 5-7 at Scotia Barn. The series winner will then move on as the Pacific Region representatives at the 2024 TELUS Cup, Canada's National U18 AAA Championship, in Membertou, Nova Scotia from April 22-28.
Results
March 8-10 (Quarterfinals - Best-of-Three)
- (1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds vs. (8) Thompson Blazers
The Fraser Valley Thunderbirds advanced with a 2-0 series win
- (2) Vancouver NE Chiefs vs. (7) Greater Vancouver Canadians
The Vancouver NE Chiefs advanced with a 2-0 series win
- (3) Cariboo Cougars vs. (6) Vancouver NW Hawks
The Cariboo Cougars advanced with a 2-0 series win
- (4) Okanagan Rockets vs. (5) Valley West Giants
The Okanagan Rockets advanced with a 2-1 series win
March 15-17 (Semifinals - Best-of-Three)
- (1) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds vs. (4) Okanagan Rockets
The Okanagan Rockets advanced with a 2-0 series win
- (2) Vancouver NE Chiefs vs. (3) Cariboo Cougars
The Vancouver NE Chiefs advanced with a 2-1 series win
March 22-24 (Championship - Best-of-Three)
- (2) Vancouver NE Chiefs vs. (4) Okanagan Rockets
The Vancouver NE Chiefs defeated the Okanagan Rockets with a 2-0 series win
U17 AAA
Congratulations to the Okanagan Rockets on being crowned 2023-24 BCEHL U17 Champions!
The U17 Championship Final took place between the fourth-seeded Okanagan Rockets and eighth-seeded Thompson Blazers from March 15-17 in Kelowna.
The best-of-three series saw the Rockets claim Game 1, backed by a 27-save shutout from goaltender Tyson Adams. A three-point performance (2g-1a) from forward Keegan Sanders helped the Blazers storm back in Game 2 with a 5-2 victory. It came down to Sunday's series-deciding Game 3, where Okanagan ultimately hoisted the U17 Championship trophy with a 6-2 victory.
Results
March 1-3 (Quarterfinals - Best-of-Three)
- (1) Greater Vancouver Canadians vs. (8) Thompson Blazers
The Thompson Blazers advanced with a 2-0 series win
- (2) Vancouver NW Hawks vs. (7) Cariboo Cougars
The Vancouver NW Hawks advanced with a 2-1 series win
- (3) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds vs. (6) Vancouver NE Chiefs
The Fraser Valley Thunderbirds advanced with a 2-0 series win
- (4) Okanagan Rockets vs. (5) Valley West Giants
The Okanagan Rockets advanced with a 2-0 series win
March 8-10 (Semifinals - Best-of-Three)
- (2) Vancouver NW Hawks vs. (8) Thompson Blazers
The Thompson Blazers advanced with a 2-0 series win
- (3) Fraser Valley Thunderbirds vs. (4) Okanagan Rockets
The Okanagan Rockets advanced with a 2-1 series win
March 15-17 (Championship - Best-of-Three)
- (4) Okanagan Rockets vs. (8) Thompson Blazers
The Okanagan Rockets defeated the Thompson Blazers with a 2-1 series win
U15 AAA
Congratulations to the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds on capturing the BCEHL U15 Championship!
The U15 Championship took place at Langley Twin Rinks from February 29 - March 3. All nine teams skated in four round-robin games, followed by a single-elimination knockout stage, where eight teams were seeded based on the results of the round-robin stage. Sunday's championship final saw the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds take on the Thompson Blazers. A pair of goals from Jaemin Andy Kim helped the Thunderbirds to a 2-1 victory and the U15 Championship.
If you can’t make it out the games you can stream all BCEHL games live at: www.playfullscreen.com.
To stay up to date on everything going on in the BCEHL visit the website to view schedules, standings, stats, and scores: BCEHL.net, follow @BCEHL on X, @BCEHL_AAA on Instagram, and join the conversation by using #BCEHLAAAHOCKEY
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