BCEHL PLAYOFF UPDATE - PACIFIC REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
For Immediate Release
Saanichton, B.C. - A pair of BCEHL champions will face off against the Alberta champions in the Pacific Regional Championships this weekend! The Female U18 league’s Greater Vancouver Comets and the U18 league’s Okanagan Rockets both look to punch their tickets to their respective national championships.
Female U18 AAA
The Female U18 champions Greater Vancouver Comets head to Red Deer, AB this weekend to face-off against the Alberta Female Hockey League Champion Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs with a berth to the Esso Cup, the U18 Women's National Club Championship, on the line.
The Comets earned their way to the Pacific Regional Championships two weeks ago when they came back from a 1-0 series deficit to the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers by winning two straight elimination games to take the best-of-three series two games to one. Greater Vancouver has now earned back-to-back BCEHL championships, and are looking to advance to the Esso Cup for the first time in the club’s history. Last year, the Comets lost to the eventual National Champion Edmonton Jr. Oilers in the Pacific Regional, and in their previous three trips (2016-2019) they lost the Pacific Regional to the St. Albert Slash who would also go on to win three straight national championships.
The Chiefs earned their way to the Pacific Regionals Championship after finishing fourth in league standings with a 18-8-1-1 record good for 54 points. The Chiefs swept the fifth-seeded Calgary Fire Black in their first round playoff series two games to none. The Chiefs would then face the defending national champions and top-seeded Edmonton Jr. Oilers White in the second round of the playoffs. The best-of-three series went the distance. The Chiefs took a 1-0 series lead when Taylor Wasylchew hit pay dirt in the fifth round of the shootout for the 2-1 Red Deer victory. The Oilers White would bounce back in Game 2 with a 2-0 victory setting up the third and deciding game. Edmonton led 1-0 after 40 minutes, but Red Deer came out with an offensive explosion in the third period tallying four goals to topple the Oilers White and punch their ticket to the AFHL championship series. Netminder Brylee Hull was outstanding across the three games stopping 113 of 118 shots. Edmonton almost doubled Red Deer in shots over the three games as they amassed 118 shots to 63 for the Chiefs.
In the league finals, the Chiefs would battle the second-seeded St. Albert Slash in a series that would go the full three games. Red Deer trailed 2-1 after the opening period of Game 1, but again would come back to tie the game in the second before scoring another three goals in the third to take the contest by a 5-2 score. Hull would again stand tall in the Red Deer net allowing two goals on 41 shots. Things tightened up in Game 2 as St. Albert would even the series with a 2-1 overtime win. The deciding game would, again, be a tight scoring affair. The Chiefs held a 1-0 lead until the 7:40 mark of the second period when the Slash would tie the contest, but less than a minute later, Olivia Stewart would score the eventual series clinching goal. The Chiefs would add an empty netter for the 3-1 win to earn the AFHL Championship. Hull again was outstanding stopping 94 of 99 shots during the championship series. Jensyn Stephenson was the top scorer during the playoffs for Red Deer as she notched six points (2g-4a) in eight games. Hull started seven of the Chiefs' eight games and earned a 1.52 GAA and a .955 save percentage. The Chiefs will look to play in their second Esso Cup. In 2015, Red Deer hosted the National Championship and they earned a silver medal as the host team.
Pacific Regional Championships - Best-of-Three - Red Deer, AB
Fri, April 3 - 4:00 p.m. PT
Sat, April 4 - 3:00 p.m. PT
Sun, April 5 - 10:00 a.m. PT (if necessary)
Visit the AFHL website for full schedule and score updates.
U18 AAA
The U18 champion Okanagan Rockets will host their 2026 Pacific Regional Championship in Kelowna this weekend. The Rockets will battle the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) Champions, the Edmonton Jr. Oilers Blue in the best-of-three championship with a berth in the TELUS Cup, the Men's U18 National Club Championship, at stake.
The Rockets laid claim as top dog in the BCEHL two weeks ago when they finished an undefeated run through the playoffs by sweeping the Thompson Blazers in the best-of-three final while outscoring Thompson 17-3. Over their six playoff wins they outscored their opponents 30-10. With this championship, the Rockets now can lay claim to being back-to-back BCEHL U18 champions. Okanagan will look to replicate the success they had last year when they defeated the NW Calgary Flames two games to one in their best-of-three Pacific Regional. The Rockets have two appearances at the TELUS Cup, including last year. In 2013-14, the team earned the bronze medal.
The Edmonton Jr. Oilers Blue were the top team in the AEHL this year as they earned a 29-6-0-2 record for 61 points. As the top finisher in the AEHL’s North Division, the Oilers Blue earned a first round bye. The squad’s first taste of playoff action came in the Division Semifinal versus the Sherwood Park Athletic Club Ennis Kings. Edmonton jumped out to a 3-0 lead in Game 1 before skating to a 4-1 victory. Game 2 would prove to be a little more troublesome, as it would take overtime for the Oilers Blue to dispatch of the Kings 4-3 and to sweep the series two games to none.
The Division Finals would see the Oilers Blue take on the Fort Saskatchewan Strike Group Rangers in the best-of-five series. The Rangers dominated Game 1 as they skated to a 3-0 victory, and then were able to hold off the Oilers Blue in Game 2 by a 3-2 score, which gave them a commanding 2-0 series lead. The Oilers Blue would bounce back as they took Game 3 by a 6-3 score. Edmonton would knot the series at 2-2 when Eric Ripka found the back of the net with 39 seconds remaining in regulation play to help the Oilers Blue eke out a 3-2 victory. Edmonton came into the fifth and final game and blew the doors off the arena as the scored eight straight goals to take the contest 8-1.
The victory moved the Oilers Blue into the AEHL final where they would meet the South Division champion Calgary Northstars. Calgary also came into the finals after overcoming a 2-0 series deficit in the South Division Final. The Oilers Blue would land the first couple of blows in the championship final with wins in Games 1 and 2 by 6-2 and 3-2 scores, respectively. The Northstars would bounce back, as they had done in the South Final, and would take Games 3 and 4 by 4-2 and 3-1 scores to knot the series 2-2. It would take a fifth and final game to decide the champion in the AEHL. Edmonton would take a 1-0 lead into the third period of Game 5, and it would be extended to 2-0 when Carter Muench lit the lamp with 2:57 left in the third period. The Northstars would strike back 41 seconds later, but were unable to get any closer as the Oilers Blue held on for the 2-1 win as they took home their first ever AEHL Championship. Edmonton was led offensively by Memphis Adeniken during the AEHL playoffs as he tallied 2g-10a=12 points. Goaltender Ethan Berard played all 12 games for the Oilers Blue as he compiled a 2.08 goals against average and a .938 save percentage while earning an 8-4 record. This will be the Oilers Blue's first ever trip to the Pacific Regional Championships.
Pacific Regional Championships - Best-of-Three - Kelowna, B.C.
Fri, April 3 - 6:00 p.m. PT
Sat, April 4 - 6:00 p.m. PT
Sun, April 5 - 1:00 p.m. PT (if necessary)
Click HERE for full schedule and score updates.
U17 AAA
The second-seeded Vancouver NE Chiefs took down the top-seeded Vancouver North West Hawks in the U17 championship. The Chiefs swept their way to the league crown with an overtime win in Game 1 and a clear victory in Game 2 to take the best-of-three by a 2-0 count. This is the organization’s first ever U17 championship.
U15 AAA
The Okanagan Rockets were crowned the BCEHL U15 champions on March 1st at the league’s playoff tournament. The Rockets had been the league’s top team all season having earned a 27-3-0-0 record in the regular season as well as a 6-0 record during the league’s championship tournament. With the victory, the Rockets become the U15 league’s first ever back-to-back champions.
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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