Chilliwack Chiefs Captain Jordan Kawaguchi leads the BCHL Playoff scoring race with 12 goals and 28 points in 16 games played. (Garrett James photo)

The stage is set for the 2017 Fred Page Cup Finals opening Friday night in Chilliwack as the host Chiefs are set to take on the PentictonVees. The Chiefs receive home ice as they finished the regular season with 88 points while Penticton finished with 86. With Penticton playing host to the Western Canada Cup, they received an automatic berth, while Chilliwack also earned a spot as the BCHL representative no matter the outcome of the Fred Page Cup Finals.

The Penticton Vees went the distance with rival the Vernon Vipers in the Interior Division Finals, ultimately outlasting the Vipers in seven games. It was the third time in four years the two teams needed a do-or-die Game 7 to determine the Interior Division Championship. For the Vees, it was the second straight series going seven games as they eliminated Merritt in the second round. It came as no surprise that these two evenly matched teams went to seven games. Leading up to the final game, the two teams matched up a total of 13 times and each came out with a 6-6-1 record, with Penticton scoring 33 goals and Vernon scoring 34.

It was a very even series that saw tough battles every game and good goaltending at both ends from the Vees' Mathew Robson and Viper goalie Darion Hanson. Captain Nicholas Jones led the way for the Vees, scoring two goals and seven points in the series while Vernon was led by Jesse Lansdell who had four goals and eight points in the series.

The series concluded in front of a loud, boisterous crowd of 4,033 fans at the South Okanagan Events Centre. 

In the Mainland vs. Island Division Championships, Captain Jordan Kawaguchi led Chilliwack to a six-game series win over the Victoria Grizzlies. Kawaguchi earned five goals and 13 points in the six games, highlighted by six assists in Game 1 and a hat trick in Game 3. Goaltender Mark Sinclair finished the series with a 12-4 record in the playoffs and stole many scoring chances away from Victoria throughout the series. Kawaguchi leads the BCHL playoff scoring race with 12 goals and 28 points in 16 games. 

The Grizzlies couldn’t seem to get going in Game 6 after outlasting the Chiefs in Game 5 by winning in overtime to force Game 6. The Grizzlies threw everything they could at Sinclair and did manage two goals in 25 shots, but it was no match for the Chiefs’ 4. Victoria was led by overage forward Cole Pickup in the playoffs who was a point per game player notching seven goals and 18 points in 18 games.

The best-of-seven Fred Page Cup begins Friday night in Chilliwack and Game 2 is set for Saturday night at Prospera Centre before both teams travel 316 kilometres northeast to Penticton for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. If necessary, Game 5 will take place on April 22 in Chilliwack, Game 6 in Penticton on April 24 and Game 7 would be April 25 in Chilliwack. All games behave a 7:00pm puck drop.

The Western Canada Cup is April 29 to May 7 in Penticton at the South Okanagan Events Centre and will host the BCHL, AJHL, SJHL & MJHL champions, along with host Penticton Vees.