Both the Chilliwack Alpines and Surrey River Dogs debut facing each other on Oct 2 and Oct 3, 1981, as part of the home and home games between both teams. The crowds in both towns have jam-packed the arenas so well that there are talks that some businessman around the B.C. area wants to have a team in their own town. In an interview with James Name, there are talks but have no plans for expansion until the 1983 off-season.
The Lethbridge Cougars top both the west division and the whole league for the second season in a row with a crop of youth that are hungry for wins and show great results, lead by Jack Burk, who really stepped up as the captain of the team just like Cliff Burns in the late 70s. “This the year we will win both the Jade Trophy and the Valor Cup; we got this lock on.” Cougars head coach Edward Smith said at the press conference. Fans in Billings are seeing great results as they put together the right players to make the winning team and finished 2nd place, hoping for a deep run in the playoffs. After two years of missing the playoffs, the Hawks are back in it thanks to their new number 1 goalie Sam Abbot who made 26 wins out of 35 games this season; 6 of them were shutouts was good enough for Medicine Hat Hawks to finish 3rd place. Finished 4th place was the Abbotsford Forest Kings despite losing some of their top stars who led the team in winning the Valor Cup two seasons ago, but they still got some good players in their roster that helped them earn 57 points and head into the playoffs. The Nanaimo Sharks finished 5th place, with lots of players leaving the Nanaimo Sharks ranging from pros to Euros leagues and with more players set to leave after this season, the Sharks would start the rebuild from the ground up. Rounding off 6th and 7th place are the new teams, the Surrey River Dogs and the Chilliwack Alpines.
The Kenora Pioneers top the east division for the third season in a row, and there is no slowing down for this team as they will try to get back into the Jade trophy title picture after getting eliminated from the playoffs last season. For the second time in a row, the Battalion finished 2nd with 3 wins more this season than last season; their scoring improved more than last season, and hope this season will be the one that will lead them to the Jade trophy finals. Taking 3rd place for the second season in a row is the Portage la Prairie Magic, as their goal come playoff time is getting their first playoff win after getting swept last year; they are hoping for a better run this time around, from finishing 4th place in the west division last season to finishing 4th place in the east division as the Moose Jaw Wings won 15 of their last 20 games of this season. The Buffalos had a rough season after many players left the team during the off-season, losing 15 of their first 25 games, showing no chance of heading back to the playoffs. Taking 6th was the Fargo Owls, and the Saskatoon Cats took 7th place in the division and rock bottom overall again.
The playoffs are set; the 1st place west division and defending Jade Trophy champions Lethbridge Cougars take on the 4th place east division Moose Jaw Wings. 1st place east division Kenora Pioneers battles 4th place west division Abbotsford Forest Kings in a rematch from last season’s semi-finals. 2nd place west division Billings Trains faces 3rd place east division Portage la Prairie Magic in a battle of the 1978 established club. Finally, the 2nd place east division Swift Current Battalion battles 3rd place west division Medicine Hat Hawks.
No comments:
Post a Comment