An early exit for the Saskatoon Blades means time to rest, reflect and figure out what went wrong for Squamish's Dalton Thrower and his teammates.
Thrower and the Blades were swept by the Medicine Hat Tigers in Round 1 of the WHL playoffs but will still get a shot at the Memorial Cup with Saskatoon hosting junior hockey's biggest tournament.
The Blades managed to score only four times in the sweep and were eliminated on March 27 with a 3-1 loss in Medicine Hat. Thrower and Co. will return to the ice for the Memorial Cup starting on May 16.
One Thrower remains alive in the playoffs, as Dalton's younger brother Josh Thrower and the Calgary Hitmen hold a 2-0 series lead over the Red Deer Rebels in Round 2 of the postseason.
Calgary picked up 4-2 and 2-1 wins at home ice on April 4 and 5, with the series continuing in Red Deer on Monday and Tuesday (April 8 and 9). Results of those games were unavailable at press time. If the Hitmen can pick up two more wins, they will advance to the WHL's final four.
Squamish's Brodyn Nielsen and the Chilliwack Chiefs are done after being swept by the Surrey Eagles in Round 2 of the BCHL playoffs, but in Manitoba two locals have helped their team qualify for the MJHL finals.
Goaltender Corey Koop and forward Brendan Hopkins have been key parts of the Steinbach Pistons' run to the finals in the MJHL. The Pistons upset the highly ranked Winnipeg Blues earlier this month to move on to the league finals against the Dauphin Kings.
As of press time, the Pistons trailed 1-0 in the best-of-seven series with Game 2 taking place on Monday night and Games 3 and 4 occurring on Wednesday (April 10) and Saturday (April 13), respectively. If Koop, Hopkins and the rest of the Pistons can advance, they will qualify for the Western Canada Cup tournament.
The Cyclone Cup in Comox is the next stop for Bret Higham and the Richmond Sockeyes after he and his teammates eliminated the Aldergrove Kodiaks to win the PJHL championship on March 26. The Cyclone Cup gets underway on Thursday (April 11) and lasts till Sunday (April 14).
Jarid Lukosevicius and Malik Kaila had a heartbreaking end to their major midget careers. The 麻豆社国产natives, who play for the Vancouver Northwest Giants, and their teammates were denied a trip to the National Midget tournament after losing 3-2 to the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs on Sunday (April 7).
The duo will now move on to the junior hockey ranks, with Lukosevicius having committed to the Powell River Kings of the BCHL for next season.
Stay tuned to The Chief for further updates on Squamish's junior hockey talent.
