By Matthew Tanner (Resident Bruins Expert) – Email
The Chilliwack Bruins kept on rolling this past week, beating the Vancouver Giants twice and earning six of a possible eight points. The Bruins winning streak came to an end at a franchise record six games. While the winning streak is over, the Bruins still have points in their last nine games, going 7-0-2-0. Chilliwack now finds itself in a tie for fifth place in the standings with the Vancouver Giants.
The Bruins and Giants finished up their season series this past week with a pair of games in each other’s barn. The first game was a bit of a slobber-knocker in Vancouver with big physical checks and line brawls. The Bruins came out on top with a 2-0 win, in part thanks to the shutout performance by Chilliwack netminder Lucas Gore. Lucas was continuing his stellar play of late which earned him league-wide recognition as the CHL goaltender of the week.
The last game of the season between the two teams took place in Chilliwack, in front of a crowd of 4,193. The game started of with a bang for the hometown fans, as the Bruins were able to score four goals in just nine minutes and 51 seconds. The Giants made it interesting by netting a couple of their own, but it would not be enough to catch Chilliwack on this night. Chilliwack rolled onto its third win over the Giants in four games, with an 8-5 victory. This tied up the season series at 5-5.
The 8-5 victory over the Giants saw the Bruins clinch a playoff spot with four games to go. In the process Ryan Howse put himself, once again, into the Chilliwack Bruins record books. Ryan Howse, with his second goal of the game, became the first Chilliwack Bruin player to ever score 50 goals in a single season. Howse becomes the second player in the WHL this season to hit the 50 goal mark. The other is Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs who just reached the total himself the night before. Howse was, deservedly, the first star in the game, due to his four point (two goals, two assists) performance.
The Bruins finished out the week with a 3-2 overtime loss vs. The Kelowna Rockets. The Bruins lost in heartbreaking fashion, giving up the winning goal with a mere seven seconds remaining in the overtime period. Although they only managed the single point, it was an extremely important one, which drew Chilliwack into a 71-point tie for fifth place with Vancouver.
With only three games remaining, the playoff picture is still anybody’s guess, though there are some certainties. The Bruins could only play one of three teams in the first round of the playoffs. The Kelowna Rockets, who the Bruins have played quite well against, are the least likely team they will face. The other two teams they could meet in the first round, the Tri City Americans and the Spokane Chiefs, play the Bruins later this week.
The Bruins regular season ends this Saturday, March 19, with a home game versus the Everett Silvertips.
