The Aldergrove Kodiaks are one win away from moving into the second phase of the junior B hockey playoffs, after trouncing the Ridge Meadows Flames 8-2 Monday at Planet Ice.
The Kodiaks have now won three of four games played in the series and are aiming to clinch it on March 7 at Aldergrove Arena.
Aldergrove dominated on Monday, with three unanswered goals in the first, and two more in the second before the Flames notched one to make it 5-1 at the start of the third. The Flames got one more, before the Kodiaks scored three more, all on power plays, to end the game on an 8-2 final score.
Aldergrove outshot the Flames 52-18 and scored on four of 10 power plays, while the Flames failed on four power plays.
Kodiak Thomas Hardy earned the first star for his hat trick of three goals and an assist, while Robert Jang was second star for two assists.
Kodiaks Daniel Higgs, Brandon Potomak, Scott McHaffie, Stephen Ryan and Ryan Procyshyn each scored one goal apiece.
The Abbotsford Pilots have swept their series against Port Moody Black Panthers and will face the winner of the Kodiaks-Flames series.
In the other conference, Richmond Sockeyes have clinched their series against the North Vancouver Wolf Pack and North Delta Devils are up 3-1 against the Delta Ice Hawks.
Flames special teams burn Kodiaks
Goals 53 seconds apart — albeit in different periods — helped snap a 2-2 tie and send the Ridge Meadows Flames to victory in game three of their playoff series.
The Flames, were down 2-0 to the Aldergrove Kodiaks in the best-of-seven junior B playoff series, recorded a 5-2 victory on Friday night at Maple Ridge’s Planet Ice.
The Kodiaks had won 8-2 and 6-3 in the first two games of the series, which were both at the Aldergrove Arena.
Ridge Meadows used dominant special teams to get back in the series, scoring twice with the man advantage, and twice while short-handed, although the second one was into an empty net.
The Flames’ Marco Ballarin had the only goal of the first and Paul Piluso doubled the lead 8:37 into the second.
Scott McHaffie and Matthew Luongo scored 5:47 apart — the latter goal on the power play — to give the Kodiaks new life.
But with just 26 seconds to go before intermission, Keagan Hunter put Ridge Meadows ahead to stay.
Matthew Bissett made it 4-2 27 seconds into the third before Hunter scored into the empty net.
Kodiaks hold serve on home ice
A late second period goal from Spencer McHaffie — only two seconds remained before intermission — gave the Aldergrove Kodiaks the lead for good in game two of their playoff series.
McHaffie’s goal put the junior B hockey club up 3-2 after 40 minutes and the Kodiaks struck three more times in the third to defeat the Ridge Meadows Flames 6-3 on Wednesday night at the Aldergrove Arena.
Coupled with the Kodiaks’ 8-2 victory in game one, and Aldergrove jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Pacific International Junior Hockey League playoff series.
Twice in the game, the Flames took the lead, but both times, Aldergrove struck back.
Ridge Meadows’ Matthew Bissett opened the scoring 2:43 into the contest, but Colton Precourt pulled the home side on even terms with a goal late in the frame.
Reece Rivard again put the Flames up by a goal with a power play tally midway through the second.
Jordan Pughe tied the game with less than two minutes to go in the period and then McHaffie put the Kodiaks up for good.
In the third, Matthew Luongo and Matthew Lloyd scored 1:17 apart.
The Flames’ Adam Bartsch made it 5-3 before Pughe scored his second of the night.
Ryan Prosyshyn had three assists for the Kodiaks. Ross Baadsvik stopped 42 of the 45 shots he faced.