The 100 Mile House Wranglers dispatched a dangerous Chase Heat team in Round 1 for a second straight year, and set themselves up for another crack in Round 2 at the powerhouse in the Doug Birks Division – the Kamloops Storm.
The Wranglers hammered the Heat in the last two games of their Kootenay International Junior Hockey League playoff series: 7-0 in Game 5 on Feb. 26 in Chase and 7-2 in Game 6 in front of a packed, raucous South Cariboo Rec. Centre crowd on Feb. 27.
Coach Dale Hladun says it was the physicality of the Wranglers which wore the Heat down throughout the series, which 100 Mile House won four games to two.
“We finish hits. All four lines. We have seven defenceman. We’ve got good goaltending. We might win a game, we might lose a game. But after a while, you saw Chase, they were physically getting pounded. They have high end skill that suddenly couldn’t show up as much.”
Game 6 was tight until the final period, where 100 Mile House erupted for five goals, clinching a playoff series in back to back years after joining the league in 2013-14.
Tavis Roch, Tyler Garcia, Justin Bond (2), Micky Turner, Cole Weber and Cole Zimmerman scored for 100 Mile House. Roch, Brady Ward, Jayden Syrota, Michael Lynch (2), Austin Turner, M. Turner, Josh Odelein and Nick McCabe (2) tallied assists.
Kristian Stead made 35 saves.
The Wranglers start Round 2 in Kamloops in Game 1 on March 2.
Game 2 is March 3 in Kamloops.
Game 3 is March 5 in 100 Mile House.
Game 4 is March 6 in 100 Mile House.
Game 5 (if necessary) is March 7 in Kamloops.
Game 6 (if necessary) is March 9 in 100 Mile House.
Game 7 (if necessary) is March 10 in Kamloops.
Tickets are on sale at the 100 Mile House Wranglers office at the South Cariboo Rec. Centre starting March 2.
The Wranglers and Storm met eight times in the regular season. Kamloops won three games and the Wranglers won five, with one game being defaulted to the local club because Kamloops had an ineligible player in the lineup.
Hladun admits it's going to be a difficult, different series against Kamloops, an experienced club that plays on a larger ice surface.
However, Hladun adds he believes the Wranglers have the goaltending edge with starter Kristian Stead, who was named the team's MVP this season.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the kids. And I think we’ve got way more to show.”
