The historical imbalance is striking. The Penticton Vees are making their 23rd appearance in the sa国际传媒 Hockey League championship series and looking for their 13th Fred Page Cup title. They are the defending champions after sweeping the Nanaimo Clippers 4-0 in games in last year’s league final.
The upstart Alberni Valley Bulldogs, meanwhile, are in the final for the first time since the franchise was founded as the Burnaby Bulldogs in 1998-99 before moving to Port Alberni in 2002-03.
The series opens tonight and Saturday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. The third and fourth games, Tuesday and Wednesday at the Alberni Valley Multiplex, sold out in just over two hours as the Bulldogs have captured the imagination of the valley.
The Vees have been nearly unstoppable and are 12-1 in the playoffs after going 50-3-1 in the regular season as the Interior Division and overall league top seed. The Bulldogs were the third seed in the Coastal Division and slayed the Victoria Grizzlies, Surrey Eagles and Chilliwack Chiefs in the conference playoffs.
The Vees are led by BCHL MVP Bradley Nadeau, ranked 17th among North American skaters for this year’s NHL draft and with 30 points in 13 playoff games, and brother Josh Nadeau, with 28 post-season points.
“Much of their offensive runs through them [Nadeau brothers],” said Bulldogs head coach Joe Martin. “We know from their statistics what they can do and expect them to have good nights. We have to keep them from having great nights.”
Yet, every quality team also has depth.
“There’s quality behind them [Nadeau brothers], too,” warned Martin.
Indeed, the Vees have a whopping 19 players committed to NCAA Div. 1 schools, including the Nadeau siblings to the University of Maine Black Bears.
“The Vees are elite with the puck. But we can’t sit back and be too defensive,” said Martin.
“We need pushback. It all comes down to what it always comes down to this late in the playoffs — special teams, goaltending and opportunistic goals.”
Dakota MacIntosh, committed to NCAA Div. 1 Merrimack, and Union-commit Brandon Buhr, lead Alberni Valley with 22 and 21 playoff points, respectively.
The Bulldogs have 13 players committed to NCAA Div. 1 schools. But the story of the Bulldogs’ playoff run has been in the crease when Victoria Royals’ WHL castoff Campbell Arnold, who has turned 21, was forced into action when highly touted North Dakota NCAA-bound Hobie Hedquist went down in Game 2 of the second-round Surrey series. Arnold has gone 7-1 since with a 2.04 goals-against average and .928 save percentage. Arnold, released by the Royals early in the season, was brought in for insurance behind Hedquist.
“I was disappointed to be cut this season by the Royals. But now I’m just riding the wave,” said Arnold.
The Bulldogs confirmed Arnold will start tonight.
The Vees won both regular season match-ups against the Bulldogs 7-4 and 7-1.
