Tonight’s matchup between the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League division leading Victoria Cougars and Campbell River Storm should be as anticipated an event as Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s last hurrah as Golden Globe hosts last Sunday.
Only the 7 p.m. game at Archie Browning Sports Centre will have slightly more serious tones and should give a different meaning to punch lines.
The Cougars, now 32-3-1-3 after Wednesday night’s 9-1 victory over the Westshore Wolves at The Q Centre, are in a battle with the 30-3-1-3 Storm for first place overall in the VIJHL.
That honour not only brings with it the Andy Hebenton Trophy as regular-season champs, but home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
Victoria is 15-1-1-0 at the Arch and the Storm is 18-1-0-0 at the Rod Brind’Amour Arena, so you know where this could be heading.
“It’s not the ultimate goal for both teams and I think it’s fair to say on their behalf, as well, but at the end of the day it’s certainly nice if you have to play a Game 7, that you get to play it in your own rink,” said Cougars head coach Mark Van Helvoirt.
“There’s not a lot of give. You look at the rosters and both teams are deep at all positions. Both teams have interesting systems and styles of play, but it makes for good play when you throw both out on the ice.”
To date, the Cougars are 1-1 against the Storm, losing 8-3 on the road in just the fifth game of the season and winning 4-3 in overtime at home in mid-December. They will play once more after tonight.
“We like our team. We don’t have the offensive abilities that Campbell River has, but we think we’re strong defensively and that we’re deep from 1 through 23,” said Van Helvoirt, who watched his team bounce back from a 1-0 first-period deficit on Wednesday.
Nathan Looysen scored twice for the Cougars, while VIJHL leading point-getter Sam McMullen, Jake Stolz, Austin Wilk, John Kretzschmar, Wade Johnson, Michael Fretz and Brett Lervold added one apiece.
The Wolves had defeated the Cougars twice at The Q.
“They’re a team that if you don’t show up you know what happens,” said Wolves coach Brian Passmore, who had Corey Peterson score the lone goal.
“We usually get up for the Cougars. They’re a real strong team. They and Campbell River are going neck-to-neck for first place overall and we’re just going about our business in second place [23-14-1-1 in the South Division].
“Home ice in the finals, especially against Victoria and Campbell River — it’s hard to win in their buildings. We’ve been good in our building as well, but unfortunately we’re too far behind to catch either one,” added Passmore. “We’re gearing up for the playoffs though. That’s what we’re focusing on.”
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