A spot in the Coy Cup senior provincial championship tournament will be on the line this weekend when Powell River Regals host Kelowna Sparta in a best-of-three playoff series at Hap Parker Arena.
The clubs met for a pair of games in December, with Sparta earning a win in both. Despite those results, Regals’ coach Tod English said his team gained experience from facing the Okanagan team previously and will be ready when the puck drops in game one.
“We feel confident that we will match up well against Kelowna,” added English. “We are rostering a full lineup and using all available local players.”
Regals’ roster includes several sons and a nephew of former players, including Brett Kinley, Brady Casparie, Austin McLaren, Kyle English and Spencer Jamieson.
Powell River Kings’ assistant coaches Brock Sawyer and Kyle Bodie, and Kings’ trainer Braedon Behan may see action as well, according to English, depending on time constraints as the Kings also play at home on the same days.
Game one is a late afternoon start, 3:15 pm on Friday, February 21. Game two begins at 8 pm on Saturday, February 22, and game three, if necessary, will be played at 1:30 pm on Sunday, February 23.
“Start times may change a little but we will provide updates if that happens,” said English.
The winning team advances to the Coy Cup, which takes place from March 24 to 28 in Quesnel.
Kings play at 7 pm Friday and 5 pm on Saturday against Victoria.
