It will be a familiar opponent to say the least when the Richmond Sockeyes open the Pacific Junior Hockey League playoffs next week.
For the fifth time in six years the Sockeyes will square off with the Grandview Steelers in a quarter-final series. It doesn’t seem to matter which playoff format the league uses, these rivals always run into each other.
A year ago, there were the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds when the PJHL went with the overall standings to determine the opening round match-ups. This season they went back to the conference format and Richmond and Grandview are second and third respectively behind North Vancouver in the Tom Shaw Conference. They also happen to be the top three teams in the entire league.
Richmond secured home ice advantage with a 5-1 win at White Rock on Saturday night.
Clayton Schroeder led the way with a pair of goals. Dillon Maher, Ryan Watson and Tom Sweeney also scored. Braedy Euerby made 34 saves to earn first star honours.
The Sockeyes were back on the ice less than 16 hours later at the Burnaby Winter Club for a Super Bowl Sunday matinee encounter with the Steelers.
Grandview jumped out to a 4-1 lead en route to a 6-3 victory, in a game that had no meaning in the standings.
Nick Wilson, Watson and call-up Paulvir Dosanjh did the scoring for Richmond. The Sockeyes enjoyed a 40-27 advantage in the shot department and will now prepare to face Steeler standout netminder Cale Dolan in a best-of-seven series. Dolan, 21, leads the PJHL with eight shutouts and was the difference in the 2019 playoff match-up. The series will start Feb. 13 at Minoru Arenas.
Icing…
Richmond also defeated Surrey 9-1 last week and will conclude its regular season schedule at Aldergrove on Wednesday and the Abbotsford Pilots visiting Minoru on Thursday at 7 p.m.
