U17 Canadians Begin Playoff Journey This Week

The BCEHL’s U17 playoffs begin this week with four series underway, with the U17 AAA Greater Vancouver Canadians taking on the first-place Vancouver North West Hawks in a best-of-three series. The games are scheduled for Friday (Feb. 27), Saturday (Feb. 28), and Sunday (March 1, if necessary).

During the regular season, the Hawks finished with a 24-8-4-0 record, good for 52 points and top spot in the standings. The Canadians, meanwhile, had a record of 11-21-4-0 for 26 points.

The Hawks were second in the division with an average of 4.06 goals per game, far superior to the Canadians’ mark of 2.47. The Hawks also boasted the division’s second-best goals against, finishing with a +39 goal differential. While the Canadians had solid goaltending during the course of the season, they finished eighth with a 4.39 goals-against average.

The Canadians will look for offensive production from Brian Woolfenden, who led the team with 15 goals, 21 assists, and 36 points during the season. GVC will also count on Maxwell Clemens, who ended the year with 12 goals, and Robert Filc, who had 10 on the season. Leander Han also looks to be a key player for the Canadians, as he finished second on the club with 15 assists and 20 points. Among defensemen, Boden Spratley will be counted upon as he ranked first on the team with six goals, 11 assists, and 17 points. 

During the season, the Canadians and Hawks faced off six times, with Vancouver North West winning five of those contests. The Hawks prevailed 3-1 at home on Nov. 8, before the Canadians took the next game of their home-and-home series the following day, 2-1 in overtime. The Hawks returned the favour with a 4-3 OT win on Nov. 29 at home, and then won again in OT the following day at the Oval, 3-2. The Hawks then swept the final home-and-home on Feb. 13 and 15, winning 7-3 and 5-3.

All three playoff games against between the Canadians and the Hawks are scheduled for Canlan Ice Sports North Shore in North Vancouver, with the first game at 1:00 p.m. on Friday and the second contest at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Game Three, if necessary, will be Sunday at 11:00 a.m.