It was the perfect storm for the Chilliwack Chiefs, who flew under the radar to begin the 2018 Fred Page Cup BCHL playoffs.
The RBC Cup hosts came into Game One of their Mainland Division playoff series against Prince George as the underdog and it played to their advantage by shutting out the Spruce Kings 3-0 on Friday from the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena (RMCA).
“That was a really disappointing effort for our group, we had all the energy and excitement in the world going into this weekend and our execution fell short. We just didn’t make plays under their pressure and we couldn’t play our game tonight,” says Kyle Johnson, Spruce Kings forward and Captain.
Chilliwack beat the Spruce Kings at their own game on the road by stifling the higher seed defensively and limiting their offensive attack to just 18 shots.
Adam Berg, Will Calverley, and Tommy Lee all beat Prince George goaltender Evan DeBrouwer, while Chiefs netminder Daniel Chenard pitched the shutout.
The second goal from Calverley turned out to be the back-breaker as the 20-year-old goalie gave the veteran forward the puck behind the goal, allowing him to score shorthanded.
Prince George gave up a power-play goal in the third after Chays Ruddy and Dylan Anhorn took minors four seconds apart.
The best-of-seven playoff series sees the Chiefs up 1-0 with game two set for tonight at 7PM from the RMCA.
With such a short turnaround, Johnson says the Spruce Kings need to come out hungry.
“Tomorrow (Saturday) I think we are going to have our wits about us. It didn’t look like we had our minds right tonight and I think it showed based on how we made plays with the puck and it showed based on how we managed the game. Once we find ourselves and relax we’ll take this series over.”
Prince George won seven of eight meeting in the regular season against the Chiefs.
We’re underway! pic.twitter.com/TrNhUGM7RF
— Spruce Kings (@SpruceKings) March 3, 2018
