Three wins in a row for the Aldergrove Kodiaks have ended the PJHL regular season on a high note and put them into the Harold Brittain conference playoffs.
The Kodiaks defeated the Surrey Knights 7-1 Thursday night at North Surrey Rec Centre to end Aldergrove’s 44 regular game season with 37 points (17-24-1-2). This is six points ahead of the Mission Outlaws who have two regular season games remaining and face the mathematical impossibility of overtaking the Kodiaks.
The Langley Trappers have clinched third place in the first round of playoffs, with 38 points after 43 games, however the top two teams are still battling for first place with both Ridge Meadows Flames and Abbotsford Pilots tied at 54 points with games in hand this weekend.
Playoffs schedules for the Kodiaks and Trappers will be set following the final games this weekend for the Pilots (Friday vs Trappers) and Flames (Friday vs Port Moody Panthers and Saturday vs Outlaws).
The Kodiaks have won three away games in a row to overtake Mission in the race for the playoffs. On Wednesday night the Kodiaks defeated the Trappers 7-1 and last Saturday defeated the Outlaws 3-2.
In Thursday’s game Aldergrove’s top scorers led the way, with Matt Oliver, Davin Padgham and Kyle Bosko earning the game’s three stars of the night. Oliver opened the scoring in the first period, assisted by Bosko and Nate Castonguay to put the team up 1-0 in the first.
Bosko netted another in the second period, assisted by Oliver and Castonguay for a 2-0 lead.
In the third period Aldergrove’s five goals sandwiched one by Knight Shaun Simpson for the 7-1 win. Scorers were Clayon Schroeder, Padgham, Brendan Marfleet, Padgham (unassisted) and Oliver. Assists came from Mathieu Melanson (2), Padgham, Tyler Cannon, Arjan Cheema, Ty Pickering and Bosko.
Kodiak outshot the Knights 65-18 and neither team scored on power plays, with two power plays for Kodiaks and four for Knights. Kodiaks keeper Michael Lauriente stopped 16 of 17 shots on net, with affiliate keeper Matthew Lee stopping one shot in his 6:07 minutes on the ice.