After 3 games in 4 days last week, the schedule doesn’t get any lighter for the Cowichan Capitals, who now embark on their first of four Interior Division road trips this weekend, and the 2nd of 3 straight 3 game weeks. The Capitals went 2-1 last week, with wins against Surrey and Alberni Valley before a loss to Penticton saw the Capitals finish the home stand at 5-2. Since 2003, which is as far back as the game by game results go on the BCHL website, the Caps have never won five out of the first seven contests to begin a season. They sit at 10 points which is tied for the division lead with Powell River and tied for 4th overall in the BCHL. Friday they kick off the roadie against one of just 3 teams ahead of them, in the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, who sit at 6-0, tied for the best record in the BCHL. Breaking down the standings, Cowichan is 4-1 on home ice and 1-1 on the road, but that sample size will increase with the next 6 contests away from the Cowichan Community Centre, including next week’s showcase. Salmon Arm is 3-0 at home and 3-0 on the road.
Who’s Hot: For Cowichan, both Cole Broadhurst and Josh Kagan had 4 point weeks, Kagan scoring 3 times, and sitting in a tie with Olivier Gauthier at 4 goals for the team lead through 7 games. Broadhurst scored the game winner halfway through the 3rd against the Bulldogs for Cowichan for his 2nd of the year, after finishing with 4 goals in 52 games last season. Tyrell Boucher leads Cowichan with 8 assists in 7 games, and that number is a 3 way tie for the most helpers in the league with Salmon Arm’s Noah Wakeford and Trail’s Kent Johnson. It is also tied for most points by a D-man with the Silverback’s Akito Hirose. Salmon Arm has 2 of the top 5 point getters in the league to this point, as Noah Wakeford’s 12 points through 6 games has him tied for the league lead, and William Poirier isn’t far behind at 10 points.
How to follow: If you can’t make it to the game, every Capitals game home and away is broadcast live on 89.7 Juice FM on the FM dial, or you can listen live online on mycowichanvalleynow.com, and watch live on Hockey TV pay-per-view.
The Capitals will play their next 6 games on the road beginning with an Interior Division road trip at Salmon Arm on Friday, in Vernon Saturday and in Surrey on Sunday. Then the BCHL will host it’s annual showcase in Chilliwack and Penticton, the Capitals will play both of their games in Chilliwack, as they’ll face Langley and Surrey at the Chilliwack Coliseum. One final road game will be back on the Island and in Alberni Valley on October 5th before the Caps next home game October 11th against Trail.
