With just two games remaining in the Pacific Junior Hockey League season, the Abbotsford Pilots can make their first-place dreams a reality, as long as they continue winning.
The Pilots picked up another win on Friday at home, besting the Richmond Sockeyes 6-4.
Erik Olson opened the scoring, but the Sockeyes tied the game up late in the first period. Richmond took the lead just 56 seconds into the second period, but the Pilots responded with four unanswered goals in the second period to cruise to the win.
Sean Olson, Francis Bamford (two), and Cole Methorst all tallied in the second period for the Pilots. Alexander Methorst gave Abbotsford a 6-2 lead early in the third, but the Sockeyes scored a pair of goals to close out the game.
The game turned at 11:49 of the second period, when Bamford returned to the ice after serving a penalty, and scored to give the Pilots a 3-2 lead. Things got rough in the third, with 36 penalty minutes assessed. Pilots goalie Jacob Crawford made 32 saves for his 20th win on the season.
The Pilots’ record improved to 28 wins, 10 losses, one tie and three overtime losses after the win. They remain just two points behind the first-place Mission City Outlaws, but do have one game in hand.
Abbotsford head coach Jim Cowden said his team turned it on when they had to.
“Our first five minutes of the second period weren’t that strong and they kind of took it to us,” he said. “But then we found a bit of a groove and took over the second and third. We couldn’t really get much going in the first because we got three penalties.”
Cowden said several key players such as Hayden Guilderson and Mitch Plevy didn’t dress on Friday, but they should be ready for the final two games of the PJHL season. He said he likes the fact his team controls its own destiny.
“We should beat Langley [this coming Friday] and I think first place in the conference will come down to that final game with Mission,” he said. “We still have some work to do as a team, but it doesn’t really matter who we play in the first round.”
He said he’d like to play Mission in round one, despite the fact that it isn’t mathematically possible. The Pilots next play the Langley Knights on Friday at home, and then conclude the season against the Outlaws in Mission on Saturday.
If the Pilots win on Friday, then the winner of Saturday’s game is the Harold Brittain conference champion, and will get home ice advantage throughout the Brittain conference playoffs.
The conference-winning team gets the Port Moody Panthers in round one, while the second-place team squares off with the Aldergrove Kodiaks.
For more information on the playoff picture in the final week of the season, visit pjhl.net.