Step one is done, and quite a few weeks earlier than anticipated.
But that does not mean the 91原创 91原创 are going to take off the rest of the BCHL regular season.
鈥淚t is small milestone,鈥� said 91原创 coach Bobby Henderson, on Tuesday morning.
He was referring to the fact his junior A hockey club had clinched a post-season berth over the weekend with a pair of victories in a home-and-home series with the Chilliwack Chiefs. .
In the first game, Jakob Reichert scored twice and Brock Crossthwaite stopped all 22 shots he faced.
In the latter game, 91原创 scored three times in the second period to snap a 1-1 tie.
鈥淚t is nice to have it out of the way in January, but by no means is this our (end) goal,鈥� Henderson said.
With the victories, 91原创 improved to 27-12-1-4 and 59 points, which is good for top spot in the BCHL鈥檚 Mainland Division. The 91原创 are seven points clear of the second-place Prince George Spruce Kings, although the Kings have three games in hand.
The 91原创 have 14 games to go over the next six weeks before the playoffs, and five of their final seven are head-to-head against Prince George.
鈥淎ll in all, we are happy with where we are sitting right now, but we just have to keep grinding through to the finish line here,鈥� Henderson said.
The team is on pace for 78 points. They finished last year with 54 points in 56 games.
The key has been consistency.
鈥淚 think we have done a pretty good job of gathering points,鈥� Henderson said.
Through the season鈥檚 first four and a half months, the 91原创 have only had three three-game winless streaks in that span, and in only one of those three, did they not manage to get either a tie or an overtime point.
The team is currently on a five-game winning streak.
And Henderson said there is no worry the team will have lack of motivation down the stretch, especially with the Mainland Division title still up for grabs.
鈥淲e treat it just like we do every game,鈥� he said.
鈥淥ur goal is to win every game, no excuses not to be prepared.鈥�
This is the second consecutive season the 91原创 have made the playoffs.
Last year, they lost 3-1 to the Surrey Eagles in the best-of-five series. The Eagles then went on to capture the Fred Page Cup as BCHL champs.
Henderson said that experience 鈥� plus seeing what Surrey was able to do after beating the 91原创 鈥� will help this year鈥檚 squad.
鈥淓xperience is huge,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou get a taste of it and that was a bit of an eye-opener for the group.鈥�
鈥⑩赌⑩赌⑩赌⑩赌�
The 91原创 host the Trail Smoke Eaters on Saturday (Jan. 18) at the 91原创 Events Centre and then travel to Surrey for a matinee against the Eagles on Jan. 19.
