TWU and Selkirk College set to face off in 2016 BCIHL Championship series

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Trinity Western University will be looking to make history this weekend as the Spartans travel to Castlegar, B.C. to play Selkirk with their sights set on winning the program’s first ever BCIHL championship.

Coming off a two-game series sweep of Simon Fraser University in the BCIHL semifinals, the Spartans will play the Saints in the league championship for the second time in three years.

2016 BCIHL FINALS SCHEDULE
Game 1 – vs. Selkirk – Friday – 7 p.m. (Castlegar Recreation Centre) Game 2 – vs. Selkirk – Saturday – 7 p.m. (Castlegar Recreation Centre)
Game 3 (if necessary) – vs. Selkirk – Sunday – 6 p.m. (Castlegar Recreation Centre)
All games will be streamed at www.bcihl.fasthockey.com.

However, unlike in 2014, when the Spartans were a surprise participant in the championship series and a stark underdog – TWU ultimately lost in two games, falling 6-1 and 5-1 – this year’s team enters the title bout as a legitimate threat to win it all.

Coming off a 13-9-0-2 season, the Spartans are still the underdogs against the regular season champion Saints (17-4-0-3), but TWU possesses a certain confidence that has the team set to take a shot at ending Selkirk’s three-year championship run.

“I think the guys have a little bit more confidence this year,” said Spartans coach Barret Kropf. “Last time, it was kind of like, ‘oh wow, we made it,” and this year we feel like we have unfinished business. I think we have a little bit more pep in our step and maybe a little bit more realistic expectations this year. Last time, we were almost trying to convince our guys that they belonged in the championship series. Now we know we belong and we have a fighting chance."

“We’re still playing the underdog role. Selkirk had a great season and they are going to compete hard in front of their crazy crowd. We know we’re going to be in for a war, but I think we’re leaps and bounds ahead of where we were two years ago.”

After the Spartans finished the season with just two wins in their final seven outings, TWU flipped the switch in the playoffs and found a way to beat SFU on back-to-back nights to earn a series sweep for the first time in the Spartans history.

With a 6-3 win in Game 1 and a 5-4 overtime victory in Game 2, TWU comes into this weekend’s series riding an emotional high and appearing to be as strong as it has all season.

With a healthy lineup and the likes of BCIHL all-stars PJ Buys and Silas Matthys back from injury, the Spartans look like the team Kropf had imagined when he first constructed his lineup back in September.

It’s a group that is predicated on team success. The one-trick offensive ponies of years past, when the opposition could key on players like of Cody Fidgett or JP Villeneuve, are no longer. This year, the Spartans rely on depth and offense by committee more than ever.

“I think we need to play as a team if we are to have success,” Kropf said. “We’re a lunch bucket brigade that doesn’t really have a star to focus on, like we have in the past. All four lines and even our black aces have to be ready to chip in.”

While the Spartans balanced offense saw leading scorer Mattias Schmitt finish only seventh in the league scoring, the Saints put three players in the top six in the league scoring race.

BCIHL rookie of the year Dallas Calvin led the Saints with 20 goals and 18 assists to finish second in the league, while Jamie Vlanich was fifth overall with eight goals and 21 assists and Ryan Edwards was sixth with eight goals and nine assists.

On the Spartans side, beyond Schmitt, it was first team all-star Blair Murphy with eight goals and 13 assists from the blue line and Buys, with seven goals and 14 helpers, leading the way.

All told, TWU had 11 players with 10 or more points this year, while Selkirk finished with only nine players hitting double digits in points.

Other than slowing the Saints leading trio, one of the Spartans other large concerns will be special teams. The Saints had far and away the best power play in the league as they scored on 25 per cent of their man-advantage opportunities.

“We have to be disciplined and stay off the PK,” Kropf said. “And that’s not a slam against our PK. I think we have the best PK in the league, but they have a wicked power play. At this time of year, it’s special teams that really can make or break a series.”

Selkirk also led the BCIHL on the penalty kill, working at 89.5 per cent. The Spartans penalty kill finished the season at 82.7 per cent and the power play worked at 13.9 per cent.

While their most recent meeting saw the Spartans drop a 6-3 decision to the Saints on home ice, TWU finished the year with a 3-3 mark against the league’s top team, dealing Selkirk two of its four regulation time losses.

With history on the line, the Spartans look to not only end the Saints impressive three-year run, but also become the first TWU side to capture the BCIHL’s playoff title.