The Pacific Junior Hockey League playoffs are not even a week old and the defending champions already find themselves in must-win territory tomorrow night.
The Delta Ice Hawks are in a 2-0 hole against the Aldergrove Kodiaks in a best-of-seven quarter-final series that looks like anything but a No. 2 versus No. 7 seed match-up.
The Hawks entered the post-post-season riding a 10-game win streak and were 24 points better than their opponent in the final standings. However, it’s the Kodiaks that have dominated four of the six periods and are fully deserving of the series lead.
They erased a 1-0 opening period deficit in game one Friday and went on to a 3-1 victory — outshooting Delta 47-23 in the process, including a 24-5 margin in the second.
All seemed well in game two on Sunday in Ladner when the Ice Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes on goals by Dario Espostio and Matthew Ast. Yet Aldergrove responded by taking over the play again in the second and never seizing the momentum.
Early third period goals from Clayton Schroeder and DJ Horne erased a 3-2 Delta lead. Captain Jordan Deyrmenjian put the hosts back on even terms but the Kodiaks answered just 1:43 later on Schroeder’s second of the night during a 2-on-1 break.
“You’ve got to give them credit for outworking us. I feel like in both games, from the second period on, they’ve owned the neutral zone and been more committed and locked in to their style of play,” said Ice Hawks GM and head coach Steve Robinson.
Delta could only muster four shots on goal in the final 20 minutes and has scored just once at even strength through two games.
“I felt like as the game wore on, the frantic energy on the bench carried over onto the ice. The guys were trying to force plays and they were just turning over pucks,” added Robinson. “We need to trust the process and buy back in to making the simple plays. Eight out of 10 races are going to them right now, so we have to find a way to reset and work harder.”
Robinson won't have to wait long to see how his team responds to the adversity. Game three goes Tuesday (7:35 p.m.) and the teams head to Aldergrove for game four on Wednesday.
With files from Katie Lawrence Balloch
