With just six days left in the Pacific Junior Hockey League regular season there is plenty to be decided in the Tom Shaw Conference.
The Delta Ice Hawks (32-13-0-0) can move within a single point of first place Richmond Sockeyes (31-10-2-3) when they close out their home schedule Tuesday (7:30 pm.) against the Aldergrove Kodiaks (10-33-1-1) at the Ladner Leisure Centre.
The Hawks were cruising towards a first place finish until the team was deducted four wins last month after a computer glitch didn’t put an affiliate player on the league roster. Among the results overturned was a 7-6 win over the Sockeyes back on Jan. 1.
Still, the Ice Hawks can finish first with a little help. They also play at Surrey (12-29-1-3) on Thursday night and travel to Chilliwack on Sunday to face the Jets (21-19-4-2).
The Sockeyes have to complete a game against the White Rock Whalers (27-15-0-2) on Wednesday night that was suspended in the second period back on Oct. 9 due to a facility safety issue. The Whalers were leading 3-2 at the time. Richmond also hosts the Ridge Meadows Flames (29-14-2-1) on Thursday to close out its schedule.
Meanwhile, White Rock and the Grandview Steelers (26-16-1-2) are battling for third and fourth place with just a single point separating them. The Whalers have a game in hand and play four times over the next six days including the Steelers on Tuesday night (7:45 p.m.) at the South Delta Recreation Centre in Tsawwassen.
The fourth-place finisher will have to play fifth place North Vancouver Wolf Pack (23-19-2-1) in a best-of three series thanks to the league’s expanded playoff format this season.
The Ice Hawks split a pair of road games over the weekend, rallying on Friday night for a 5-3 win over Ridge Meadows, then dropping a 4-1 decision to the Langley Trappers on Sunday afternoon. The Merrimen twins led the comeback win Friday with Carson scoring a pair of goals in the third period and Connor adding another as Delta erased a 3-2 deficit with four unanswered goals.
The defending PJHL and Cyclone Taylor Cup champion Trappers will definitely be the team to beat again come playoff time. They own a league best 37-7-1-3 record and defeated Delta for the third time in four tries thanks to a 36-save first star performance from goaltender Dylan Black.
Icing…
Ladner’s Zach Sherwin is neck-and-neck with White Rock teammate Chris Fortems for the league scoring title. The 20-year-olds each have 84 points, nine clear of Carson Merrimen and Ridge Meadows’ Theo Kochan.
