The Richmond Sockeyes and Delta Ice Hawks will square off for the final time during the Pacific Junior Hockey League regular season on Tuesday night (7:35 p.m.) in Ladner with more than just the Tunnel Cup on the line.
The Sockeyes only need a single point to secure the cup, that is presented to the winner of the four-game season series, thanks to a 1-0-2-0 record. However, the two points up for grabs will be ever-so-valuable in the final standings.
North Vancouver’s 4-1 win over Richmond Saturday night gives the Wolf Pack (31-9-0-1) the inside track for top honours in the PJHL.
With three games remaining, they are now two points clear of the Ice Hawks and also own the tiebreaker with a 3-1 advantage in head-to-head games.
Thanks to a six-game win streak, the Ice Hawks (28-7-2-3) have a six-point cushion on second overall but the Sockeyes (26-9-2-1) do enjoy three games in hand.
The PJHL playoff format this season will be based on the overall standings rather than conference play with the top eight advancing.
North Vancouver jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes and that was enough to split a home-and-home series with the Sockeyes that began with a 3-2 win for Richmond two nights earlier at Minoru.
The Sockeyes are in the midst of a hectic stretch that will see them play five times in nine days. They also host the fourth place Abbotsford Pilots on Thursday then travel to Ridge Meadows on Friday.
Richmond erased a 2-1 deficit after 20 minutes on second period goals from Craig Shouten and Isaac Embree en route to the win over the Wolf Pack. Thomas Von Schoenberg’s empty netter stood as the winner after the visitors scored with 32 seconds remaining.
Ice Hawks’ goaltender Jordy Engelson recorded his second straight shutout in Friday’s 3-0 win at Ridge Meadows, making 34 saves.
Mark Epshtein, Jihwan Kim and Jordan Derymenjian looked after scoring. Derymenjian’s two-point night made the 20-year-old captain the club’s all-time leading scorer.
