Monday, February 8, 2016 - Submitted by Ellen Michelle Koehler: National Correspondent
With only one week left in the regular season, teams are fighting for those last available playoff spots. Some teams, the Valley West Hawks and the Cariboo Cougars who are tied for first place with 55 points each, are sitting comfortably knowing that they’re in no matter what. Other teams, however, will be using this last week to secure their place. The Fraser Valley Thunderbirds, Greater Vancouver Canadians, and Vancouver NE Chiefs are all tied for sixth place with 34 points each. In order to ensure their place in the playoffs they will need to dominate next weekend’s games.
The top three teams won all of their games last weekend, leaving the remainder of the league scrambling for those last available points to secure a playoff spot. The Cariboo Cougars defeated the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds 5-2, The Vancouver NW Giants defeated the Thompson Blazers 6-0, and the Valley West Hawks defeated the Okanagan Rockets 5-2.
Ben Evanish from the Valley West Hawks is leading the league in goals overall points with 33 goals and 24 assists earning him 57 points. Josh Latta from the Vancouver NW Giants is leading the league in assists with 41.