The regular season is over in the B.C. Hockey League, and the second season is about to start.
Sixteen of the league’s 17 teams will participate in the playoffs, which start with eight first-round meetings. Six of the eight series will start Friday, but the Penticton Vees and Cowichan Valley Capitals will kick things off on Thursday evening. West Kelowna and Wenatchee will start their series on Saturday.
In BCHL regular-season standings, Penticton (37-16-3-2) finished first in the Interior Division with 79 points. The Merritt Centennials (36-15-4-3) also had 79 points, but had one less win than Penticton.
The Victoria Grizzlies (36-18-0-4) were tops in the Island Division with 76 points while the Chilliwack Chiefs (42-15-1-0) finished first in the Mainland Division with a league-leading 85 points.
For the playoffs, Penticton will play Cowichan Valley (17-35-5-1) in a cross-over series. The Capitals finished last in the five-team Island Division with 40 points.
WATCH BELOW: Fred Harbinson, Jack Lafontaine and James Miller talk about their accomplishments this past season with the Penticton Vees.
The Interior Division playoff series are as follows: (*if necessary):
No. 1 Penticton (37-16-3-2, 79 pts.) vs. crossover Cowichan Valley (17-35-5-1, 40 pts.)
- Game 1, Thurs., Feb 28, 2019, 7 p.m., at Penticton
- Game 2, Sat. March 02, 2019, 6 p.m. at Penticton
- Game 3, Tues., March 5, 2019, 7 p.m. at Cowichan Valley
- Game 4, Wed., March 6, 2019, 7 p.m. at Cowichan Valley
- *Game 5, Sat., March 9, 2019, 6 p.m. at Penticton
- *Game 6, Mon., March 11, 2019, 7 p.m. at Cowichan Valley
- *Game 7, Wed., Mar. 13, 2019, 7 p.m. at Penticton
No. 2 Merritt (36-15-4-3, 79 pts.) vs. No. 7 Trail (23-24-8-3, 57 pts.)
- Game 1, Fri., March 1, 2019, 7 p.m., at Merritt
- Game 2, Sat., March 2, 2019, 7 p.m., at Merritt
- Game 3, Tue., March 5, 2019, 7 p.m., at Trail
- Game 4, Wed., March 6, 2019, 7 p.m., at Trail
- *Game 5, Fri., March 8, 2019, 7 p.m., at Merritt
- *Game 6, Sat., March 9, 2019, 7 p.m., at Trail
- *Game 7, Mon., March 11, 2019, 7 p.m., at Merritt
No. 3 Wenatchee (32-20-2-4, 70 pts.) vs. No. 6 West Kelowna (28-28-1-1, 58 pts.)
- Game 1, Sat., March 2, 2019, 7:05 p.m. at Wenatchee
- Game 2, Sun., March 3, 2019, 6:00 p.m. at Wenatchee
- Game 3, Tue., March 5, 2019, 7 p.m. at West Kelowna
- Game 4, Wed., March 6, 2019, 7 p.m. at West Kelowna
- *Game 5, Fri., March 8, 2019, 7 p.m. at West Kelowna
- *Game 6, Sun., March 10, 2019, 8:05 p.m. at Wenatchee
- *Game 7, Mon., March 11, 2019, 7:05 p.m. at Wenatchee
No. 4 Vernon (26-21-8-3, 63 pts.) vs. No. 5 Salmon Arm (27-26-4-1, 59 pts.)
- Game 1, Fri., March 1, 2019, 7 p.m. at Vernon
- Game 2, Sat., March 2, 2019, 6 p.m. at Vernon
- Game 3, Mon., March 4, 2019, 7 p.m. at Salmon Arm
- Game 4, Wed., March 6, 2019, 7 p.,m. at Salmon Arm
- Game 5, Fri., March 8, 2019, 7 p.m. at Vernon
- Game 6, Sat., March 9, 2019, 7 p.m. at Salmon Arm
- Game 7, Mon., March 11, 2019, 7 p.m. at Vernon