Playoff contenders finalized on last weekend of competition in CIHL

The last balls in the playoff bingo in the Central Interior Hockey league dropped into place on the last week of regular season play. With West Division title and the league regular season championship (the Lightening Cup) clinched the previous week, the Kitimat Ice Demons had to wait for the results of the first game of the double header between the Prince Rupert Rampage and the Hazelton Wolverines to find out who they'd play in the opening round of the playoffs. With the Demons taking two games from the Terrace River Kings, 7-4 Friday in Terrace and a fight-highlighted 4-2 win in Kitimat Saturday, the Demons finished the season with 29 points, five more than second place Smithers Steelheads, whose season ended earlier. The Prince Rupert Rampage went into the shootout format in Hazelton Saturday to clinch third place in the West with a 4-3 win. The two teams played again Sunday with Prince Rupert again winning, 6-4. So in the West playoffs start in Hazelton and Prince Rupert, with the Ice Demons and the Steelheads being the visitors this Saturday, Jan. 16. Games two and three are scheduled for Jan. 23 and 24 in Kitimat and Smithers. The Houston Luckies left nothing to chance as they closed out the regular season in first place, with 22 points, with two convincing wins over the Omineca Ice in Vanderhoof, 8-4 on Saturday and 8-1 Sunday. Williams Lake hosted the Burns Lake Braves for a double header, that was split, 9-2 for the Stamps on Saturday and 5-2 for the Braves on Sunday. Stampeders and Braves were tied for second spot each with 18 points, but Braves held the edge with nine wins to eight wins for the Stampeders. So the Braves will be back in Williams Lake Saturday for the Braves for game one of round one, while the Luckies will also start in Vanderhoof.