Coquitlam Adanacs vs New Westminster Salmonbellies Final Preview and Prediction

Season series: 3-0 ‘Bellies (‘Bellies won 11-5 at Queen's Park Arena on May 27th; won 12-10 at Coquitlam Sports Centre on June 18; won 7-5 at Coquitlam Sports Centre on July 2nd)

Adanacs top scorer in playoffs: Eli McLaughlin – 3 games played, 6 goals, 8 assists, 14 points

Salmonbellies top scorer in playoffs: Connor Robinson – 3 games played, 4 goals, 15 assists, 19 points / Johnny Pearson – 3 games played, 11 goals, 8 assists, 19 points

The New Westminster Salmonbellies swept their series against the Islanders 3-0, scoring an average of 15 goals a game. The ‘Bellies will look to get their revenge from last year’s final and will also look to snap the Adanacs streak of five straight championship titles.

The Coquitlam Adanacs also swept their series 3-0 defeating the Victoria Shamrocks. The Adanacs averaged 13 goals a game and they will hope to carry the goals into this series. Eli McLaughlin is in the same boat as he was last year, except he’s on a different team. McLaughlin was on the losing side last year while playing for the ‘Bellies and he’s hoping to turn that around this year with the Adanacs. That is, if the Marian Hossa curse isn’t on him.

2 keys for the Adanacs to win the series:

1) Shots, shots, shots - Salmonbellies goaltender Ross Bowman didn’t have great outings against the Islanders as he was pulled twice in three games. If the Adanacs can move the ball quickly and pepper him with shots early, it could work out for them.

2) Get under their skin – The Adanacs are known for tight and aggressive defending. If the Adanacs can get under the Salmonbellies skin, the ‘Bellies will get frustrated and they will either take bad penalties or take bad shots. Either way, both work to the Adanacs advantage.

2 keys for the Salmonbellies to win the series:

1) Top players need to play at a high level – Connor Robinson, Josh Byrne and Johnny Pearson had a great regular season. This post season, Anthony Malcom has picked up for Josh Byrne who seemed to be hurt in each of the three playoff games he played. New addition Brett Dobray has also had a great post season so far. All five players mentioned need to continue playing at a high level and when all five of them are clicking, it’s going to be extremely tough for the Adanacs to keep up on the scoreboard.

2) Don’t get involved after the whistle – As mentioned above, the Adanacs are going to play tough and they are going to get under your skin. At times, the ‘Bellies would get involved, but if they can bite their tongue slightly, they might get a lot of power plays.

Prediction: 4-3 ‘Bellies.

I predicted the ‘Bellies would win 3-2 last year and that didn’t happen. This year, I hope I’m not wrong again. The ‘Bellies are firing on all cylinders. They swept the Adanacs in the season and took first place for the first time in six years. Now, the ‘Bellies will want to snap the Adanacs championship streak of five. As I’ve mentioned before, the Adanacs no longer have that killer play from Steven Neufeld, who single handedly took out the ‘Bellies last year in the finals. Maybe sharpshooter Eli McLaughlin can be a game changer in one or two games, but at the end of it all, the ‘Bellies will end up on the winning side.