PLAYOFF PREVIEW: Can Poco Upset the 'Bellies?

(2) NEW WEST VS. (3) PORT COQUITLAM

NEW WEST LEADS SERIES 1-0

GAME 1 - FRIDAY, JULY 13 - NEW WEST 8 POCO 6

GAME 2 - SUNDAY, JULY 15 - 8:00 PM - POCO REC CENTRE

GAME 3 - TUESDAY, JULY 17 - 8:00 PM - QUEENS PARK ARENA

GAME 4 (IF NECESSARY) - FRIDAY, JULY 20 - 8:00 PM - POCO REC CENTRE

GAME 5 (IF NECESSARY) - SUNDAY, JULY 22 - 5:00 PM - QUEENS PARK ARENA

It's never easy to hit the reset button so late in the season, but that's exactly what the Port Coquitlam Saints are doing ahead of their BCJALL semifinal series against the New Westminster Salmonbellies.

Now ex-Head Coach Kelly Scott was relieved of duties by the team just before the Saints undertook their final two games. The team clung on to the third playoff spot after splitting their final two games with Burnaby and Langley, holding off a late charge from the Victoria Shamrocks. With experienced coaches Dan Stroup and Josh Wahl taking over the team heading into the playoffs, the Saints can now re-focus and re-energize their efforts towards doing what they couldn't do last year: upend the Salmonbellies for a spot in the BCJALL Finals. 

The team came close last year, but couldn't quite over the hump. You can argue that this year, even after trading the league's second-leading scorer and top defensive and transition player, the Saints are in an excellent spot to do just that. They get great goaltending on a consistent basis and still have a number of dangerous players on the offensive end. Veterans like Clark Walter, who only had one game where he didn't score this year, will be expected to pick up the slack; at the same time, younger players like Garrett Winter will have the opportunity to show they're the real deal against one of the toughest, deepest defences in the country. 

New West is as stingy as you can get on the backend - allowing just 160 goals in 21 games and a +72 goal differential, also good for second behind Coquitlam. Goaltender Erik Kratz had another great campaign, playing all but 113 minutes in the regular season but still putting up a sparkling .824 save percentage along with 9 assists in 1161 minutes of work. He will be counted on to shoulder the load through this series so New West can take another crack at making a Minto Cup. 

Before the season, the acquisition of Tre Leclaire from the Delta Islanders was the talk of the league. New West took a chance on the standout from Ohio State knowing that he was likely to make Team Canada in this summer's FIL World Field Championships in Netanya, Israel. Leclaire did just that, but New West obviously had a contigency plan, bringing in both Nathaniel Kozevnikov and Ryan Jones to help buoy the scoring in his absence. Of course, the fish also have the likes of Will Malcom (26 G, 53 A), Carter Dickson (34 G, 43 A) and Keegan Bell (36 G, 31 A) to round out what is one of the most dangerous offensive units in the BCJALL. 

Two ties were all that separated these two clubs, and home-floor advantage may prove to be massive in this series. New West has that, and with the deals they made at the Trade Deadline, look like a clear favourite in this series. That's not to doubt what Poco can do, though. If the Saints can steal one on the road and play well at home, there's no reason the Saints can't overcome the late-season drama in order to upset the 'Bellies.