Semi-Final Predictions

Delta Islanders vs New Westminster Salmonbellies

Season series: 2-1 ‘Bellies (Islanders won 12-6 at Sungod Arena on May 17th; ‘Bellies won 14-4 at Queens Park on June 3; ‘Bellies won 16-10 at Sungod Arena on June 14th )
Salmonbellies top scorer: Connor Robinson – 21 games played, 40 goals, 64 assists, 104 points
Islanders top scorer: Evan Messenger – 20 games played, 25 goals, 40 assists, 65 points

The New Westminster Salmonbellies finished first, which ended Coquitlam’s reign of holding down first place the last six years. With that aside, the ‘Bellies are determined to make it to the finals for the second year in a row and are poised to take down the Adanacs who have won the title five years in a row, but first, they need to go take care of the Delta Islanders.

The Delta Islanders were eliminated in the quarter finals last year when Victoria ousted them 2-0, but could history be on their side when they take on the ‘Bellies? The Islanders defeated the ‘Bellies in a best-of-5semifinals in 2012 where they knocked out the ‘Bellies in game 5. Of course, let’s not forget the ‘Bellies defeated the Islanders in the 2011 semifinals, so there’s not much to play with here other than the potential of a possible upset.

2 keys for the Salmonbellies to win the series:

1) Don’t force plays. Surely, the ‘Bellies have certain plays they might want to try or continue to use and they could easily get frustrated trying to force the play(s) over and over again. It’s important for the ‘Bellies to play like they always do – smart, disciplined and with passion. Stick to those plays.

2) Keep Calm and Belly On. Okay, that might have been a bit lame, but the pressure is all on the ‘Bellies. Everyone knows that. It’s simple though. When you play with heart and determination, you don’t even think twice about the pressure and stress that is upon you. So, keep calm and you know what to do.

2 keys for the Islanders to win the series:

1) Play hard every single shift. It’s a bit cliché and a bit of common sense. I didn’t attend a lot of New Westminster games this year, but one game that really stood out was when they took on the Langley Thunder a few weeks ago. Yes, the ‘Bellies won, but the Thunder came into the game with a lot of heart and determination and it was a tie game after 2 periods and then it went downhill in the third for the Thunder. The point is, if the Islanders can play with the same kind of heart and determination and keep it going for all three periods, they could be onto something.

2) Fast start. Another typical solution to victory, but if the Islanders can get under the ‘Bellies skin early on, it could throw the ‘Bellies off their game. Then, you add the heart and determination from the first key and we’ve got ourselves a series.

Prediction: 3-0 ‘Bellies

I was torn between 3-0 and 3-1 just because the Islanders did defeat the ‘Bellies early in the season, but I’ve decided to go with the sweep. Why? Well, one main reason is the fact that the Islanders no longer have goal scoring machine Eli McLaughlin. The other reason? I think the ‘Bellies are playing on another level. They want to get to the finals and they really want to take down the Adanacs. The fire is there and it will be too much for the Islanders.

Victoria Shamrocks vs Coquitlam Adanacs

Season series: 2-0-1 Adanacs (Tied 9-9 at The Q Centre on May 3; Adanacs won 15-6 at The Q Centre on June 28, Adanacs won 14-4 at The Coquitlam Sports Centre on June 29)
Coquitlam top scorer: James Rahe – 18 games played, 40 goals, 41 assists, 81 points | Eli McLaughlin – 18 games played, 47 goals, 34 assists, 81 points
Victoria top scorer: McLean Chicquen – 20 games played, 36 goals, 41 assists, 77 points

The Coquitlam Adanacs streak of first place finish has come to an end after six years, but surely, that doesn’t bother the Adanacs. Okay, maybe a little bit, but the goal at the beginning of the season was to win their 6th straight title and that’s what they are still poised to do.

The Victoria Shamrocks had a better season last year, but we need to forget about the past and live in the now. Besides their tie at the beginning of the season, the Shamrocks have not fared well against the Adanacs and they are roughly in the same spot as the Delta Islanders.

2 keys for the Adanacs to win the series:

1) Stick to the game plan. This series is very similar to the one above. You have one strong team who is heavily favoured and then there’s the other team who everyone is writing off, so there should be no surprise if these keys to winning the series are the same as above. With that out of the way, the Adanacs play an aggressive style. They get in your face and they frustrate you. As long as the Adanacs stick to that game plan, they should be fine.

2) Work on the specifics. Look, if anyone saw the finals last year, part of the Adanacs’ game plan was to get Steven Neufeld out there and just drive to the net. It worked and Neufeld won MVP. This year, they don’t have Neufeld and even though Chase McIntyre is trying to play that role, he hasn’t flourished like Neufeld did. Maybe this is where the Adanacs can work on that aspect and in order for that play to work, picks need to be made. Every time I saw McIntyre try the play, it was more of him fighting off the player to get a shot off instead of a set pick that would make McIntyre wide open for a shot.

2 keys for the Shamrocks to win the series:

1) Play smart. The Shamrocks tend to rush their attack, which doesn’t always work out as you’ll see bad passes, no set plays and wide shots. The Shamrocks need to play smart. They need to slow their game down and settle their attack. It’s the same on defense. They need to have their head on a swivel and make sure no one is open for a clear shot.

2) Play with passion, but stay disciplined. Sure, this is kind of the same as the Islanders key to play with heart and determination and you can easily say playing with heart is like playing with passion. At the end of the day, when you play with passion, you go out there and leave everything out there. You go 100% every shift and you play for your team, your family, your friends and for the love of the sport. I haven’t seen many Shamrocks games, but from the ones I have seen, they certainly didn’t play with passion. If they do play with passion in this series, they need to make sure they don’t go over and above and take unnecessary penalties.

Prediction: Adanacs 3-0

Just like the series above, I see this being a quick series. It’s too bad because we always like to see competition, but the ‘Bellies and Adanacs play in their own league. I don’t see the Shamrocks giving the Adanacs any trouble as the Adanacs know the ‘Bellies series will be quick, so they want their series to be quick and injury-free, so they can battle it out in the main event.