When the Penticton Vees beat Vernon 3-1 Monday night to advance to the BCHL final, they did the Chilliwack Chiefs a big favour.

The Vees are hosting this yearB次元官网网址檚 Western Canada Cup, gathering the champions of the B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba junior A hockey leagues at the South Okanagan Events Centre from April 29 to May 7.

Because Penticton is the host, theyB次元官网网址檙e already in and that means Chilliwack is in too.

The winner and runner-up in the Western Canada Cup will both qualify for this yearB次元官网网址檚 Royal Bank Cup tournament, taking place May 13-21 in Cobourg, ON.

Technically, the Chiefs could get swept in the final and still be in the mix for a national title.

B次元官网网址淭he goal is always to win your league championship and usually thatB次元官网网址檚 what it takes to advance to the Western Canada Cup,B次元官网网址� Chilliwack head coach Jason Tatarnic said Monday morning. B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 nice to know that we can play Penticton, and if things donB次元官网网址檛 work out for whatever reason, weB次元官网网址檙e going to get a second chance.

B次元官网网址淧ersonally, the teams IB次元官网网址檝e had have always gone through the front door, and weB次元官网网址檙e going to play to win, but if it ends up that we have to go through the back door IB次元官网网址檒l take it as a welcome change.B次元官网网址�

Chilliwack hasnB次元官网网址檛 won a BCHL championship since 2002 and Penticton is going to be a very, very tough out.

The Vees arenB次元官网网址檛 the offensive powerhouse of years past. This yearB次元官网网址檚 team is winning with rigid structure and one of the leagueB次元官网网址檚 top goaltenders.

Matthew Robson allowed less than two goals per game (1.94) through 49 regular season appearances, posting six shutouts and a .930 save percentage.

Penticton gave up 36 fewers goals than Chilliwack (129 to 156), and help themselves by not taking penalties.

The Vees faced a league-low 203 power plays against and had the leagueB次元官网网址檚 fifth best penalty kill percentage at 81.8 per cent, forcing opponents to beat them five-on-five.

The flipside is Chilliwack scored 54 more goals than Penticton (243 to 189) without a ton of PPs, and should feel good about the even-strength matchup.

The Chiefs have a league-high 59 goals in the playoffs, averaging 3.69 goals per game, while the Vees average 2.5.

Jordan Kawaguchi and Kohen Olischefski are numbers one and three in BCHL playoff scoring.

B次元官网网址淎nd when you talk about our depth, Jake Smith scores two goals in the last game against Victoria, and weB次元官网网址檝e got a lot of guys who can score,B次元官网网址� Tatarnic added.

Penticton beat the Chiefs in both of their regular season meetings.

In late November a dead-tired Chilliwack team was out-shot 40-14 in a 3-2 overtime loss at the SOEC.

In late February Tatarnic had to dip deep into his goalie reserves with Mark Sinclair and Brendan Barry sidelined by injuries and Mathieu Caron unavailable. The coach started Josh Bolding, who surrendered a couple softies in a 3-0 loss at Prospera Centre.

Tatarnic will get a key player back for the final. Kale Kane returns to the lineup, adding to ChilliwackB次元官网网址檚 already-formidable depth.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 an impact guy who can score, kill penalties and play a lot of hard minutes, and heB次元官网网址檚 been really good for us for two years,B次元官网网址� Coach T said. B次元官网网址淗e wanted to play last weekend but we delayed it to make sure heB次元官网网址檚 ready.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 been itching to get back in there.B次元官网网址�

See Jacob BestebroerB次元官网网址檚 column on page 19 for more Chiefs/Vees analysis.