The Ridge Meadows Flames are two wins away from their third straight championship in the Pacific Junior Hockey League, and team members are also taking home individual league awards.
The Maple Ridge Junior squad has already eliminated both the Delta Ice Hawks and Port Coquitlam Buckeroos, and have taken the first two games of their best-of-seven series against the Langley Trappers.
They beat the Trappers 5-1 on Friday night, March 27, and 4-1 on Sunday night.
In the first game Matthew Biros had two goals and an assist, Zack Lagrange had three assists, and goaltender Matthew Candusso stopped 31 of 32 shots. Those were the three stars of the game, in that order. Cohen Muc, Joshua Bettesworth and Jonah Power Smith also scored.
“They might be named the underdogs in this series, but every game is a battle against them, they don’t quit no matter what the score is,” Bettesworth said in an interview with team broadcaster Andrew Cheverie. “They’re going to bring it all, every game, so we’ve got to make sure we’re bringing it even more.”
The second game was tied 1-1 heading into the third period, as Biros scored for Ridge. Then Manny Sandhu got the game winner early in the third, Lagrange added an insurance goal, and Max Wingrove scored the empty netter in the final minute.
Candusso stopped 29 of 30 shots.
He was named the top goalie in the Tom Shaw Conference for the season. “Candy” had 24 wins in 33 games, a 0.920 save percentage and three shutouts.
“He’s been this good for three straight years,” said GM Derek Bedard. “You put a good team in front of him, and he just stops pucks all day long.”
Sandhu was named the rookie of the year, after he had 13 goals and 65 points in 44 games.
“Manny is very talented,” said head coach Brent Hughes. “He handles the puck and he’s heads up. He’s had a sensational year for a first-year player.”
He also had praise for his GM Derek Bedard, who won executive of the year. Hughes said Bedard gives countless hours to running the team, covers ground that other GMs don’t, and does jobs behind the scenes that don’t always get recognized.
Hughes has never won coach of the year, but he’s gunning for his third straight championship.
He’s urging his team to maintain intensity against Langley, who came back to upset the first-place Richmond Sockeyes. They also beat a tough Chilliwack Jets team in their first round.
“Richmond beat them in the first two games, then they came back and won four of the last five,” noted Hughes.
There was chaos in Junior A hockey to start the season, and the PJHL is divided into two conferences, that will not meet in a league final. The Tom Shaw Conference was made up of the more competitive teams, and the Flames could win it this week.
The White Rock Whalers have already won the Harold Brittain Conference.
The Flames are at Langley’s George Preston Arena on March 31 and April 2. Game five, if necessary, will be back at Cam Neely Arena on April 4, at 7:30 p.m.
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