After a 10-day break, the Beaver Valley Nitehawks will return to action on Friday, March 8 to kick off the Neil Murdoch Division final against the Grand Forks Border Bruins.
The Bruins clinched their first-round series against the Nelson Leafs in five games on Friday, with a 3-0 win at home. With the win over the Leafs, the Border Bruins move to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
The Nitehawks finished first in the Murdoch division and swept the Castlegar Rebels in Round 1 with their final match a 3-2 victory in Castlegar on Feb. 27.
The Nitehawks finished the season third overall in the KI with a 32-9-0-3 record, and first in the Kootenay Conference. They will enjoy home ice advantage for the divisional and Kootenay conference finals.
The 28-11-3-2 Border Bruins had the Nitehawks number this year, however, winning the season series 4-2, with two shootout wins in their final two games Feb. 6 and 16, and finishing in second place, six points back of B.V.
Grand Forks is led up front by Levi Astill who tallied 17 goals and 32 assists for 49 points, JP Desabrais with 19G, 28A, 47 pts, and Tyler Burke 8G, 38A, and 46 pts., and have 10 players with 20 or more points.
The Nitehawks meanwhile, have a ton of depth up front led by Ollie Clement with 18G, 27A, and 45 points, and on the back end with Lucas Gartner tallying 10 goals and 29 points in 44 games this season. The Nitehawks have 16 players with 20 points or more, and newly acquired defenceman Lohgan Nimmo who has scored 19 points in just 14 games.
Games 1 and 2 will go in Fruitvale on Friday and Saturday (March 8-9) nights.
The series returns to Grand Forks on Monday and Wednesday next week, March 11 and 13.
If necessary, Game 5 will be played in Beaver Valley on Friday the 15th, Game 6 in Grand Forks on March 16, and Game 7 in Beaver Valley on March 18.
The Fernie Ghostriders will play the Columbia Valley Rockies in the Eddie Mountain Division final. Fernie took out the Creston Valley Thunder Cats and the Rockies eliminated the Kimberley Dynamiters both in five games.
The match up promises to be an exciting and physical one, not to be missed. The puck drop for the Nitehawks-Border Bruins Murdoch division final games go at 7 p.m.