Halloween weekend brings 20 games to the BCHC, with winning streaks on the line, divisional rivals meeting again and plenty happening beyond the ice.
Williams Lake is riding six consecutive victories, Richmond has won five straight, and Kimberley is looking to respond after its eight-game winning streak came to an end last weekend.
Meanwhile, Beaver Valley and Nelson are preparing for back-to-back meetings, and teams across the province are getting into the Halloween spirit.
Here’s what to watch October 30 to November 1.
Can anyone slow down Williams Lake?
The Mustangs are making a strong case as one of the hottest teams in the BCHC.
After sweeping their Kootenay road trip last weekend, Williams Lake returned to action Thursday with an 11–3 victory over Quesnel, extending its winning streak to six games.
Kaelen Swanson recorded a hat trick, Declan Pocock collected five points, and the Mustangs converted on all six power-play opportunities.
Now, Williams Lake returns home for two more tests.
Summerland visits Friday before Fernie arrives Saturday. The Ghostriders are also playing Friday in Quesnel, making it a challenging northern road trip against two Interior opponents.
The question for the Mustangs is how long they can keep this run going.
A Kootenay home-and-home with plenty at stake
Beaver Valley and Nelson will see plenty of each other this weekend.
The Nitehawks host the Leafs Friday before travelling to Nelson for the return matchup Saturday.
Beaver Valley enters the weekend following a 4–2 victory over Osoyoos that ended the Coyotes’ five-game home winning streak.
Nelson, meanwhile, is looking to rebound after a 5–1 loss to Williams Lake last Saturday.
Neither club gets much time to recover. Nelson hosts Columbia Valley Sunday afternoon, while Beaver Valley welcomes Osoyoos in a rematch of last weekend’s meeting.
Three games in three days could make for some movement in the Kootenay standings.
Kimberley looks to respond, Kamloops faces another challenge
The Kimberley Dynamiters saw their eight-game winning streak end last Saturday when Kamloops handed them a 5–2 defeat.
The Dynamiters remain atop the BCHC Power Rankings, but their response will be tested on the road this weekend.
Kimberley visits Merritt Friday before travelling to Revelstoke Saturday.
Kamloops has its own demanding schedule, hosting Revelstoke Friday before visiting Merritt Saturday.
The Storm were riding five straight victories before Columbia Valley stopped them with an 8–5 win Sunday.
With Merritt and Revelstoke both capable of making things difficult, neither Kimberley nor Kamloops can count on an easy weekend.
The Rockies look to keep scoring
Columbia Valley scored 16 goals in two games last weekend, with eight different goal scorers in each victory.
The Rockies defeated Grand Forks 8–6 Saturday before ending Kamloops’ winning streak with an 8–5 victory Sunday.
Now they take that offensive momentum on the road, visiting Grand Forks Saturday and Nelson Sunday.
Saturday’s game offers the Border Bruins a quick opportunity for revenge after last weekend’s high-scoring meeting.
Can the Rockies keep finding goals throughout their lineup, or will their Kootenay rivals find a way to slow them down?
Richmond keeps rolling, Burnaby keeps pushing
Richmond made it five consecutive victories Thursday with a 4–2 win over Chilliwack.
The Sockeyes have the next two nights off before visiting Langley Sunday, giving the Trappers an opportunity to challenge one of the Mainland Division’s hottest teams.
Elsewhere, Delta and Port Coquitlam meet Friday, just six days after the Ice Hawks earned a 5–4 overtime victory in their previous matchup.
And Burnaby continues its pursuit of a first BCHC regular-season win.
The Steelers visit Ridge Meadows Friday before travelling to Gibsons for Saturday’s Halloween Hockey Night against Coastal.
Burnaby has been competitive in recent outings, including a 2–1 shootout loss to Richmond last Sunday. With two more opportunities this weekend, the Steelers will be looking to turn those close games into a breakthrough victory.
Halloween celebrations around the BCHC
There’s plenty happening beyond the ice this Halloween weekend.
Merritt has two nights of festivities planned at Nicola Valley Arena. Friday’s Oktoberfest celebration includes themed activities, music and special pricing, while Saturday brings a Halloween costume contest, prizes and pumpkin curling.
Ridge Meadows hosts its Halloween celebration Friday against Burnaby, with special promotions and prizes planned.
The Coastal Tsunami welcome Burnaby to Gibsons Saturday for Halloween Hockey Night, while Revelstoke hosts Kimberley for a Halloween-night matchup.
Osoyoos is also hosting its Golf Club Member Night Friday when Langley visits the Sun Bowl.
Away from game action, the Quesnel River Rush have a Halloween team activity planned for Saturday, including handing out candy and tailgate trick-or-treating.
With costumes, community activities and divisional rivalries, fans have plenty of reasons to get involved this weekend.
Weekend schedule
All times Pacific.
Friday, October 30
- Langley at Osoyoos | 6:50 p.m.
- Summerland at Williams Lake | 7:00 p.m.
- Revelstoke at Kamloops | 7:00 p.m.
- Nelson at Beaver Valley | 7:00 p.m.
- Fernie at Quesnel | 7:00 p.m.
- Princeton at Grand Forks | 7:00 p.m.
- Kimberley at Merritt | 7:00 p.m.
- Delta at Port Coquitlam | 7:00 p.m.
- Burnaby at Ridge Meadows | 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 31
- Burnaby at Coastal | 5:00 p.m.
- Beaver Valley at Nelson | 7:00 p.m.
- Kimberley at Revelstoke | 7:00 p.m.
- Fernie at Williams Lake | 7:00 p.m.
- Columbia Valley at Grand Forks | 7:00 p.m.
- Kamloops at Merritt | 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 1
- Columbia Valley at Nelson | 2:00 p.m.
- Osoyoos at Beaver Valley | 3:00 p.m.
- Coastal at Port Coquitlam | 4:00 p.m.
- Richmond at Langley | 4:00 p.m.
- Ridge Meadows at Chilliwack | 5:30 p.m.
Catch every game live on FloHockey, and follow the results, standings and statistics at bchchockey.ca.
