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BCHL announce unique format for postseason series with Alberta

The Rocky Mountain Challenge will pit the B.C. and Albertan champion against one another
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The one-off, Rocky Mountain Challenge, will be a best-of-three playoff series between the champion of the BCHL and the champion of the Alberta division of the league. Five AJHL teams defected to the BCHL late in 2023; the Brooks Bandits, Sherwood Park Crusaders, Blackfalds Bulldogs, Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints. (Contributed)

The recent expansion of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) to include Alberta-based clubs has paved a new competition to mark the complete end of the 2023-24 BCHL season.

Dubbed the Rocky Mountain Challenge, the best-of-three series will pit the postseason winner from B.C. against the champion from the Alberta division.

“With the addition of the five teams from Alberta midseason and having them play a separate schedule from our B.C. teams, this felt like the perfect way to introduce competition between the two provinces, while giving the athletes a memorable event to cap off 2023-24,” said BCHL Commissioner Steven Cocker. “If this season is any indication, this is bound to be an action-packed weekend and will set the table for the exciting future of the BCHL.”

The two playoff winners will play the best-of-three series from May 31 to June 2, at the Albertan team’s arena.

This Rocky Mountain Challenge is a one-off event, as the five Alberta-based squads will be fully integrated into the BCHL for 2024-25 as a 23-team league.

The postseason for BC clubs begin on Friday, April 5 while the Alberta postseason schedule starts on Wednesday, April 10. The Surrey Eagles currently hold the best record in the league, with 88 points. Alberta’s Brooks Bandits are tops of their provincial bracket, sporting a tidy 55-5-1 record throughout their abbreviated AJHL and BCHL season.

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Bowen Assman

About the Author: Bowen Assman

I joined The Morning Star team in January 2023 as a reporter. Before that, I spent 10 months covering sports in Kelowna.
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