A couple of former minor hockey players from the Coast are still alive in the post season with their respective junior teams.
David Arduin and the Vernon Vipers are off to the Interior Division semifinal after the Vipers dispatched the pesky Prince George Spruce Kings 4-1 in their British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) first round series.
After dropping the first game 2-1, the Vipers stormed back to win the next four, including a 5-0 win Monday night in the series clincher. Arduin had a goal and one assist in the second game, a 4-3 win, which were his only points in the series.
Arduin finished with two goals and 14 points in 47 regular season games with the club after batting back from a serious, early season shoulder injury.
The Vipers head to Salmon Arm tonight (March 17) for game one of their best-of-seven semifinal series against the Silverbacks.
In the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL), Gibsons native Aaron Portman is still alive.
Portman, who plays for the Campbell River Storm, is locked in a battle with the Oceanside Generals in the North Island final. Heading into play Wednesday night (past deadline) Campbell River held a 2-1 series lead.
The Storm knocked off the Sooke Stingers 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs. Portman had three points in the series, including one goal in game three. He finished the regular season with three goals and 17 points.
The Peninsula Panthers saw their season end in the first round as they dropped their series to Kerry Park in seven games.
Pat Thorburn, who was traded to the Panthers from the Oceanside Generals late in the season, did not register a point in the series, according to the VIJHL website. Panthers' goalie Colin Page served as a backup to starter Paul Kolida for the series. Page saw limited action in games three and five.
In the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League (RMJHL), the season is also over for two Coast players.
Columbia Valley Rockies' goalie TJ Belanger saw his season end in the first round of the playoffs as Kimberly eliminated the Rockies. Eldon Chernowky, who started the season with Parksville in the VIJHL, was traded mid-season to Sicamous of the RMJHL. He was then dealt to the Creston Thundercats. Creston did not make the playoffs.
"Eldon is a great skater who has a nose for the net and then some," said Creston assistant coach Shane Lukinchuk in a recent player profile done by the team. "He works really hard on every shift and he absolutely scares other players because he's in their face so quickly. He's got a great future ahead of him."
