The Chilliwack Chiefs have a very unfamiliar rival waiting for them in the Fred Page Cup, which begins on Friday (May 16).
Chilliwack travels to Alberta to take on the Brooks Bandits – a team they've only ever met once to determine BCHL champions for 2024-25.
The lone meeting between the two teams occurred in Brooks on March 1, 2025, with the Bandits winning 5-2.
🚨HERE IT IS🚨
— Chilliwack Chiefs (@Chiefs_Hockey) May 13, 2025
The final schedule of the season as we head into the 2025 BCHL Finals
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🎟️ Game 3- https://t.co/bqNCh1afCp
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The Chiefs took out the Victoria Grizzlies in five games to advance to the final and finished them off with a 5-4 win in Chilliwack on Friday (May 9).
Chilliwack got power play goals from Brady Milburn (2:22) and Connor Dick (8:41), but the Grizzlies battled back to even the game up with goals from Reegan Hiscock (15:20) and Tobias Pitka (19:03) on the power play. Both teams recorded 12 shots in the first.
Victoria took the lead for the first time when Hiscock tallied at 8:53, however the Chiefs power play connected again at 17:31 when Connor Arseneault lit the lamp.
Chilliwack jumped ahead for good in the third when Mateo Mrsic (1:18) and Dwayne Jean Jr. (8:38) put the club up 5-3. The Grizzlies answered back with a goal at 11:29, but the Chiefs shut the door for the final portion of the third. Jean Jr. led all players with three points and the Chiefs out shot the Grizzlies 39-28. Chilliwack goalie Quentin Miller made 24 saves to earn his 12th win in the playoffs.
CHILLIWACK CHIEFS- YOUR 2025 COASTAL CONFERENCE CHAMPS 🏆
— Chilliwack Chiefs (@Chiefs_Hockey) May 10, 2025
NEXT STOP: THE 2025 ROGERS BCHL PLAYOFFS FINAL BATTLE FOR THE FRED PAGE CUP pic.twitter.com/vtINbHHnfX
Milburn enters the final leading the Chiefs with 19 points in 16 games and he sits tied for third in BCHL playoff scoring. Chiefs forward Carter Anderson has recorded 17 points in 17 games and is tied for sixth in playoff scoring. Caleb Elfering has also contributed offensively and is tied for third in the playoffs with 10 goals in 17 games.
Brooks and four other Alberta-based teams joined the BCHL last season and those five teams played in an Alberta division in 2023-24. The Bandits ended up winning that division by defeating the Sherwood Park Crusaders in the final.
The Alberta teams competed in the Interior Conference for 2024-25 and the Bandits finished second place during the regular season with a record of 40-10-2-2.
Brooks has rolled through the BCHL playoffs with a five-game series win over the West Kelowna Warriors, a sweep of Sherwood Park and a six-game series win over the Penticton Vees. Brooks eliminated the Vees with a 3-1 win on Monday (May 12).
Watch: Highlights from the Bandits 3-1 win over the Vees to advance to the Fred Page Cup Final. pic.twitter.com/cH8wV37oYE
— Brooks Bandits (@BrooksBandits) May 13, 2025
They are led by forward Nick Peluso, who leads the BCHL in playoff scoring with 22 points in 15 games. Peluso also has three game-winning goals and seven points on the power play in the postseason. Bandits forward Parker Lalonde is another player to watch and he's recorded 19 points in 15 games. Forward Luke Bibby has also been a threat offensively with 17 points in 15 games.
Bandits starting goalie Zach Zahara has been excellent in the playoffs, as he's sporting a 12-3 record, a goals against average of 2.43 and a save percentage of .907. He has also posted two shutouts.
Bandits advanced!!!
— Brooks Bandits (@BrooksBandits) May 13, 2025
They are headed to the BCHL Final to play for the Fred Page Cup. #Bandits pic.twitter.com/GSCEuG3roR
Game one is set for Friday, while game two goes Saturday (May 17). The series then shifts to Chilliwack for games three and four on Tuesday (May 20) and Wednesday (May 21). Game five, if necessary, is set for Brooks on May 23 and game six, if needed, would return to Chilliwack on May 25. Game seven would occur in Brooks on May 27.
