“We have some inexperience in the playoffs but, at the same time, we’ll stick to what made us good in the regular season.”
Jadon Joseph has played 36 Western Hockey League playoff games and he somehow sounds about 36 years of age, like a pro hockey veteran when he talks about the postseason.
The Giants are the top seeds for the Western Conference playoffs, thanks to their 48-15-3-2 record. They open the best-of-seven quarter-finals Friday at the Langley Events Centre against the Seattle Thunderbirds, who grabbed the second of two wild-card berths in the West with a 31-29-6-2 record, a mark 31 points behind Vancouver.
Vancouver hasn’t won a playoff series since 2009-10, when they went to the Western Conference final. For perspective, that was Brendan Gallagher’s second year with the G-Men. He was about to be drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. “Ever since I got here, I’ve felt like we play a playoff style game,” Joseph said of the Giants. “That’s our game style. We should be fine going into the playoffs.
Part of Seattle’s success can be linked to the addition of goaltender Roddy Ross, 18, in early January. He was playing in the Alberta Junior A league with the Camrose Kodiaks after spending last season playing midget hockey in Saskatchewan. He finished league play with Seattle at 16-5-1-2, with a 2.76 goals against average and .919 save percentage.
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