Brual’s Goaltending and Dacpano’s Series-Winner Send U17 Canadians to Semi-Finals

D'Angelo Brual was outstanding in goal and Gavin Dacpano’s power-play goal with 51 seconds remaining in regulation completed a three-goal comeback on Saturday as the U17 AAA Greater Vancouver Canadians swept the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds in their first-round best-of-three playoff series.

The seventh-place Canadians, who finished nine wins behind the second-place Thunderbirds during the regular season, won 5-3 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday, with both games taking place at the Abbotsford Centre.

Next, up, the Canadians will take on the first-place Okanagan Rockets in the best-of-three semi-finals beginning March 7.  

In Friday’s 5-3 victory, GVC jumped out to a commanding 5-1 lead by the midway point of the second period, with Jayden Rodas and Nicholas Harris each scoring twice, and Gavin Dacpano also getting a goal. Joshua Read stopped 28 of 31 shots he faced, including 16 in the third period as Fraser Valley outshot the Canadians 18-4 in the final frame. Thomas Kanavos and William Trolland each had two assists. 

On Saturday, the Thunderbirds seem poised to send the series to a third and deciding game, scoring just 11 seconds into the contest and then getting another goal 13 seconds into the second period. But the Canadians came all the way back, with Henry Goldman scoring on the power play with 11:33 left in the second to cut the deficit to 2-1 and William Trolland tying the game with 2:18 remaining in the frame. With the game tied 2-2 late in regulation, the Thunderbirds were penalized for head contact with 1:33 left, and Gavin Dacpano scored on the ensuing power play with 51 seconds to go as GVC completed the sweep. D’Angelo Brual was a standout in goal as GVC had yet another clutch netminding effort, allowing the Canadians to come back and take the series.

The two playoff wins give the U17 Canadians 12 victories in their last 17, as they have bounced back nicely after an uneven start to the season. This includes an impressive 10-3-0-0 run between Dec. 15 and Feb. 16, with five one-goal victories and three shutout wins. One of those wins was a Jan. 12 triumph over the first-place Okanagan Rockets, as the Canadians won 4-3 one day after dropping a 9-3 decision to Okanagan.

In the semi-finals, the Canadians will travel to Kelowna and take on the Rockets at MNP Place, with the games taking place on March 7 at 4:45 p.m., March 8 at 3:00 p.m., and (if necessary) March 9 at 10:00 a.m.