Round 1 of the Rogers BCHL Playoffs begins on Friday, April 3rd at the Eagle Builders Centre. It will indeed be a good Friday as playoff hockey returns to Blackfalds for the first time since the spring of 2024.
The Bulldogs will be hosting the team they last faced in the BCHL Alberta Playoffs, the Sherwood Park Crusaders. This time, the Bulldogs are looking for a different outcome as the Crusaders took that series in a four-game sweep. The Interior East Division rivals met seven times during the regular season, as well as three times in the preseason, so these two teams are quite familiar with each other.
The Bulldogs finished the 2025-2026 season with a 37-15-2 record with 76 points. That placed them 2nd in the Interior East Division and 4th in the BCHL. Helping them to that record was the BCHL’s best goal differential of 84 goals. The Bulldogs also have the best Penalty Kill in the BCHL, operating at 83.3%. The aggressive penalty kill also results in a lot of offence, with the Bulldogs generating a league high 17 shorthanded goals, 6 more than any other team. The Power Play finished 10th in the league at 23.0%.
Leading the way offensively is Nikita Ivashchenko. He led the team in goals (31) and points (69), which was good enough to finish tied for 3rd in the BCHL for goals and 4th in points. Thomas Neu had the next highest point total for the Bulldogs with 61, which was a tie for 11th most in the BCHL. His 27 goals were third on the team and a tie for 13th in the league. Luke Dahlen and Joey Melo both finished with 51 points. Dahlen had 29 goals, which ranked 2nd on the team and tied for 8th in the BCHL. Melo had 18 goals this season. Rounding out the top 5 point producers is Noah Mertz. He had 8 goals, which placed him in a tie for 10th among BCHL defenders, and his 50 points had him 2nd in points out of the league’s blue-liners. His 42 assists had him 2nd most for defenders and tied for 7th most in all players for the BCHL. Needless to say, all 5 of those players were announced as All-Stars at the BCHL’s All-Star game in January.
In between the pipes, the Bulldogs boast 2 All-Star goaltenders who are in the top 3 in a few statistical categories. Olivér Király led the team in Goals Against Average (GAA) at 2.30 and Shutouts with 4. In the BCHL, those stats are 2nd-best and 3rd-best, respectively. He also distributed the puck, adding 4 assists to his name. His .906 Save Percentage (SV%) was 3rd in the league. Király had a 14-6-2 record in 23 games played. His 14 wins were tied for 12th in the BCHL. Carson Mertz also had a phenomenal rookie campaign. He led the team with a .910 SV%, which was 2nd in the league. His 2.34 GAA was 3rd in the BCHL, while his 21 wins had him tied for 6th. He had a 21-7-0 record in 29 games played with 1 shutout and 1 assist to his name.
On the other side, the Crusaders finished the season 3rd in the Interior East Division and 7th in the BCHL with a 29-19-6 record for 64 points. Their special teams units are both in the top ten in the league, with the 7th-best Power Play (24.9%) and 6th-best Penalty Kill (79.4%). They too can score while shorthanded, recording 10 such goals, which has them in a tie for 3rd in the league. They have the 8th-best goal differential with 26 goals.
Sherwood Park has two skaters in the top 20 for points, with Joseph Sinclair and Braeden O’Keefe pacing the Crusaders’ offence with 60 points each. Sinclair led the team in goals with 24. Bode Sampair was 3rd on the team in goals and points with 18 goals and 44 points. A couple of defencemen round out the Crusaders’ top 5 scorers. Erik Kald also finished with 44 points; his 16 goals were 5th on the team. Stevie Grumley rounds out the top 5 with 41 points, and his 17 goals were 4th on the team. The Crusaders had 4 representatives at the All-Star game, including Grumley, Kald, Sinclair, and Jude Bray.
Filip Vavro led the way in the Crusaders’ crease this season, leading them in all categories and playing the lion’s share of the games. In 32 Games, he had an 18-9-4 record, 3.09 GAA, .902 SV%, and 2 shutouts. Those stats had him tied for 8th in the BCHL for wins, 13th in GAA, and tied for 6th in Save Percentage. Jack Scali had an 11-10-2 record in 23 games, with a 3.44 GAA, .900 SV%, and 1 shutout. His Save Percentage was tied for 11th in the league.
In the regular season, the Bulldogs took the 7-game season series with a 5-1-1 record. All-time, the Bulldogs’ regular season record against the Crusaders is 13-11-2. In the playoffs, Blackfalds is 0-4 against Sherwood Park. Round 1 is shaping up to be an exciting series between the Blackfalds Bulldogs and the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
Be a part of the action and get your tickets for Games 1 and 2: https://www.showpass.com/202526-bulldogs-single-game-tickets/
Game 1 is Friday, April 3 at 7pm and Game 2 is Saturday, April 4 at 6pm at the Eagle Builders Centre. It’s time to back the Bulldogs and show your Bulldogs pride this playoff run. Cheer loud and we will see you at the rink!
