The BC Hockey League has completed its playoffs - in simulation

The BC Hockey League will crown a champion after all.

Sort of.

With all playoffs across the CJHL, up to an including the Centennial Cup, wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BCHL went to its players and team to create a virtual champion.

They used EA Sports NHL 20 as its platform.

After the eight remaining BCHL playoff teams were created in the game, each team selected a player rep to go head-to-head in an online contest which decided the winner of their would-be second round series.

The Round 2 matchups and their player reps are:

• Coquitlam Express (Joe Howe) vs. Surrey Eagles (Hassan Akl)
• Nanaimo Clippers (Josh Kagan) vs. Cowichan Valley Capitals (Nolan Barrett)
• Penticton Vees (Conner Hutchison) vs. Vernon Vipers (Trey Taylor)
• Trail Smoke Eaters (Kent Johnson) vs. Salmon Arm Silverbacks (Ethan Langenegger)

The league then compiled highlights of each series with calls from team broadcasters and videos submitted by each player rep.

“We were looking for a way to keep our fans engaged during this unfortunate downtime and we think this initiative accomplishes just that,” said BCHL commissioner Chris Hebb.

“By involving our players and our broadcasters in the project and creating our teams in the NHL 20 video game, we’ve tried to make it a fun and unique BCHL experience for everyone to enjoy.”

The video for the first matchup between the Coquitlam Express and the Surrey Eagles was released Thursday.

The remaining three second-round games will be published in the coming days and Round 3 will commence next week.