Better late than never, the Cowichan Valley Capitals will welcome Ryan Hogg and the Salmon Arm Silverbacks to the Island Savings Centre this Wednesday.
The Caps were supposed to play host to the Silverbacks on Feb. 10, but highway closures in the Interior prevented that from happening. The game is now set for this Wednesday, with an early 6 p.m. start.
Wednesday’s game will mark the return to Cowichan of forward Ryan Hogg, a Duncan product who spent three and a half years with the Caps before he was shipped to Salmon Arm at the trade deadline along with Trevor Ayre for veteran forwards Mitch Skapski and Haydn Hopkins.
Hogg scored five goals and assisted on 16 others in 41 games with the Caps before the January trade. He has two goals and three helpers in 16 games with Salmon Arm. Ayre joined the Caps in a trade with the Langley Rivermen last fall and had 13 points in 36 games between Langley and Cowichan, and has put up five points in 15 appearances with the Silverbacks.
The Caps locked up a playoff berth last week, but are still jousting with the Nanaimo Clippers for third and fourth place in the Island Division. The Caps hold a slight advantage with 51 points and three games left to play, while the Clips have 50 points and two regular-season contests left.
After Wednesday’s game, the Caps will remain on home ice for the rest of the regular season, hosting Alberni Valley at 7 p.m. on Friday and Powell River at 2 p.m. on Sunday.