BY Jonathan Huntington
SASKATOON – As of late Sunday night, seven of the eight playoff teams were decided for this year’s run to the Telus Cup West Regional tournament in Regina.
After a wild weekend of games, here’s what we know for sure:
- The Regina Pat Canadians claimed top spot in the regular season and hold home-ice advantage for all three rounds
- By out-scoring Yorkton 23-6 in two games this weekend, Swift Current grabbed the fourth and final home-ice spot in the first round
- The Battlefords Stars punched their playoff ticket as the #7 seed
- With one game remaining – Prince Albert playing in Tisdale on Monday night – the Saskatoon Contacts hold the final playoff spot by two points. IF Tisdale wins Monday, they would be tied with the Contacts in points, which would lead to a cascade of tie-breaker formulas.
Three of the four opening-round best-of-five playoff match-ups are set:
- #2 Moose Jaw vs. #7 Battlefords
- #3 Saskatoon Blazers vs. #6 Warman
- #4 Swift Current vs. #5 Estevan
FINISH LINES: The opening round starts Saturday and must be completed by March 8th… It will be a busy week of announcements, with the playoff schedule (game times/dates) being released – along with year-end awards… Watch for our Insiders Panel to breakdown all of the first-round match-ups before the puck drops on Saturday…
