Simon Fraser University will open the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League playoffs at home tonight (Friday), beginning at 7: 30 p.m.
The second-place Clan club will be playing a home-and-home series against Thompson Rivers University this weekend.
If necessary, a tiebreak game will be played on Sunday in Burnaby at 6 p.m.
SFU won all five matchups with the Kamloops club during the regular season, but all bets are off in the post season, said Clan head coach Mark Coletta.
The two most recent wins have both been close, including a shootout win at Thompson Rivers last month and a narrow 6-4 win at home last weekend.
"Any time the playoffs start, it's 0-0," Coletta said. "They'll have a full lineup. They played injured in four or five games in the first semester. They're tough, hard to play against and stingy."
Winning in the old Memorial Arena in Kamloops is also a hardship, Coletta added.
"It's a historic building and small to say the least. You've got to be prepared for more physical elements of the game. . You can't get lost in a rink like that," he said.
League champion Selkirk College will face the defending playoff champion University of Victoria in the other semifinal.
The two winners will then meet in best-of-three series, beginning on March 15.
