The third-round playoff schedule of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League was announced Tuesday, March 19, as the Revelstoke Grizzlies get set to take on the league-winning Princeton Posse.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies have swept their last two series against the Chase Heat and the Kamloops Storm, respectively, earning their spot in the third round of the playoffs. For their part, the Princeton Posse bet the Kelowna Chiefs and the North Okanagan Knights. The third-round action commences on Friday, March 22, at 7 p.m. in Princeton.
Before their series against Kamloops, Revelstoke Grizzlies coach, Jiri Novak, said some of the senior players wanted another crack at Princeton.
“We have some history with Princeton,” said Novak, adding “I think that [the players] would like to play against Princeton again.”
On Friday, the Grizzlies will get their opportunity.
- Game 1: Friday, March 22, at 7 p.m. at the Princeton & District Arena
- Game 2: Saturday, March 23, at 7 p.m. at the Princeton & District Arena
- Game 3: Tuesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. at the Revelstoke Forum
- Game 4: Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. at the Revelstoke Forum
The rest of the series will be played as needed until the first team reaches four wins. If last year’s series was any indicator, the series may need the extra games.
The Revelstoke Grizzlies and Princeton Posse battled for six games last year, until the Posse beat the Grizzlies 2–1 in Revelstoke.
While the win was an impressive comeback for the Posse, who bounced back with three straight wins, the team had to overcome the loss of a coach amid the hard-fought series. Just hours before the Posse took the ice, news of the death of one of their coaches, Mort Johnson, broke forcing the team to play the game with heavy hearts.
Overcoming the loss of a coach prior to taking the ice, the Posse were winners in the game before the puck dropped, but after three periods they were also the winners of the series as they beat the Grizzlies on home ice 2–1.
This year’s Posse vs. Grizzlies series is expected, once again, to be a tough matchup. The two teams finished at the top of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League with just one point separating them. Of their two meetings throughout the season, each team claimed on the others’ home ice.
The series begins on Friday with the puck drop at 7 p.m. in Princeton at the Princeton & District Arena.
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