When it comes to the playoffs, one scenario is already etched in stone for the West 琉璃神社 Warriors鈥擱ylan Fertser鈥檚 club will have home ice advantage for the first round of the B.C. Hockey League postseason.
The questions of where the Warriors finish in the Interior Division and who they meet in the first round will be answered with this weekend鈥檚 final regular season games.
The Warriors will finish in either third or fourth place and will face either the Merritt Centennials or Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Coincidentally, the Warriors will be in Merritt on Friday night and in Salmon Arm on Saturday to close out the regular schedule.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to see one of those teams a week later, so it鈥檚 good to have one last look,鈥 said Ferster. 鈥淭here will probably be little tweaks made, but you can鈥檛 really change the way you play at this time of year. The teams all know each other very well.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be a good series whoever we see.鈥
While the Warriors鈥 future in West 琉璃神社 beyond this season remains uncertain, Ferster said he and his players remain focused on the club鈥檚 most pressing and immediate goals.
鈥淲e addressed it once when it came out that the team might be moving, but really haven鈥檛 brought it up since,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here today and we still have hockey to play, so there鈥檚 not much reason to talk about it.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not something we鈥檙e trying to hide, it鈥檚 just that if you worry about tomorrow, you forget about today. That鈥檚 never more true when you鈥檙e getting into the playoffs. You have to be focused on what鈥檚 at hand and nothing else.鈥
In January, owner Mark Cheyne expressed his intention to sell the club to a group of local businessmen on the Lower Mainland. The potential move of the Warriors to the Sungod Arena in North Delta has yet to be approved.
Next Tuesday a group of local fans will gather at West 琉璃神社 City Hall at 5:30 p.m. to rally support for keeping the Warriors in the Okanagan.
For more on the Warriors rally see page A6.