Warriors reeling entering playoffs

West Kelowna hosts Merritt in 1st round, starting Friday

Despite finishing the regular season on a three-game losing skid, the West Kelowna Warriors will be starting the BCHL playoffs at home.

The Warriors (27-29-2-0) backed into the post-season by losing 5-1 to Penticton this past Tuesday, 8-3 to Merritt on Friday and 5-3 to Salmon Arm on Saturday, but West Kelowna hung on to home-ice advantage as the Interior Division’s fourth seed.

As a result, the Warriors will host the fifth-seeded Merritt Centennials (23-258-2) in Games 1 and 2 on Friday and Saturday, both 7 p.m. starts at Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna. The series shifts to Merritt for Games 3 and 4 next Monday and Tuesday.

West Kelowna and Merritt finished tied in the standings with 56 points, but the Warriors took the higher seed and home ice by way of more wins.

It was a tight race to the finish between four teams in the Interior Division, with the third-seeded Trail Smoke Eaters (26-26-5-1) winding up just one point ahead of the Warriors and Centennials, while the sixth-seeded Salmon Arm Silverbacks (24-28-3-3) were only one point behind.

Trail hosts Salmon Arm to start the other first-round series, while the top-ranked Penticton Vees (41-13-3-1) and second-seeded Vernon Vipers (30-19-5-4) earned byes to the second round, which will begin on March 17.

The other first-round playoff series pit Wenatchee vs. Prince George, Chilliwack vs. Langley, Powell River vs. Cowichan Valley, and Victoria vs. Nanaimo.