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The regular season schedule will wrap up in both the WHL and BCHL this weekend.
For both the Kelowna Rockets and West Kelowna Warriors, that means two more games before the real season begins next weekend.
The Rockets games are meaningless when it comes to the standings, as they’re locked into eighth place in the Western Conference and will take on the Seattle Thunderbirds in round one.
It’s still a good warmup for the postseason though, as they’ll take on another playoff team in the Vancouver Giants in a home-and-home.
🚀 G A M E D A Y 🚀
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) March 24, 2023
The Rockets are in Langley to take on the Vancouver Giants in the final road game of the regular season.
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📝 Preview ⬇️
It will begin in Langley tonight before shifting up the Coquihalla to Kelowna for a rematch on Saturday night, which will be Fan Appreciation Night at Prospera Place.
While this weekend’s games won’t matter much to the Rockets, it could not be more of a different story for the Warriors.
With two games to play, the Warriors are in a battle for home ice advantage in the Interior Conference playoffs.
They currently sit in fourth place with 58 points, but the Prince George Spruce Kings and Vernon Vipers are in fifth and sixth with 58 points as well.
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks are two points ahead of West Kelowna and the Wenatchee Wild trail the three-team logjam at 58 points by just a single point.
That means it’s entirely realistic for the Warriors to finish anywhere from third to seventh place in the conference, which makes a significant difference when it comes to matchups.
For the final time this regular season, the Warriors are on home ice as they host the @BCHLCentennials on Fan Appreciation Night!
— West Kelowna Warriors (@BCHLWarriors) March 24, 2023
GAME PREVIEW 📰 | https://t.co/1rKXW7usub#BCHL | #WestKelowna pic.twitter.com/DdZ4lCIx0M
West Kelowna will host the Merritt Centennials tonight in a game that the club will feel it has to win. It's also Fan Appreciation Night at Royal LePage Place.
They then have a road showdown with the Silverbacks in Salmon Arm to wrap up the regular season on Saturday night.
Since they have the tiebreaker over Salmon Arm, two wins this weekend would guarantee the Warriors finish third in the conference.
If not, we will have to wait until Sunday night to see how things shake down when it comes to the playoff picture.
Thumbnail photos courtesy of Steve Dunsmoor (Rockets) and Tami Quan Photography (Warriors).
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