Dates for the first round WHL Playoff series between the Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans have been finalized and will begin in Spokane with games one and two on Friday, March 22nd and Saturday, March 23rd. Games three, four and, if necessary, five will be played in Tri-City with Spokane hosting a potential game six.
The location of game seven will be determined by who finishes in fourth place in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season. Spokane currently leads Tri-CIty for the fourth spot by two points, 86-84.
"Due to the city and Spokane Arena hosting the Women's NCAA basketball tournament our availability for dates was limited," Chiefs General Manager Tim Speltz said.
"Due to the situation of Spokane's building availability, we were forced to become creative in finding solutions that met the needs of both teams," Tri-City General Manager Bob Tory said.
"With limited dates and the cooperation of Tim Speltz and the Chiefs, we were able to come up with a solution that works well for both franchises considering the circumstances," Tory finished.
"We appreciate the American's cooperation and flexibility in scheduling the dates to give us the opportunity to play in our building when we have it available to us," Speltz said.
"The NCAA Tournaments are fantastic events for our Arena and the city of Spokane. The Chiefs, the Spokane Arena and our fans thank Bob Tory and his organization for being a good league partner," Speltz said.
If the two teams remain equal in points then wins would determine the higher seed. Spokane leads Tri-City by two wins, 42-40.
Individual tickets for the first two games of the series will go on sale at the Chiefs office and all TicketsWest outlets on Thursday, March 14th at 9:00 a.m.
Of the three games left in the regular season, two will be played against each other in a home-and-home series this weekend beginning on Friday night in the Spokane Arena and finishing on Saturday in Kennewick. Both games will begin at 7:00 with Saturday's game being televised live on SWX. All the remaining regular season games will be heard live on SportsRadio 1510 KGA, Everything Sports.
FIRST ROUND WHL PLAYOFF SERIES
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Game 1
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Friday, March 22nd
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Tri-City at Spokane
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7:05 p.m.
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Game 2
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Saturday, March 23rd
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Tri-City at Spokane
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7:05 p.m.
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Game 3
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Tuesday, March 26th
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Spokane at Tri-City
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7:05 p.m.
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Game 4
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Thursday, March 28th
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Spokane at Tri-City
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7:05 p.m.
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Game 5*
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Saturday, March 30th
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Spokane at Tri-City
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7:05 p.m.
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Game 6*
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Tuesday, April 2nd
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Tri-City at Spokane
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7:05 p.m.
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(if Spokane finishes in fourth place)
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Game 7*
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Wednesday, April 3rd
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Tri-City at Spokane
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7:05 p.m.
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(if Tri-City finishes in fourth place)
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Game 7*
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Wednesday, April 3rd
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Spokane at Tri-City
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7:05 p.m.
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* if necessary
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The Chiefs will host the Americans for the first two games of their playoff matchup.
