The schedule is out for the first round of the playoffs for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.
The MOB will host games one and two of their best-of-five series against Drayton Valley on Thursday and Friday nights, with both games scheduled at 8 PM.
Game three will be Sunday at 4 PM in DV, with game four there if necessary on Monday, and a possible game five back in Fort McMurray next Wednesday.
Head coach Gord Thibodeau says the Thunder will be a challenge.
“They’re a dangerous team,” he said. “They’re very good defensively; they’re a team that plays, and has been playing, playoff-style for the last three months, so if there’s any advantage in that, they certainly know how to play that game, maybe moreso than we do right now.”
The Barons went 5-1 against DV in the regular season, but Thibodeau says this won’t be a typical #2-#7 seed matchup.
“This isn’t a team that’s struggled just to get that playoff spot,” he said. “They’ve actually played very good hockey since Christmas, and have beaten all the top teams.”
With the MOB having just returned from their last road trip of the year at 5:30 AM on Sunday, Thibodeau admits there’s a hefty agenda with just a few days left before Game 1.
“We’re focused right now, a lot, on our special teams,” he said. “We’re focused a little bit on our forecheck, and what we’re going to do defensive zone-wise; we’re just trying to hit as many things as we can hit, to make sure our guys can be as prepared as they can be.”
All Barons playoff games will once again be live on Country 93.3.
