The NAIT Ooks men's hockey team hit the ice tonight in the ACAC semi-finals. The team finished first this season, granting a bye in the quarterfinals. The sixth-place Briercrest Clippers upset the third-place Red Deer Kings last weekend, advancing them to the semi-final series against the Ooks.

The NAIT Ooks played the Clippers at the end of the regular season and beat them handily both nights in Briercrest. Due to the playoff format, because the teams are more than 400 km away, all three games will be played at NAIT, giving them the home-ice advantage for the entirety of the series. Whoever comes out victorious will move on to the best of five ACAC finals next weekend.

Head Coach Scott Fellnermayr says, "there are always things to work on, but we have been continuing to get better in all areas of the game. The bye week has been great to rest some of our injured players, so we should be at our best for tonight."

The team has a few heavy hitters who will be essential for the Ooks, says Fellnermayr. "Dylan Stewart was our leading scorer this season and will be looked upon for some offense and veteran presence in the room. Jordan Papirny was amazing in net for us this year and will look to close out his college career on a high note. Dalton Hamaliuk led the entire ACAC in defensive scoring and will look to bring a physical presence as well as continue to chip inoffensively. There are too many other notable players and leaders on the team to list them all!"

Another player to look out for is our captain, "I want the audience to pay attention to captain Shane Fraser, who had a great finish to the year and was steady for us in all 16 games. Shane has taken on the responsibility as captain and is the driving force of this team on and off the ice," says Fellnermayr.

The Ooks hit the ice at 7:00 PM for the first game of the series.