EDMONTON, Alta. - The NAIT Ooks men's hockey team will be opening up their 2020 playoff run this weekend as they take on the SAIT Trojans in the ACAC semifinal best of three series. 

The Ooks come into the series after receiving a first-round bye, as they finished first in the ACAC regular season standings for an eighth straight season with a record of 24-4. Led by the lethal combination of Jake Mykitiuk (54 points) and Jared Legien (48 points) who finished one-two in the regular-season scoring race, NAIT will look to carry their winning ways into the weekend against SAIT. The Ooks also have the two top goaltenders in the league. Brendan Jensen and Jordan Papirny have nearly identical numbers, leading the league in both goals-against average and save percentage. 

Their polytechnic rival SAIT Trojans finished the regular season in fourth place with a record of 13-10-2-3. In the first round, the Trojans bested the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings 2-1 in a three-game series. The line of Jared Power (37 points), Colton McCarthy (35 points), and Eric Krienke (34 points) drive the SAIT offense. Not only do the Trojans have a potent offense, but they also play with and edge leading the ACAC with 591 penalty minutes. 

"SAIT is a very offensively skilled team. Their top guys carry their mail. Their power-play is also very good," said NAIT head coach Tim Fragle. "If we play with structure, shut down their top guys, and stay disciplined, I think we will have a good chance of finding success."

The Ooks won the regular-season series with the Trojans 3-1. Game one is scheduled to be played on Friday, March 13th, in the NAIT Arena at 7:00 pm. Game two will be in Calgary on Saturday, March 14th, at 6:00 pm. If necessary, game three will be hosted by NAIT on March 15th at 6:30 pm. 

The winner of the series will advance to the ACAC Championship series, where they will face the winner of the Red Deer College Kings and defending champion MacEwan Griffins.