The Buffalo Jr. Sabres clinched the Ontario Junior Hockey League West Division regular season title Saturday night with their 8-2 win on the road against the Orangeville Flyers. They will begin the first round of the OJHL Playoffs on Monday, Feb. 25, when they host the Burlington Cougars beginning at 7:50 p.m. at the Northtown Center at Amherst, 1615 Amherst Manor Drive between Maple and Millersport.
The two teams will alternate home dates in this best-of-seven series. Burlington will host Game Two on Tuesday at 5 p.m. The series will return to the Northtown Center at Amherst for Game Three on Friday beginning at 8:30 p.m.
Buffalo’s remaining home dates in the series, Games Five and Seven (if needed), were still being negotiated as of Sunday morning. The team was taking into consideration their need to satisfy the OJHL’s desired timeline to complete a playoff series while working around other previously scheduled events at the Northtown Center.
All playoff series are best-of-seven format with eight teams in two conferences competing to win the Frank Buckland Memorial Trophy. The OJHL playoff winner then qualifies to compete in the Ontario regional Dudley Hewitt Cup playoffs. That winner then advances to compete for the Canadian national Junior “A” championship, the Royal Bank Cup, which takes place this May in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
The Jr. Sabres enter this year’s postseason as the top seed in the OJHL’s South-West Conference. The previous first place finish by this franchise was in the 1993-94 season, when the team was known as the Niagara Scenics and competing in the North American Hockey League.
For more information, visit www.buffalojuniorsabres.com.
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