Preview: Americans open 2023 WHL Playoffs in Prince George

GAME DAY PREVIEW

Americans at Cougars

Friday, March 31 | Prince George, B.C. | CN Centre

Start Time: 7:00 p.m. PDT

The Ams will open the postseason tonight in Prince George as they return to the WHL playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

Tri-City ended their regular season with a 34-26-5-3 record and 76 points, finishing fifth in the Western Conference standings for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Only four players on the Americans roster have playoff experience: Reese Belton (Kamloops, 17 games), Jalen Luypen (Edmonton, 19 games), (Ethan Peters, 14 games), and Marc Lajoie (Tri-City, three games). This will be the first time that the Americans and Cougars have met in the WHL playoffs.

Tri-City led their season series against Prince George 3-1-0-0, including one overtime win in Kennewick. Koehn Ziemmer led head-to-head scoring with five goals and one assist over four games against the Americans. Ethan Ernst (two goals, three assists) and Jake Sloan (one goal, four assists) each have five points for the Ams against the Cougars. Tomas Suchanek played all four games in net against PG, with a .900 save percentage and 3.50 goals-against average. Madden Mulawka and Ty Young each played two games against the Americans. Tri-City has yet to face Tyler Brennan this season.

The Americans ended the season on a high-note 6-0-0-1 over their last seven games. They will look to carry that momentum into the postseason against the Cougars, who also finished the season hot with an 8-0-2-1 streak. This will be the first time the two teams have ever met in the playoffs.

Record: Tri-City 34-26-5-3 (76 PTS) | Prince George 37-24-6-1 (81 PTS)

Special Teams
Power Play: Tri-City (75/275) 27.3% | Prince George (77/278) 27.7%
Penalty Kill: Tri-City (68/267) 74.5% | Prince George (27/112) 75.9%

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