Matchup

The Memorial Sea-Hawks, who sit at 6-14 on the season, open up the playoffs with a matchup against the Dalhousie Tigers (14-6). This matchup will see the 6^th seed face off against the 3^rd seed, with the winner moving on to face the 2^nd seeded UNB Reds (13-7) in the semifinals.

Last Action

Both of these teams played their final two regular season games against one another, which saw the Tigers sweep the Sea-Hawks in the 2-game series at the Field House. A third straight game against the same team should make for an interesting matchup on Friday.

By The Numbers

5 – Memorial go into the playoffs after a tough stretch of games, losing 5 of their last 6 games, dropping them to 1-5 in the month of February, compared to the Tigers who have won 8 games in a row and are 6-0 in February. The Hawks will need a strong effort from everyone if they want to bounce back this weekend and get a playoff win for a second straight year.

8-1 – Dalhousie will be playing at close to home against the Sea-Hawks, where they hold an 8-1 record on the season, while Memorial is struggling at 1-9 on the road this season. The Hawks will have to pick up a well needed road win in order to advance to the second round of the playoffs on Saturday.

Player Spotlight

Nathan Barker and Emanuel Ring – Nathan Barker and Emanuel Ring have been the dynamic duo driving the Sea-Hawks all season. Barker, who was just named as an AUS 1^st Team All-Star, averaged a career high 21.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this season. Ring was named the AUS Rookie of the Year, after averaging 15.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his first season with Memorial. When asked what this accomplishment means to him, Ring said that it's a huge honour being only the 4^th Sea-Hawk to have ever received the award, and that it showed him that hard work really pays off. I asked Ring what his team needs to focus on in order to advance past Dalhousie, to which he replied, "Definitely defence and communication. That hurt us the last time we played them when it came to pick and rolls and switching on screens. We need to improve there so guys aren't open for easy layups and open shots."

Sascha Kappos – Kappos goes into the playoffs averaging 13.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He is coming off of two strong performances against Memorial, as he dropped 19 and 16 points on Friday and Saturday respectively. Memorial will have to be careful of the 6'10" forward against the Tigers, as his size down low can cause problems for any team.