WINNIPEG, MB - This could very well have been a Memorial Cup final preview.
The Edmonton Oil Kings and Winnipeg ICE open their Western Hockey League Eastern Conference Final series on Friday night in Winnipeg with a best-of-seven battle between the two teams that spent the most weeks atop the Canadian Hockey League rankings this season.
The Oil Kings, who finished second in the conference during the regular season with 104 points, will play the first two games of the series on the road against the ICE, who led the way across the entire WHL with 111 points. Winnipeg was ranked number one in the CHL 13 weeks during the season, while Edmonton held the top spot seven times.
The Oil Kings enter the series undefeated in the playoffs so far after back-to-back four-game sweeps of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Red Deer Rebels, while the ICE lost one game in each of their previous two series wins over the Prince Albert Raiders and Moose Jaw Warriors.
OIL KINGS: Conference final clash set to start in Winnipeg
The Oil Kings and ICE were the top two teams in the Canadian Hockey League this season and will now square off for a spot in the WHL Championship
