The London Knights take the first step in what they hope will be a march to the Memorial Cup on Friday night.
The Knights open their first round OHL playoff series against Owen Sound at Budweiser Gardens.
And while the Knights beat the Attack in four of their six meetings this season, Assistant Coach Rob Simpson says they are taking nothing for granted.
"When you get into the playoffs it's that time of year where everyone knows it's seven games and it can go either way," says Simpson. "We have a strong leadership group in there that has been in the playoffs before and a few of them have been in long runs in the playoffs. It is something that the leadership group takes care of and with Owen Sound beating us twice in the regular season the guys understand that they have a good team over there with an older team that if you do take them lightly, they will beat you."
The Knights boast an offence that led the OHL in scoring and a stingy defence that gave up the fewest goals in the league.
Simpson says talent and smart play will be the team's keys to beating the Attack.
"Overall when you get into playoffs it always comes down to being disciplined and making sure you stay out of the penalty box," he says. "As well your power play has to be strong and capitalize on its chances. Strong team defence is an important factor too."
Should the series go beyond four games, the two teams will face off five times in seven days. Simpson says the coaching staff will make sure the players don't get too tired.
"In the playoffs it's definitely something you have to be aware of, you have to keep your pulse on the team as far as how many minutes players play and injuries or any little nagging things that are carried over from the regular season. Definitely your practice time is cut down considerably and you're not practicing as hard or working out as much, it's more keeping them fresh," says Simpson.
London Knights (3) vs. Owen Sound (6): Game 1, Friday, March 25 at London – 7:30pm Game 2, Saturday, March 26 at London – 7pm Game 3, Monday, March 28 at Owen Sound – 7pm Game 4, Wednesday, March 30 at Owen Sound – 7pm Game 5, Friday, April 1 at London – 7:30pm Game 6, Sunday, April 3 at Owen Sound – 2pm* Game 7, Tuesday, April 5 at London – 7pm* *if necessary