SteelHounds ready for postseason opener in Colorado Friday

Youngstown has only beaten the Eagles once in two years.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- With the Youngstown SteelHounds seeded fifth in the Northern Conference for their Central Hockey League playoff debut, there's only one way to the second round.
And that road travels through Fort Collins, Colo., home of the second-seeded (and most likely ticked off) Colorado Eagles (46-17-1).
The Eagles were the Northern Conference's top team for most of the season, but fell to the second spot on the last day of the season. Two SteelHounds' games were major factors in the Eagles' fall.
First, the Eagles lost, 3-2, to the SteelHounds March 18 at the Chevrolet Centre. That was the first time that the SteelHounds had defeated Colorado in two seasons.
Four days ago, Youngstown's 6-4 loss at Bossier-Shreveport gave the Mudbugs (44-14-6) 94 points (one more than the Eagles), the Northern Conference's top seed and the Governor's Cup that signifies home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
"They're not happy that they didn't get home-ice throughout, but there's only one award that matters -- the President's Cup," SteelHounds coach Kevin Kaminski said. "But it's history now and time to move on."
Once Sunday's game in Louisiana ended, the SteelHounds (34-24-10) boarded their bus for a 22-hour ride to Colorado.
Richards still questionable
The biggest question mark for the SteelHounds is when league MVP candidate Chris Richards will return. Richards suffered a lower body injury last Friday in Memphis.
Kaminski expects a very physical series for the SteelHounds' playoff debut. Games 1 and 2 will be played Friday and Saturday (9:05 p.m. both days) while Games 3-5 are scheduled for April 4 and April 6-7 at the Chevrolet Centre.
"It's going to be intense, hard-hitting -- you're going to have to earn every inch of ice," Kaminski said. "It's going to be a war."
The SteelHounds are 16-11-5 on the road, but have never won in Fort Collins. They will have to win there at least once in order to advance.
Although the SteelHounds and Eagles are in the same conference, they only played five times in the 64-game regular season. Three of those games were two weeks ago at the Chevrolet Centre. All three were one-goal games.
Playing so often recently helps preparations, Kaminski said
"It's actually a very good thing -- you know what they did," Kaminski said. "It's easier to spot tendencies."
Been in Colorado all week
Because the SteelHounds have been in Colorado all week, Kaminski said the higher altitude shouldn't be a factor by the time the puck is dropped.
"The best part is we're staying in one place," Kaminski said. "Not moving around from day to day helps."
When the CHL playoffs open tonight, a new postseason format will be used.
Last season, eight teams (four from each conference) qualified for a three-round postseason. This year, the field was expanded to 12 -- six teams from each conference.
Each conference has three first-round best-of-seven series. The three winners plus the highest-seeded losing team will move on to the conference semifinals.
Because the SteelHounds are seeded fifth, the only way they can advance is to beat the Eagles. If the top seeds win, the fourth-seeded Oklahoma City Blazers would be the losing team that moves on.
The SteelHounds and Eagles played five times this season with Colorado owning a 4-1 advantage. The Eagles also own an 8-1 record against the SteelHounds in the past two seasons.
williams@vindy.com