Shutting out the noise: Calgary Canucks ready for opening round of the playoffs

The Calgary Canucks are finished their regular season and are gearing up to face off against the Canmore Eagles.

It’s been a wild week and a half for the Calgary Canucks.

With just three games left in the regular season, the Canucks fired Head Coach Mat Robinson and assistant coach Brandon Kozun.

They were replaced by Geoff Rollins and Ryan Carson.

It hasn’t been an easy time for the players, but Canucks Captain Riley Bracko says they found a way to get through it.

“You know I think we just stuck to our motto and that’s to drown out the noise,” said the 21-year-old forward.

“There’s a lot we can’t control so drowning out the noise and working out what we can control is our biggest thing right now.”

Hoping to get on a roll

The changes could’ve broken the team. Instead, it brought them closer together and the Canucks closed the regular season with two straight wins.

Rollins is proud of how his team go through it.

“Really what I like is they responded instead of reacted,” he said.

“They came together in a short period of time. We tweaked a few things here and there and they seemed to adjust to It and responded just fine.”

Facing the Eagles

The Canucks will face the Canmore Eagles — the top team in the South Division — in the opening round of the playoffs.

Forward Harper LoLacher thinks the Canucks have what it takes to make a run in the post season.

“There’s going to be some teams counting us out,” said the 21-year-old.

“They’re going to look at us and think there’s a lot going on. I think coming into Canmore we’re going to be ready to go and do everything we can.”

“I don’t think it matters where we are in the standings right now. I think we’re going to prove that we should be better than what it shows.”

Whole new season

The good news for the Canucks is that whatever happened in the regular season is now in the past. Bracko says the playoffs can be a whole new ballgame.

“We’ve had some really good games against them this year,” he said.

“Hopefully we can take the lessons learned in those games and keep building on them.”

“Anybody can beat anybody in this league. It’s been shown all year and that’s how we have to think and we know we can beat them and that’s our mindset.”

The first game of the series will be played Friday night in Canmore. Game two is Saturday night. The series then shifts to Calgary for game three on Tuesday night.

If necessary, game four will be played in Calgary on Wednesday night. The fifth and deciding game, if needed, goes in Canmore next Friday night.