The Yukon Malamutes faced Newfoundland Berserkers in the 1st round. Malamutes finished in the 3rd place of the Northern Conference (8th in the league) with 76 points 
(34-24-8). We had only a single win against Berserkers (1-2-3 record) and in the last match of the regular season, we lost 6-7 in shootout against them. That match showed us the weaknesses that our team had and that we had to work on. We had to pick a goalkeeper for the opening game of the playoffs. We had to train more, prepare for the opponent, but our preparation was no different from what we had during the regular season. We just wanted to be better, because we realized that there were playoffs ahead of us, where everyone had to give their best and leave everything on the ice. At that moment, nothing was more important to us than the playoffs and preparation for them. With this motivation, and with the belief that with this attitude we can prove anything in this playoff, we entered the first game of the elimination round. And I believe we can do the best we can.