The Smiths Falls Bears begin their quest for the Bogart Cup Friday against a familiar foe in the Carleton Place Canadians.
The Bears beat the Canadians in five games in the opening round of the CCHL playoffs a season ago and are once again the higher seed against their Highway 15 rivals.
But General Manager and Head Coach Pat Malloy will be the first to tell you that means nothing, as was proven all year long with the parity in the league on full display.
The Bears, a Game 7 win shy of capturing the title a season ago, are not short of motivation heading into the postseason.
Not only that, Malloy knows a lot of these players are playing for something bigger on a personal level.
Game 1 goes Friday night at 7:30 in Smiths Falls before Game 2 Sunday afternoon in Carleton Place at 3:00 p.m.
Story by Grant Deme
