After Six Long Years, Oilers Back in Playoffs

Originally Published: Mar 29, 2011 3:11 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Reporter

TULSA, Oklahoma – The drought is over for the Tulsa Oilers. After a six season hiatus, the team is back in the playoffs, looking for its first postseason series win since 1994.

“It’s a great experience,” said goalie Ian Keserich. “It’s a great group of guys. We’re all ready to go.”

Third-seeded Tulsa (35-25-6) will host the sixth-seeded Mississippi RiverKings (30-31-5) on Thursday and Friday night in the first round of the CHL playoffs. Tulsa finished the regular season 6-1-1 against Mississippi, outscoring the RiverKings 34-27.

It looks one-sided when you compare the head-to-head records, but the two teams have played each other close. Three of the Oilers wins in the series came in overtime or a shootout. Tulsa enters the playoffs having lost only one game in their last ten tries. Mississippi is 5-5 in that same stretch.

Mississippi was the league runners up in 1996 and won the CHL championship in 2002 and 2003. Tulsa won the league’s inaugural championship in 1993 but has only made the postseason once in the past ten seasons.

CHL PLAYOFF FORMAT:
Series are decided in a maximum of five games. Tulsa will host the first two games of the series and the fifth game, if necessary.

GAME TIMES:
Game 1 – Thursday, March 31st at 7:05 p.m.
Game 2 – Friday, April 1st at 7:35 p.m.
Game 3 – Sunday, April 3rd at 5:05 p.m.
*Game 4 – Tuesday, April 5th at 7:35 p.m.
*Game 5 – Saturday, April 9th at 7:35 p.m.
* - if necessary (all times Central)

FUN SERIES FACT:
The Oilers scored 242 goals to the RiverKings’ 199 this season.