Slammers back in action tonight against Dieppe, prepare for 3 games in 3 days, discuss resting players

After a week of rest, the Woodstock Slammers will be back in action on home ice tonight to face the Dieppe Commandos.

The home game against the Commandos will be the first contest in a series of three this weekend.

On Saturday, February 18th, the Slammers will hit the road and head for Amherst to face the Ramblers in a 7 pm competition at the Amherst Stadium.

On Sunday, February 19th, the Slammers will cross the Confederation Bridge and face the Summerside Western Capitals. In the last meeting between Woodstock and Summerside, the Slammers downed the Western Capitals 5-3. The Slammers will face Summerside once again in their last home game of the 2011-2012 season, scheduled for Friday, February 24th. Game time is at 7:30 pm at the Carleton Civic Centre.

The Slammers have scored a combined 35 goals in every meeting with Dieppe of the 2011-2012 campaign, compared to only 10 Dieppe goals allowed by Woodstock.

The Woodstock Slammers clinched the President's Cup nearly two weeks ago, which is awarded to the team with the highest overall record in the Maritime Junior Hockey League and guarantees home ice for Woodstock throughout the playoffs. The Slammers have also been able to rest assured that they have a playoff spot for nearly two months. Head coach Jason Tatarnic announced his plans for the remainder of the regular season in a press release on the Slammers website.

"We secured our position for the playoffs, and right now our priority is making sure everyone is ready for the playoffs," Tatarnic stated. "Within the league, teams are battling for playoff spots, but our focus is on making sure we are 100 per cent ready."

Tatarnic isn't ruling out the possibility of resting a few members of the Slammers' roster.

"We will make decisions on what is best for the Woodstock Slammers for the remainder of the regular season."

A three-game weekend presents its challenges, and it may not hurt for the Slammers to rest a few of their players here and there.

The Woodstock Slammers currently are the top-ranked squad in the MHL. They also dominate the rankings of the MHL's Meek Division and are the fourth-ranked Junior A hockey team in Canada.