The Estevan Tarpon Energy Big Dogs had extra reason to be excited for Saturday's regular season finale against the Saskatoon Smash.
It was to be the team's first game ever at Spectra Place.
However, the game was forfeited by the Smash on Friday because they only had eight players available.
That took away the Big Dogs' chance to play in the new facility, but also gave them a crucial two points in the Prairie Gold Lacrosse League standings.
The Big Dogs (3-5-2) finish the regular season in fifth place in the PGLL, their best record since entering the league in 2008.
That puts them up against the fourth-place Moose Jaw Mustangs (5-4-1) in the quarter-finals of the PGLL playoffs to be held July 14-15 in Saskatoon.
Estevan edged Moose Jaw 15-13 in the only meeting between the two teams this year on May 27 in Moose Jaw.
However, there is a marked difference in goal differential between the two squads. The Mustangs scored 108 goals and allowed 93 this year, while the Big Dogs scored 89 and allowed 135.
Big Dogs head coach Evan Handley believes a spot in the semifinals is within reach for his club.
"It depends on (how many players) we have. I think that's a game where we can go in knowing we have a chance to win it," he said.
"If we go in there and play hard and get some breaks here and there and capitalize on our chances, that's a game we can win and then we're on the A side. It would be really nice to get in there (on the A side). If not, it gives us a good chance to win the B title."
Handley added that it'll take everything the Big Dogs have to knock off a Mustangs team that has a rich history of success in the PGLL.
"We just need to capitalize on our chances, have big games from our guys that are there, we need Rhett (Handley) and (Ryan) Curzon to put the ball in the net, (Ty) Currie and (Michael) Bittman to be a strong physical force. We need our other guys to play hard, play tough and play really well defensively."
The Big Dogs enter the playoffs knowing they are coming off their best regular season to date, a year in which the team made big strides.
Aside from the forfeit win on Saturday, the team defeated Yorkton in their season opener May 12 and Moose Jaw later in the month.
The Big Dogs also earned ties against the Regina Rifles on June 8 and the Saskatoon Steelers on June 24.
"We improved from Day 1 on our defence, and our offence got more potent as the year went on," said Handley.
Dylan Smith (19 goals, 49 points) and Rhett Handley (37 goals, 47 points) led the team on the scoresheet, finishing second and third in the league respectively.
But Handley said players like Kaleb Memory, Dustin DeBruyne, Katie King, Ryan Juhlke and Mark Moriarty were just as crucial, as their effort and commitment "makes other guys work harder" and also helps to fight against fatigue during games.
Handley said he felt a change in the team's approach to games this year, with many of his players now having at least a year of PGLL experience under their belts.
"Having those guys here, you don't have to spend that time going over the offence or the power play. They know it and they just do it. I think it showed in that we scored a lot more goals this year than last year, and we had more guys scoring goals," he said.
"There was no game in, game out going in and thinking, 'We don't have a chance to win this.'"
Handley said he felt passing and retrieving loose balls were two of the major skill areas his team improved on this season.
Curzon and Kelsy Omland are the only players the Big Dogs will lose to graduation.
