New to hockey? Here are the basics to know for your first Tri-City Americans playoff game
Tri-Cities has its own professional hockey team, the Tri-City Americans. The team of 15- to 20-year-olds clinched playoffs this season, and are about to begin their fight to beat the Victoria Royals in a Best of Seven matchup.
Players on the Tri-City Americans told the Herald they need fan support, whether that means old fans or new fans.
If you’re new to the game of hockey, but want to support your local team, here are some basics to know ahead of playoffs.
WHL’s Tri-City Americans
The Tri-City Americans are part of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The WHL is a professional development league for junior hockey players ages 15 to 20. It’s one branch of the Canadian Hockey League, alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Altogether, the CHL provides more players to the National Hockey League than any other league, with 88 players selected in the 2024 NHL Draft, according to the league website.
The Western Hockey League includes 22 teams across Washington, Oregon and western Canada, with a recent expansion announced adding one team next season and another the year after.
The Tri-City Americans are one of the Washington teams in the WHL, and just wrapped their regular season. They play and practice at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.
Tri-City Americans ‘24-25 season
The 2024-25 regular season started on Sept. 20, 2024 for the Tri-City Americans. They played 68 games between then and March 23, winning 32 total games.
While they started the year winning only one of their first five games, the team quickly turned things around. Starting with the sixth game of the season, the Americans went on a 12-game win streak.
The season after that included several multi-game win streaks and several multi-game losing streaks. But with a series of strong pushes, the team held their spot among the top eight best teams in the league.
The Americans (or Ams for short) had games end in overtime 15 times this season, nine ending with an Ams victory. Five games ended in shootout, and they won four of those five.
WHL playoff format
They were the seventh of eight teams to clinch a spot in the WHL Playoffs’ Western Conference.
Playoffs start March 28, lasting through May. The top eight teams will face off in a best of seven series, continuing until one championship winner remains.
The championship is conducted in three rounds of Best of Seven matchups. That means the teams are paired up for a series, and the first team to win four games advances to the next round. Semifinals are next, then finals in May.
The Tri-City Americans are paired up against the Victoria Royals. The first two games will take place in Victoria, B.C., followed by games three and four (and five if necessary) at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. If needed, games six and seven will be in Victoria. Tickets for the games in Kennewick are available now through Ticketmaster.
The team wants fans in the stands for playoffs, whether that means longstanding hockey lovers or new fans still learning about the sport.
WHL playoffs in Kennewick
No matter how much you know about hockey, you can still enjoy the high energy playoff games.
The team’s captain, Jake Sloan, told the Herald playoffs are really a different beast, but the team is ready for all the excitement. Playing the same team up to seven times in a row means you have to be prepared for every game, ready for every possibility.
For newer fans, he says to get ready for high volume in the Toyota Center during playoffs, as the crowd will be very loud for every goal, every big hit, everything that happens.
“The loudness that gets in here when we have good games, it can really bring people together,” Sloan said.
Goalie Lukάš Matěcha said they need they need fans to bring their energy for playoffs, so they can win for the fans.
Several players said they think hockey is the best sport to watch.
“Once they come here, they’ll probably want to come to every other game,” forward Cash Koch said about potential new fans going to their first game. “It’s a whole bunch of energy in one big building and a fast-paced game, and just about anything could happen on that ice.”
Not sure who to watch during the game? Check out these five gamechangers who were part of the team’s push to the playoffs:
This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 3:32 PM.