“We’re Built for This” – Sea Bears Head Coach Mike Taylor Previews 2023 CEBL Playoffs

The Winnipeg Sea Bears will tip off their first-ever playoff game in a revenge matchup with the Edmonton Stingers at 8 p.m. Friday, August 4 at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg’s 12-8 regular-season record earned them the Western Conference’s second seed and the right to host the conference’s play-in game against the third-seeded Stingers. The winner of the play-in will visit the Calgary Surge in the conference semifinals on August 6 with the chance to punch a ticket to Championship Weekend in Vancouver.

Sea Bears head coach and general manager Mike Taylor says that his team’s greatest advantage will be the ability to play together that they’ve built throughout the regular season.

“We talk about three areas: be the best version of yourself, be the best team and be the best when it matters most,” he said. “We’ve used the 20 games to grow together as a team, and now, in playoff time, the message is to be the best when it matters most.”

Winnipeg has suffered two of their three home losses this season at the hands of the Stingers, most recently on July 29 in the team’s final game of the regular season. That loss made way for the Calgary Surge to vault the Sea Bears for the conference’s pole position, with Calgary now awaiting the winner of Friday night’s matchup.

Taylor stresses that one of the keys to righting the ship against Edmonton on Friday will be to contain their smaller floor-spacing lineups.

“They do a great job in transition with their smaller lineups,” he explained. “We’ve studied all three games and are ready to go. We’ve had a great week of practice and I’m looking forward to how our team is going to respond.”

He adds that the Sea Bears will call upon their frontcourt depth against a team that has outrebounded Winnipeg, a top-two rebounding team on average this season, in all three of their previous meetings.

“It’s not a one-man job,” he said. “Simon [Hildebrandt], Chad [Posthumus], Shane [Osayande] and Steph [Ingo] will all be able to help the team, and they’ll be ready.”

“We want to light Canada Life Centre on fire with our energy and effort,” he added.

The Sea Bears announced Wednesday the opening of Canada Life Centre’s upper bowl to accommodate more fans for the upcoming game. The team is set to break their own CEBL record attendance in an evening that will also feature a performance by Canadian music legend Kardinal Offishall.

“Our Sea Bears fans have been wonderful all summer. What a fantastic boost of energy and support for our guys – it’s a great homecourt advantage,” said Taylor. “I think we’re raising the standard of the league, and that’s a tribute to our fans and the city of Winnipeg.”

The Sea Bears will have the opportunity to win their way westward to play Vancouver in the Western Conference Finals should they emerge victorious in their next two games. Championship Weekend in Vancouver will feature the two conference finals on August 11, followed by the championship game on August 13. Niagara and Vancouver have clinched byes to their conference finals as the top seed in the East and Championship Weekend host team, respectively. The four playoff games ahead of August 11 will decide which two teams will meet them at Langley Events Centre for their respective conference finals.

“We’re built for this,” said Taylor. “We’re focused on being that team that gets hot and makes a great playoff run, starting with that victory Friday.”

Don’t miss out on the Sea Bears’ most important game of the season and incredible performances from a Canadian music great – all in one day! Enjoy a pre-game performance from Kardinal, happy hour drink specials, Sea Bears Kids Zone activities and more when doors for the indoor pregame party open at 7 p.m.

Be sure to arrive early to avoid the line for limited-edition Sea Bears “TOGETHER” playoff t-shirts (sold on the concourse and in the South Pole). Enjoy happy hour before the game with $6 Bud Light and Budweiser cans from 7 to 7:30 p.m. before Kardinal’s first performance. He will take the stage again at halftime.

For tickets, visit seabears.ca/tickets.