Veteran Kootenay Ice winger Matt Fraser is issuing a challenge to the people of Cranbrook and area: fill the Rec Plex in the playoffs, have fun and help a talented team reach its potential.

The Western Hockey League post season starts this Friday, and the series between the Ice and Moose Jaw Warriors begins here in Cranbrook.

There are still lots of tickets left for Game 1, with the Ice office reporting Wednesday that 1,700 tickets had been sold for the 4,264-seat venue.

"We feel like we can make a lot of noise in the playoffs and I think we've brought in some high-end talent to really make a push. We feel like we have the guys in the dressing room to do it," said Fraser, one of four Ice players to finish with more than 30 goals this year.

"From a players' standpoint, it's always nice to have a little more excitement coming into the rink. You can only do so much as a player to get yourself excited to play. You feel like if you had more fans there, it might be a little more intimidating for the opposing team to come in, and it would give us something to feed off as well."

For Fraser and fellow overagers Kevin King and Steele Boomer, this playoff will be the last of their WHL careers.

King has been around for four previous springs, Boomer and Fraser three each.

"We've made the playoffs every year, but we've only made it to the second round once," said Fraser. "We're just looking for that extra advantage to push us over the top."

He said extra fan support and energy can be just the thing.

This year's best-attended game saw 3,476 loud, active fans cheer the Ice to victory over the Vancouver Giants on Feb. 5. It was Family Faith Night, organized by goalie Nathan Lieuwen who went on to win the Community Player of the Year award; Fraser won it in 2010.

Fraser - the second star against the Giants with a goal and an assist - said it was about the most fun the team had all year.

"It showed during the game that you can really use the crowd to run on adrenalin? where sometimes you can go out there and play and not feel like you have enough energy to get through a game," he said.

"You look for different ways to find it, and sometimes the crowd is there and sometimes it's not. It's part of a small-market team, but we feel like if we can add a few more people in the stands and make a little more noise and know that they're going to be there through thick and thin in the playoffs - that gives us more confidence to play."

Confidence, he noted, is a fickle thing. When it's high, nothing can stop you. When it's low, little things often do.

He said confidence on the team has been strong since last summer, knowing 18 players would be coming back from the season before - and a dozen of them had been regulars the year before that.

General manager Jeff Chynoweth showed his faith in the team by dealing for top-flight forward Cody Eakin from Swift Current prior to the January trade deadline; that bolstered the team's confidence even more.

"(Chynoweth) put the ball in our court now, and it's our turn to run with it," said Fraser.

Eakin has averaged 1.7 points per game since stepping into the Ice lineup, and brings with him a dynamism and skill level last seen when Nigel Dawes wowed Cranbrook crowds.

"He's been fantastic. He's had a seamless entrance into our team," said Fraser.

"It wouldn't be easy going from playing for a team for four years to being a loaner player? for the next three months or so to try and win something, but he's done a fantastic job. He came in with the right attitude and that's all you can ask for from a player like him."

Fraser said this team hopes to reach the heights last achieved by the Ice in 2002 - league and Memorial Cup championships.

"Everyone is really excited. We're all saying how bored we're getting with practicing early in the morning and doing nothing in the afternoons," said Fraser.

He can sense that it's a different time of year, in the dressing room and away from the rink.

"We've all been frantically trying to dye our hair (black) the past couple of days to get everything in place, and we've told all our girlfriends that we're not going to be talking to them for a while because we've got business to take care of," said the 20-year-old. "We're ready to go, and we're expecting a tough series here."

With your help, it could be a loud and memorable one too.