Although the Red Deer Rebels and Calgary Hitmen emerged as the Kootenay Ice's main rivals in the team's early years in Cranbrook, the Medicine Hat Tigers have played a bigger part in their recent history.

The Ice have played the Tigers more in the playoffs than any other team over the last four years. In fact, since rejoining the Eastern Conference in 2006-07, Kootenay hasn't played any other team more than once in the playoffs.

The clubs had never met in the postseason until 2008. The 2011 WHL Eastern Conference final set to open Friday in Medicine Hat will mark their third playoff clash.

"Whether you like it or not, I think you develop that rivalry there," said Ice forward Matt Fraser, who played in both previous meetings with Medicine Hat.

"In the Central Division, everything is always so tight between the six teams that every team you play there's bad blood. Obviously we knocked them out the first year and they got us last year."

He said players always remember the team that ended their season, or laid an embarrassingly lopsided loss on their laps (although the Tigers' two wins in six regular-season tries against the Ice were decided by just one goal).

"You always keep that in the back of your mind," said Fraser. "As for Medicine Hat, they're a skilled team to play against. There's definitely bad blood there. You think of guys on there you don't like and it gets everything boiling up again."

Although defenceman James Martin said he doesn't tend to dwell on things, he recalls it wasn't much fun returning home last year only to watch the Tigers play on TV in the second round.

"Nothing else is going on, you're not missing out on anything (outside of hockey). Once you realize that, that's where you want to be next year," he said. "That's us this year. I think everyone felt that feeling of going home and watching them on TV, just being disappointed and it really hit you. 'Holy smokes, that should have been us.'"

RAREFIED AIR

The last time the Ice were three rounds deep, the oldest players on the current roster were playing Bantam hockey.

Kootenay made it to the Western Conference final in 2005, where they lost to the eventual league champion Kelowna Rockets.

It seems peculiar to James Martin to look around the league and see 18 teams have gone by the wayside.

"It doesn't seem like there are four teams left in the league, it doesn't seem like guys (on other teams) have been home for a month," he said. "I think everyone in the room feels the same way. It feels like another game, and feels like everyone should be here, and it's the right time to be here.

"The biggest thing that sticks out in my mind is that no one wants to go home. Everyone wants to be here and everyone wants to win. That's huge."

The Ice have reeled off seven consecutive victories to get to this point. Even though it seems like ages ago since they last suffered a loss, Martin is confident the club would be able to handle an L.

As he notes, the Ice trailed their opening-round series against the Moose Jaw Warriors twice.

"We faced adversity and I think all the guys rallied together in the room," he said. "We talked about it all year, about how to keep your emotions in check and how to come back in those sorts of games, what the right emotion levels should be. I think we've practiced all year trying to do that. When we've gotten into those situations, I think we've handled them really well."

LIEUWEN TOPS IN CHL

On Wednesday, Kootenay's Nathan Lieuwen was named the Vaughn CHL goaltender of the week leading up to April 17.

The 6-foot-5 netminder had a 1.00 goals against average and .965 save percentage in a pair of wins to complete a sweep of the Saskatoon Blades.

He has been the goaltender of record for each Ice playoff game, compiling an 8-2 record thus far.

Knoblauch said the CHL honour is fitting reward for Lieuwen's play, even leading up to last week.

"Yes he was outstanding this last week and in the series against Saskatoon, but he's been pretty outstanding right through playoffs, since the first 10 minutes of Game 1 (against Moose Jaw)," said head coach Kris Knoblauch. "There were some jitters, but since then he's been very confident and played very well."

Over the span of Kootenay's seven consecutive wins, Lieuwen boasts a 1.43 GAA while stopping .955 per cent of shots faced.

Lieuwen took part in his first practice of the week yesterday, after resting to recover from a cold.

Knoblauch said the goalie could have taken part in Tuesday's session, but they gave him the extra day off because they felt there was time to get him back to speed with three practices.

There is no significant change to Kootenay's lineup going into the weekend, with forward Brock Montgomery still out with mononucleosis.