The Stampede will head to Christchurch safe in the knowledge it needs only one point from its two remaining round-robin games to secure home advantage for the final series.
The Queenstown-based side has its rivals in Dunedin to thank for that. The Dunedin Thunder inflicted two defeats on the other confirmed finalist, the West Auckland Admirals, in Auckland last weekend. That has given the Stampede a five-point buffer at the top of the standings.
But despite being well-placed, the defending champion is not planning on going easy on the Canterbury Red Devils.
It slipped up late last month, losing the second of its two games against the Botany Swarm.
That loss could have proved costly and it put a small dent in the team’s confidence levels. The Stampede has been invincible at home but has not been able to win back-to-back weekend matches on the road all season. It would like to change that this weekend, coach Adam Blanchette said.
"It is another stepping stone that we need to prove we can get over no matter what is at stake," Blanchette said.
"Whether it is one point we need or two or three, we want to go there and win two games."
That said, Blanchette suggested, if his side picked up the point it needed from the first game, he could look at making a few changes to the line-up.
"But one of the best ways you can go into the final is being confident and having a good last game. This is our last chance to build that confidence on the ice and work on a few things that we want to work on in a game situation."
Blanchette felt the loss to the Swarm might end up being the motivation the team needed to finish the final part of the regular season strongly.
"It has really solidified in our heads that if you don’t show up for all 60 minutes, you are not going to get the result you want no matter who you are playing."
The finals series is a best-of-three series with the top qualifier enjoying home advantage for the second game and, crucially, the third game if it is necessary.
