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Commercial league heads for finish line

With two game days left in the Trail Commercial Hockey League season, the playoff picture has cleared up somewhat – but not entirely.

Rex Hotel clinched first place and Re/Max will have the second playoff seed when the post-season begins on March 10.

However, who those two teams face in the first-to-four-points first round, is still up in the air. Rex Hotel will face the fourth-place team while Re/Max will go up against the number three team.

It might come down to Sunday’s final day of the regular season to finalize the pairings.

However, Firebird needs a win tonight against Rex Hotel in order to keep its prospect of moving into third alive until the final day.

Firebird, which has two games left on its schedule, trails OK Tire by three points. OK Tire has one game remaining, which it will play on Sunday against Rex Hotel.

Rex Hotel held off a late-season charge by Re/Max and clinched first place last Sunday with a 7-5 win over the Arlington Inn.

Trevor Johnson, Stu McFarlane and Jim Maniago each supplied a pair of goals to the Rex attack. Mike Makway replied with a hat trick for Arlington.

Sunday’s other game saw Firebird keep its chase for third alive with a big 9-3 over OK Tire.

Craig Clare had four goals for Firebird with Gord Aiken chipping in a pair of markers and Eric Hill collecting four points.

In action last Thursday, Rex Hotel won the final regular-season battle with Re/Max by a narrow 3-2 count.

Maniago scored twice for the winners while Dave Eccles had both of Re/Max’s goals.

Although out of the playoff chase, the Arlington Inn had enough fight left in its lineup to hand OK Tire a 3-2 defeat. Kevin Santori’s goal stood as the winner.

Action continues tonight at the Cominco Arena with Rex Hotel taking on Firebird at 7:15 p.m. and Arlington facing Re/Max at 8:30 p.m.

The regular season wraps up on Sunday with Firebird meeting Arlington at 2:15 p.m. followed by Rex Hotel against OK Tire at 3:30 p.m.