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Kelowna  

Anaheim Ducks stopping by

While the Vancouver Canucks made sure the NHL playoffs wouldn't be coming to British Columbia this year, those in Kelowna might notice a hint of playoff hockey in the air next week.

The Anaheim Ducks will be travelling to Edmonton to take on the Oilers in the third game of their best-of-seven Western Conference semi-finals Sunday, but Game 4 won't be played until Wednesday.

Rather than spend their two days of rest in the Oilers' hometown, the Ducks have decided to practice in Kelowna on Monday and Tuesday, as reported by the Edmonton Sun.

“It’s just that we felt with the game being early on Sunday and with the two day break that it would be good to get away by ourselves a little bit and do our thing,” said the Ducks' coach Randy Carlyle. “It’s about calming things down, settling down. We’ll practice Monday and Tuesday there. It was just an option made available to us.”

The Ducks are currently down two games to none in the series.

While Carlyle may be looking for a break from the Oilers fanaticism in their hometown, Kelowna may not be the best place to avoid fans of the Oilers. 

“Time to direct staff to remove all ice in Kelowna arenas immediately!” Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran tweeted Friday.

“I'm fairly certain that local hotels are due for their annual middle of the night fire drill this weekend,” tweeted 'Roasted Mighty Duck.'

If the Kelowna Rockets can force a seventh game against the Seattle Thunderbirds Sunday, they'll be heading down to Washington Tuesday, presumably leaving Prospera Place free for the displaced Ducks.

This won't be the first time an NHL team has practiced in Kelowna. In March 2010, the Detroit Red Wings practiced in front of 6,000 fans at Prospera Place, following a win in Calgary.

It's unclear if the public will be able to watch the Ducks' practice. 



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