The B.C. Division-champion Prince George Cougars have drawn the Portland Winterhawks in the opening round of the 2017 WHL Playoffs.
The Winterhawks entered the final day of the WHL regular season in third place in the U.S. Division, staring down a first-round head-to-head with the Seattle Thunderbirds. But a 7-2 loss to the Spokane Chiefs combined with a dramatic overtime win by the Tri-City Americans dropped Portland from third in the U.S. and into the first wild card seed in the conference. As a result, rather than keep things close to home in the Pacific Northwest, the Winterhawks will now embark on a northern road trip to Prince George for the first round of the 2017 WHL Playoffs.
The Cougars wrapped up the B.C. Division title Saturday night earning a single point against the Kamloops Blazers to wrap up their most successful regular season in their 23 year history.
Games 1 and 2 are set for March 24 and 25, respectively, at the CN Centre in Prince George. From there, the two clubs will meet at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum for Games 3 and 4 on March 28 and 29, respectively. Games 5, 6 and 7 are still to be determined.
| Game | Visitor | Home | Date | Time | |
| 1 | Portland | @ | Prince George | Friday, March 24 | 7:00 |
| 2 | Portland | @ | Prince George | Saturday, March 25 | 7:00 |
| 3 | Prince George | @ | Portland | Tuesday, March 28 | 7:00 |
| 4 | Prince George | @ | Portland | Wednesday, March 29 | 7:00 |
