The fate of the Whitehorse Huskies’ season will be determined this weekend.

The senior AA hockey squad, sponsored by Nuway Crushing Ltd., is hosting the Powell River Regals for a best-of-three playoff series.

Game 1 goes tonight at Takhini Arena at 7 p.m. Game 2 is Saturday night at 6:30, while Game 3, if necessary, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday.

The winner of the series will earn a berth in the four-team Coy Cup tournament in Terrace, B.C., March 22 to 26 which will crown the top senior hockey team in British Columbia.

The Huskies are nearly back to full strength following a number of injuries incurred in their most recent series versus these same Regals in late January.

Goalie Brad Gustafson remains a game-time decision with a finger injury, meaning Dawson City native Daniel Naef may draw into the lineup for the first time, coach Mike Tuton told the Star.

Starter JJ Gainsforth is expected to get the lion’s share of the workload between the pipes.

Slick forward Joe Densmore is attending university in Victoria and also remains a game-time decision due to mid-term exams, while leading scorer Derek Klassen will miss the final two games of the series due to coaching commitments with the Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association.

However, coach Tuton said his younger brother Jared Tuton will be back to patrol the blue-line while former pro forward Kevin Petovello will return from a groin injury.

Defenceman Kaleb Dawe is also expected to return to the lineup after missing the last series.

“It’s going to be a battle, but I’ve got a lot of faith in our boys,” coach Tuton said yesterday. “I’ve believed in these guys since Day 1.

“Since training camp, we’ve built a deep team, and we’ve got the right guys to fill in if other guys can’t go. I think we’ve got the players to do it.”

Tuton lauded players like Naef, Mike Arnold and Daniel Cletheroe who have never wavered in their commitment to the team, despite limited playing time.

While the Huskies’ confidence has never wavered, the Regals will provide a stiff test with a beefed-up roster that includes four former pro players as well as Adam Nugent-Hopkins, the older brother of Edmonton Oilers star forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

The Huskies split their January series with the Regals to finish their season with a record of 4-2.

The team held a practice at Takhini Arena last night.

Tuton said the team is ready to go.

“These guys are hockey players and they know what’s on the line,” he said.

“We’ve been waiting a year for this series, ever since that three-week bus ride home from Fort St. John.

“It’s still pretty fresh in my mind – the way we went down there.”

NOTES: The Huskies will debut brand-new jerseys this weekend, complete with player names. ... Centre Adam Henderson has been named an assistant captain, following the retirement of Clayton Thomas. ... Members of Yukon’s Special Olympics team that collected a territorial record of eight medals at nationals in Corner Brook, Nfld., last weekend will drop the puck during a ceremonial faceoff tonight.