After a 49-game regular season, playoff time is where the rubber hits the road, or in the case of the Stoney Creek Warriors, the rubber hits the ice.

The Golden Horseshoe League playoffs kick off tonight (Feb. 29), as the community's local junior hockey heroes take on St. Catharines in a best-of-seven quarter-final series.

"They are a strong team and we will have to be physical with them and put pressure on their top guys," said Warriors captain Mike Kavanagh. "We have big, strong forwards and guys that are willing to battle in the corners. I think we can wear them down and take advantage of their youth up front."

After an impressive start to the season, that saw the Warriors on top of the standings in the GHL, the team struggled in the last two months, finishing the season with a 23-22-1-3 (W/L/T/OTL) record and a sixth-place finish.

The GHL was the epitome of parity this season, with the top six teams jostling for top spot all season long.

The Falcons, who captured the GHL championship in 2006/07, finished the season (28-14-5-2). The Warriors were 2-5 in head-to-head action against the Falcons this season, including a 5-2 loss last Saturday night. Over seven games during the regular season, St. Catharines outscored Stoney Creek 29-21.

The Falcons are led by two highly touted St. Catharines products - Daultan Leveille and Riley Sheahan. Both players are expected to be drafted in the NHL in the future.

There has been some recent turmoil within the Falcons organization. Two weeks ago, the executive fired the entire coaching staff, bringing in former NHLer Garry Lariviere, who led the team to the championship last season.

St. Catharines will still be a tough opponent for the Warriors, who will need to play their best hockey of the season if they hope to move on to the second round.

"We feel we have something to prove," said Kavanagh. "We are confident we can knock of any of the top teams. Trust me, no one is afraid of St. Catharines. We all want to win."

Kavanagh said the players have a sense of history and want to build a legacy for the organization.

"This team is good enough to win and we will be ready. It all starts the day before the first game. We will meet as a team and make sure everyone is prepared to play. There's no time for joking around any more. It's time to play serious hockey."

The Warriors have the firepower to match the Falcons. Stoney Creek had five players - Kavanagh, Andrew Dovey, Adam Montgomery, Jordan Gignac and Greg Bryl - in the top 25 in league scoring. Stoney Creek was also one of the top scoring teams in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, which encompasses the GHL, the Western Hockey League and the Mid-Western Hockey League.

Coach Dan Currie said his team will need to play good defensive hockey, limit mistakes, capitalize on the power-play and get solid goaltending.

"This is a tight team and they all want to do it for each other," he said. "The guys know that the playoffs are the time to shine and work as a team. We have great size and speed and we need to use that and keep everything simple."

The series opens tonight in St. Catharines at the Jack Gatecliff Arena.

Game 2 is tomorrow (Saturday, March 1) at Valley Park Arena. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

The rest of the series is as follows:

Game 3 - Monday, March 3 in St. Catharines

Game 4 - Thursday, March 6 in Stoney Creek

Game 5 - Friday, March 7 in St. Catharines

Game 6 - Saturday, March 8 in Stoney Creek

Game 7 - Monday, March 10 in St. Catharines.

All home games start at 7:30 p.m. at Valley Park Arena.

In the other quarter-final series, Thorold will square off against Wheatfield, Niagara Falls will take on Port Colborne, and Fort Erie will battle Welland.