Saanich Tigers drew first blood in the best-of-three Vancouver Island midget A1 playoff series on Tuesday, beating the Whalers 7-6 at Juan de Fuca Arena.
The Whalers must now take a pair of road wins off the Tigers if they hope to advance to the provincial championships next month in Richmond.
Saanich hosts game 2 of the series tonight (June 23) at 6:30 p.m. at Pearkes Recreation Centre, with game 3 going Sunday at 10:30 a.m. if necessary.
The A1 Whalers are the association's last chance to see a midget team qualify for provincials, as the A2 and B Whalers teams each lost two straight games in their respective opening round playoff series last weekend.