Fort Wayne’s premier junior hockey team starts their first-ever playoff run Friday night.

The Fort Wayne Spacemen of the U.S. Premier Hockey League will host the Detroit Fighting Irish at the Sport One Parkview Icehouse Friday at 9 pm for the first of a three-game series. Under USPHL rules, the higher-seeded team hosts every game of a playoff series, so the Spacemen will also host Game 2 on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 pm, and Game 3, if necessary, Sunday at 3 pm.

Fort Wayne (4th seed) is 4-0 against Detroit (5th seed) this season.

In addition to the playoffs, it’s been a whole season’s worth of firsts for the Spacemen, who are in their inaugural season: their captain, Jared Fisher, also broke the league records for goals and total points scored this year.

Team management tells me there are plans to honor Fisher on-ice before one of the team’s remaining home games for the accomplishments.

The rest of the USPHL Premier’s MidWest East Division Playoffs are as follows:

* = if necessary

Chicago Cougars (1) – BYE

Motor City Hockey Club (7) @ Decatur Blaze (2) – 2/28 @ 5 pm, 2/29 @ 7:30 pm, 3/1* @ 12:15 pm

Midwest Blackbirds (6) @ MJDP (3) – 2/28 at 3 pm, 3/1 @ 11:15 am, 3/2* @ TBD