In sports, having a game plan is crucial, which is why quarterbacks wear armband playbooks and hockey players carve “score a goal” into the ice before each game. Observe athletes’ preparations with today’s deal to a Portland Winterhawks playoff game at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Friday, March 23, at 7 p.m. For $50, you get four tickets for 200-level seating, colored orange on the seating chart (a $101 value). The Winterhawks’ opponent for this game is not yet determined.

The Portland Winterhawks surge into the 2012 playoffs seeking a repeat of last season’s race to the WHL championship series. Boasting a league-best 46 wins through 66 games, the talented flock of skaters has once again soared to the peak of the Western Conference behind a star-studded roster, which includes eight NHL-draft picks and a goalie that slows incoming shots with buckets of tree sap. While perched in their 200-level seats, fans can marvel at the puck prowess of wingers Brad Ross and Ty Rattie, who is second in WHL scoring with 110 points and a robust 53 goals. Home to the Winterhawks since the team’s inception in 1976, Veterans Memorial Coliseum surrounds spectators with the same ambiance that accompanied Portland’s Memorial Cup victory in 1983 or the great mascot food fight of 1992.

Our customers loved this deal last year, earning the Portland Winterhawks a spot on Groupon’s Best of 2011 list.