Game 1 of CEBL final between Winnipeg and Brampton cancelled due to wet playing surface

The first game of the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s championship series has been called off due to unsafe playing conditions.

The Winnipeg Sea Bears and Brampton Honey Badgers opened their best-of-three series at Brampton’s CAA Centre on Wednesday, but play was suspended early in the first period due to condensation on the court.

The league later released a statement saying the game had been cancelled because the playing surface was unsafe for competition.

“The decision was made in consultation with both clubs, game officials and venue staff,” the league said in a brief statement. “The safety of our players, officials and fans is the League’s first priority.”

A decision on when Game 1 in the best-of-three final would be rescheduled was not immediately announced. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday in Winnipeg while a possible Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday, also in Winnipeg.

The Sea Bears are looking to win their first CEBL title while the Honey Badgers are aiming for their second championship in four seasons.

Winnipeg opened the postseason with a 99-88 home victory over the Saskatoon Mamba, who had won six of their previous seven games heading into the Western Conference semifinal.

The No. 2-seeded Sea Bears followed that up by stunning the top-ranked Vancouver Bandits, 107-96, in the West final. Vancouver had clinched first place in the conference by beating Winnipeg on the final weekend of the regular season and entered the game as a heavy favourite.

Brampton finished second in the Eastern Conference with an 11-13 record.

The Honey Badgers defeated the Ottawa BlackJacks in the East semifinal, before edging the Niagara River Lions in the conference final. Niagara had done a lot of the heavy lifting earlier in the postseason by knocking off reigning back-to-back CEBL champion Scarborough Shooting Stars, who finished with a league-best 20-4 record.

The Honey Badgers were also 2-0 against the Sea Bears this season, claiming a pair of narrow wins. Brampton beat Winnipeg 96-92 back on May 25 and, most recently, edged the Sea Bears, 88-86, on July 25.