M’s Promoted To New C1.5 Level, Will Not Compete in C2 Playoffs
Jan. 28, 2012
In the lead up to the 2011-12 season, there were several rumors about the defending C2 champion M’s. Would the whole team move up to C1? Would the league move individual players to C1? Traditionally, the top teams in each division would be undergoing some roster movement as the league tries to enforce parity within each skill level.
There was some surprise as the M’s were announced as returning to C2 with nearly the same lineup as well as the addition of the goalie that subbed for them through their previous championship run. Undoubtedly, this was a difficult decision for the AHA. The M’s don’t have any players that are obviously too good to play in C2. But every player on the team is in the top half of C2 players. Many of them also play in C1 and are on the ice several times a week.
The M’s started out on fire, at one point being 6-0 with a 38-3 goal differential and four consecutive shutouts, including a 4-0 beatdown of the Spiders. Then a loss to the Zephyrs and a tie against the Aces seemed to quiet down to the critics.
But then… On Friday evening, the AHA announced the M’s would continue to play in C2 for the regular season but would not compete in the C2 playoffs. Instead, the M’s will enter into a round-robin tournament with the 6th-place teams from the C1 division for a berth into the C1 playoffs.
The statement from the league:
“As part of AHA Hockey’s ongoing efforts to monitor parity within levels, we have made a decision that impacts the Winter Season playoff tournament for both the C1 and C2 tiers. There are no changes planned to the remaining C1 or C2 regular winter season schedule. Mid-season actions concerning parity are rare, and hopefully everyone will appreciate our actions and work with AHA in the future to identify proper playing levels for individuals and teams overall.
At the conclusion of the regular 2011/12 Winter season, AHA will be removing the C2 M’s team from participation in the C2 level Winter Playoff tournament. The M’s will instead be participating in a C1 level three-team qualifying round to determine who advances to the C1 playoff tournament. The top four C2 North teams, outside of the M’s, will advance to the C2 winter playoffs in addition to the top four teams from the other C2 divisions.”
The timing is odd considering the M’s have a rematch with the Spiders scheduled for February 16th. The Spiders have really come together over the last month and will prove to be a good test of both teams. It appears the league wanted to make a decision before the captains meeting scheduled for February 6th.
