D1 playoff pools finalized

April 1, 2011

The wait is over, the D1 post-season invites are in the mail.

The last race at D1 — in D1 East — finally wrapped up March 31, as the Lakers locked in the last spot by beating the Wolf Pack 4–2.

D1 playoff pools

Playoff seeding will be as follows:

D1 Pool A
Team	Division	Place	Record	Pts
Northern Horde	East	1st	18–1–0–1	37
Ak Bars	North	2nd	14–4–2–0	30
Maroons	West	3rd	10–8–1–1	22
Lakers	East	4th	12–8–0–0	24

D1 Pool B
Team	Division	Place	Record	Pts
Lumberjacks	North	1st	15–3–1–1	32
Puck Hounds	West	2nd	14–4–2–0	30
Muskies	East	3rd	12–6–2–0	26
Sled Dogs	North	4th	11–6–2–1	25

D1 Pool C
Team	Division	Place	Record	Pts
Spiders	West	1st	19–0–1–0	39
Diablos	East	2nd	17–2–1–0	35
Wingmen	North	3rd	14–5–1–0	29
Chaos	West	4th	8–7–3–2	21

Spider fans will recognize all the teams in Pool C, as they have a long history with the Spiders.

Chaos:

First up, the Chaos make it back into the playoffs, though in opposite fashion from last season. Last April, they went in with the top record in D1 (17–2–1; 35 pts.) and tied (with the C2 Jets) for the best all-AHA record. And that carried them right through the playoffs to beat the Diablos for the D1 championship. This post-season, they enter with the lowest point total of any D1 team (21). Looking in the mirror, the Spiders have the best AHA record this season, and last year had the lowest point total of any D1 team in the playoffs. The Spider faithful who attended the playoff opener last season know how that one ended. Will the pattern of opposites continue in the round robin?

This season: Spiders vs. Chaos: Spiders 3–0; Lifetime: 3–3
Wingmen:

The third-place team in D1 North and a strong record (14–5–1–0; 29 pts.), the Wingmen and Spiders have a long history, though personnel on both teams have changed. The Wingmen are now backed by former Spider netminder Jeff Keacher, who finished the regular season with his AHA career-best 2.15 GAA and .862 save percentage, allowing just 43 goals in 20 games. They missed the playoffs last season, finishing just 3 points out of a spot. And in 2008–09, went 2–1.

Lifetime: Spiders vs. Wingmen: 1–1–1–1
Diablos:

The second-place team in D1 East (17–2–1–0; 35 pts.), the Diablos are perennial top finishers, and have made the D1 final three years counting, and will be looking to make it a fourth. Last season, they went 2–1–2 in the playoffs, the lone loss at the hands of the Chaos in the final. The year before, it was the Spiders who dealt them the last loss, going 3–2.

Lifetime: Spiders vs. Diablos: 3–2–1–0

The Spiders will have their work cut out for them as they make their third consecutive return to the AHA post-season. With the top record in the AHA, the Spiders might be the odds-on favorites, but they will definitely be the team everyone looks to beat.

Follow the Spiders’ results on the scoreboard and the playoff standings.

The full D1 playoff schedule:

2010–11 D1 Post-Season Schedule
Date	Day	Time	Arena	Pool	Home	Away
4/4/2011	Mon.	8:30 p.m.	Braemar S	B	Lumberjacks	Sled Dogs
4/4/2011	Mon.	9:10 p.m.	Highland N	C	Diablos	Wingmen
4/5/2011	Tue.	6:15 p.m.	BIG 1	A	Ak Bars	Maroons
4/5/2011	Tue.	7:15 p.m.	BIG 3	C	Spiders	Chaos
4/5/2011	Tue.	8:00 p.m.	BIG 1	A	Northern Horde	Lakers
4/5/2011	Tue.	9:00 p.m.	BIG 3	B	Puck Hounds	Muskies
4/8/2011	Fri.	6:00 p.m.	BIG 3	C	Diablos	Chaos
4/8/2011	Fri.	6:00 p.m.	BIG 1	A	Northern Horde	Maroons
4/8/2011	Fri.	6:15 p.m.	BIG 2	B	Puck Hounds	Sled Dogs
4/8/2011	Fri.	7:45 p.m.	BIG 3	C	Spiders	Wingmen
4/8/2011	Fri.	7:45 p.m.	Richfield 2	A	Ak Bars	Lakers
4/8/2011	Fri.	8:00 p.m.	BIG 2	B	Lumberjacks	Muskies
4/9/2011	Sat.	9:00 a.m.	Braemar E	B	Muskies	Sled Dogs
4/9/2011	Sat.	10:15 a.m.	Braemar W	B	Lumberjacks	Puck Hounds
4/9/2011	Sat.	12:00 p.m.	Braemar W	A	Northern Horde	Ak Bars
4/9/2011	Sat.	12:00 p.m.	SLP W	C	Spiders	Diablos
4/9/2011	Sat.	1:45 p.m.	Braemar W	A	Maroons	Lakers
4/9/2011	Sat.	1:45 p.m.	SLP W	C	Wingmen	Chaos
4/9/2011	Sat.	7:30 p.m.	BIG 1	–	D1 – Semi-Final #2 – 2 vs 3
4/9/2011	Sat.	8:15 p.m.	BIG 3	–	D1 – Semi-Final #1 – 1 vs 4
4/10/2011	Sun.	2:00 p.m.	BIG 1	–	D1 Tier Championship

Playoff seeding/advancement

Three pools for the round robin round, consisting of three games each.
The top four teams of the round robin (three pool winners plus next-best pool play record) advance to single-elimination pool final Saturday night.
Tier Championship Sunday between the two semi-final winners.

Playoff rules/tiebreakers

There will be no overtime in round-robin pool play. Games will end in ties and will count in the standings.
If at any time the score differential is six or greater in the third period, the clock will convert to running time. If at any time the score differential goes below six goals, the clock will revert back to stop time.
In Pool Championship and Tier Championship games, if at the end of the three periods the score is tied, the teams shall play one overtime period of five minutes, running time. If at the end of the overtime period the score is still tied, a shootout will take place. Shootout rules are as follows:
- Three players from each team participate in the order the team captain selects. The home team will elect whether to shoot first or second.
- Each team takes three shots in alternating fashion. The team with the most goals after those six (or fewer) shots is the winner.
- If the score remains tied, the shootout will proceed to a “sudden-death” format. No skater may partipate more than once until all other skaters have participated.
Tiebreakers for pool standings:
1. Most points
2. Wins
3. Head-to-head
4. Goal differential (six goals maximum differential per game)
5. Fewest goals against
6. Fewest minor penalties
7. Fewest total penalty minutes
8. Earliest goal scored
9. Coin toss