C3 post-season field all set

April 2, 2012

It came down to the final game of the regular season before playoff seeding could be finalized. But more importantly, a testament to the parity at the C3 level, the playoff race was wide open in the final weeks of the season, with ties and tiebreakers clinching it for some, and sending others packing their gear bags for the summer.

The final C3 seeding:

1. Puck Hounds (16–4–0–0; 32 pts.)
2. Wingmen (15–4–0–1; 31)
3. Nighthawks (11–6–3–0; 25)
4. Mintalar Moose (12–8–0–0; 24)
5. Fighting Piranhas (10–7–2–1; 23)
6. Spiders (10–7–2–1; 23)

With the weighted seeding for the round-robin round, the Spiders will only face the top three teams thanks to their sixth-place seeding, avoiding the Moose and Fighting Piranhas.

The Spiders claimed the sixth and last seed courtesy of a tie between the Royals and Fighting Saints in week 19, which effectively eliminated themselves from the race. This season is the second time the Spiders have had the last seed, the first after stealing the final spot from the Fighting Ice Fish in the final game of the season in 2009–10.

While there is no semi-final at the C3 level, the six teams will still be playing a compressed schedule, featuring three games in under 24 hours for the round robin, despite a 25-day “break” after the end of the C3 regular season. And whichever two teams win the endurance contest of the round robin will advance to the C3 final Sunday morning to play for hardware, after a night’s rest.

The now-final post-season schedule matchups for the C3 tier (subject to change):

A look at the three upcoming round-robin opponents:

• Wingmen:

  First up, the second-seeded Wingmen could’ve finished at the top of the division if not for a loss in the last game of the season to the Maroons. In the two games this season, the Spiders were a goal behind in each, the first one heading to OT, and the second, after falling behind and mounting a comeback.

  In the playoffs, the Wingmen’s first appearance was in 2008–09, where they went 2–1; their second was last season, where they went 1–1–1, including losing in dramatic fashion to the Spiders in the final 25 seconds.

  Spiders record this season vs. the Wingmen: 1–0–0–1. Lifetime: 2–2–1–2.

• Nighthawks:

  The early game on Saturday is against the Nighthawks, who owned the Spiders all season. The first game was a 6–1 drubbing, the Spiders first regular season regulation loss in over a year and a half. The second game came down to an unlucky bounce, 3–2 Nighthawks.

  The Nighthawks last appeared in the Winter Season playoffs in 2009–10 in D2, going 1–2. However, they have made plenty of AHA Fall Tournament appearances, going 1–2 in 2010, 1–1–1 in 2011, and winning it all in 2009, going 3–0–1.

  Spiders record this season vs. the Nighthawks: 0–2. Lifetime Winter Season play: 4–2.

• Puck Hounds:

  Last but not least, the first-place Puck Hounds, the only team in 2010–11 regular season to claim a point off the Spiders. They sat at the top of the C3 tier all season, finishing 16–4–0–0, and were a strong second in 2010–11, finishing eight points ahead of third place, 14–4–2–0.

  This year, they lost two to the Wingmen, their final game to the Fighting Piranhas, and halfway through the season, a surprising loss to the Spiders, 5–2.

  The Puck Hounds’ Winter Season playoff record is a total of 4–2–1. In 2009–10 in D2, they won it all, going 3–1. In 2010–11, they went 1–1–1.

  Spiders record this season vs. the Puck Hounds: 1–0. Lifetime: 2–0–1–0.

The Spiders will have their work cut out for them as they make their fourth consecutive return to the AHA post-season.

Playoff rules/tiebreakers

• There will be no overtime in round-robin pool play. 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 participate 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 per game)
  5. Fewest goals against
  6. Fewest minor penalties
  7. Fewest total penalty minutes
  8. Earliest goal scored
  9. Coin toss

  (Note: If three teams are tied, once a team is determined as the higher seed, the tiebreaker reverts to step 1 of the criteria between two remaining teams, if necessary.)