AHA releases 2013–14 post-season schedule, Spiders looking to move down standings to free up late-March calendar

March 14, 2014

The AHA has announced the official — preliminary — playoffs schedule.

The Spiders are currently on the playoff dance card, but are doing their best to get on the golf schedule instead of the playoff schedule. With two games remaining, the Spiders, in third in C3 East in front of the Fighting Saints, control their post-season destiny to make their sixth-consecutive AHA winter playoff appearance. But, with the Ak Bars and Fighting Ice Fish looking to make a move into the top 4, stranger things have happened in the final week of the season.

C3 seeding/format:

• Top four teams from each division advance to playoffs.
• Two pools of four teams, round robin, cross-divisional play (three games each).
• Pool winners advance to Tier Championship Sunday.

Regular season tiebreakers

In the event of a tie in the regular season standings, the following criteria will be used to determine seeding for the playoffs:

1. Total points in the regular season.
2. Number of wins in the regular season.
3. Head-to-head record between teams in the regular season (Applicable only if equal amount of games have been played between tied teams.).
4. Fewest total penalty minutes in the regular season.
5. Fewest goals allowed in the regular season.
6. Most goals scored in the regular season.
7. 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.)

The preliminary post-season schedule matchups for the C3 tier:

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 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.)

For more information, see the full AHA Winter Playoff info page and the full AHA Winter Playoff schedule.