AHA releases 2019–20 post-season schedule, Spiders booking tee times

Feb. 8, 2020

The AHA has announced the unofficial — preliminary — playoffs schedule this week, the earliest ever publication by the league. And considering the playoffs week itself is the latest it’s ever been — April 19–26, the playoffs seem just as far away as the fourth and final spot is for the sixth-place (and dropping fast) Spiders.

C3 playoff format:

Top four teams from each division advance to playoffs.
Three pools of four teams, round robin, cross-divisional play (three games each).
Each pool winner plus next best pool play record (wildcard) advance to semi-finals Sunday morning.
Semifinal winners advance to Tier Championship Sunday evening.
Post-season tournament berth to each team in the Tier Championship.

Seeds for C3 Tier:

Pool A: East #1, South #2, West #3, East #4
Pool B: South #1, West #2, East #3, South #4
Pool C: West #1, East #2, South #3, West #4

Current C3 standings:

2019–20 C3 West Standings *(Week 13)*
Team	GP	W	L	T	OTL	P	GF	GA	PIM
Hooligans C3	13	12	1	0	0	24	73	21	97
Spartans C3	12	8	3	0	1	17	41	21	66
Troopers C3	12	7	3	1	1	16	41	35	54
Blade Runners	13	8	5	0	0	16	50	47	100
Wildcats	12	5	5	2	0	12	41	49	93
Spiders C3	12	4	6	1	1	10	41	49	106
Nordeasters	12	4	6	2	0	10	35	48	48
Ice Hawks	13	4	9	0	0	8	35	60	74
Flying Hellfish	13	1	12	0	0	2	30	57	68
y = clinched division x = clinched playoff berth

2019–20 C3 East Standings *(Week 13)*
Team	GP	W	L	T	OTL	P	GF	GA	PIM
Maroons C3	13	9	2	2	0	20	57	25	34
Bulls	13	8	2	2	1	19	49	26	60
Fighting Walleye C3	13	7	2	2	2	18	50	39	34
Pines	13	6	3	4	0	16	42	25	48
Slashing Pumpkins	13	6	4	3	0	15	47	47	78
Gold Rush	13	6	5	1	1	14	45	35	64
Fighting Loons C3	13	2	9	2	0	6	29	56	42
Shame On Ice C3	13	0	13	0	0	0	16	82	56
y = clinched division x = clinched playoff berth

2019–20 C3 South Standings *(Week 13)*
Team	GP	W	L	T	OTL	P	GF	GA	PIM
Moose C3	12	11	1	0	0	22	57	14	42
Fighting Piranhas C3	13	10	2	0	1	21	51	30	28
Royals C3	11	9	2	0	0	18	49	28	36
Knights C3	12	7	4	1	0	15	49	36	42
Arctic Wolves	13	7	6	0	0	14	49	49	71
Boomsticks	13	4	8	0	1	9	30	41	40
Black Ice	12	3	8	1	0	7	26	44	50
Les Etoiles du Nord C3	12	2	10	0	0	4	19	46	32
Stars	12	1	11	0	0	2	17	59	40
y = clinched division x = clinched playoff berth

Regular season tiebreakers:

In the event of a tie in the regular season standings, the following criteria are used to determine post-season seeding:

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

2019–20 C3 Post-Season Schedule
Date	Time	Arena	Pool	Home (Seed)	Away (Seed)
Sunday, April 19	5:00 p.m.	SLP E	A	#1 (C3 East #1)	#4 (C3 East #4)
Sunday, April 19	6:45 p.m.	SLP E	A	#2 (C3 South #2)	#3 (C3 West #3)
Wednesday, April 22	6:15 p.m.	New Hope N	A	#3 (C3 West #3)	#4 (C3 East #4)
Wednesday, April 22	8:00 p.m.	New Hope N	A	#1 (C3 East #1)	#2 (C3 South #2)
Saturday, April 25	8:30 a.m.	BIG 1	A	#2 (C3 South #2)	#4 (C3 East #4)
Saturday, April 25	10:15 a.m.	BIG 1	A	#1 (C3 East #1)	#3 (C3 West #3)
Sunday, April 19	5:30 p.m.	Vadnais 1	B	#1 (C3 South #1)	#4 (C3 South #4)
Sunday, April 19	7:15 p.m.	Vadnais 1	B	#2 (C3 West #2)	#3 (C3 East #3)
Wednesday, April 22	7:00 p.m.	Pleasant	B	#1 (C3 South #1)	#2 (C3 West #2)
Wednesday, April 22	9:45 p.m.	New Hope N	B	#3 (C3 East #3)	#4 (C3 South #4)
Saturday, April 25	12:00 p.m.	BIG 1	B	#2 (C3 West #2)	#4 (C3 South #4)
Saturday, April 25	1:45 p.m.	BIG 1	B	#1 (C3 South #1)	#3 (C3 East #3)
Sunday, April 19	8:15 p.m.	Highland N	C	#1 (C3 West #1)	#4 (C3 West #4)
Sunday, April 19	8:30 p.m.	SLP E	C	#2 (C3 East #2)	#3 (C3 South #3)
Wednesday, April 22	9:30 p.m.	BIG 1	C	#1 (C3 West #1)	#2 (C3 East #2)
Wednesday, April 22	9:30 p.m.	BIG 3	C	#3 (C3 South #3)	#4 (C3 West #4)
Saturday, April 25	8:30 a.m.	BIG 3	C	#2 (C3 East #2)	#4 (C3 West #4)
Saturday, April 25	10:15 a.m.	BIG 3	C	#1 (C3 West #1)	#3 (C3 South #3)
Sunday, April 26	9:00 a.m.	BIG 2	SF	#1 vs. #4
Sunday, April 26	10:45 a.m.	BIG 2	SF	#2 vs. #3
Sunday, April 26	6:00 p.m.	BIG 3	Championship

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.)