AHA releases 2024–25 post-season schedule, warm weather has Spiders dreaming of golf instead
March 5, 2025
The AHA has announced the unofficial — preliminary — playoffs schedule. Given the Spiders’ seemingly permanent sub-.500 permanent berth, the Spiders will likely be teeing off in April instead of skating.
With the 19-team divisionless C3 tier, the top 10 teams will play in one round-robin pool, and semi-final and round for the top four teams.
And as with recent seasons, rather than trying to cram four games into 45 hours, this tournament will again be spread over two weeks, running April 6 through April 19. That means it will be a full two weeks between the end of the regular season before pool play starts, plenty of time for the Tuuk rust to oxidize.
C3 playoff format:
- Top 10 teams advance to playoffs.
- One pool of 10 teams, round robin (three games each).
- Top 4 pool play records advance to semi-finals.
- Semi-final winners advance to Tier Championship.
Current C3 standings
| Team | GP | W | L | T | OTL | P | % | GF | GA | PIM | DIFF | TPP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fighting Loons Black–x | 17 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 0.971 | 89 | 27 | 68 | +62 | 39 | |
| Pines–x | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0.853 | 95 | 40 | 72 | +55 | 35 | |
| Nordeasters–x | 16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0.781 | 69 | 36 | 66 | +33 | 33 | |
| Marauders–x | 16 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0.750 | 66 | 48 | 78 | +18 | 32 | |
| Kan Jammers–x | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0.750 | 66 | 33 | 64 | +33 | 32 | |
| Wildcats–x | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0.639 | 75 | 62 | 106 | +13 | 27 | |
| Wood Knocks | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0.625 | 60 | 54 | 54 | +6 | 28 | |
| Spartans | 16 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 0.531 | 55 | 60 | 46 | −5 | 25 | |
| Les Etoiles du Nord | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0.531 | 58 | 50 | 54 | +8 | 25 | |
| Bold North | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0.500 | 63 | 54 | 60 | +9 | 24 | |
| Spiders | 16 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 0.469 | 46 | 47 | 90 | −1 | 23 | |
| Growlers | 16 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0.438 | 59 | 58 | 70 | +1 | 22 | |
| Blue Ox | 16 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0.375 | 36 | 52 | 96 | −16 | 20 | |
| Fighting Walleye | 16 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 0.375 | 48 | 69 | 82 | −21 | 20 | |
| Troopers | 16 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0.344 | 38 | 54 | 52 | −16 | 19 | |
| Saints | 17 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0.294 | 45 | 67 | 62 | −22 | 16 | |
| Ice Cobras | 16 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0.219 | 37 | 67 | 48 | −30 | 15 | |
| Blade Runners | 16 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0.188 | 37 | 101 | 56 | −64 | 14 | |
| Fighting Loons Red | 17 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.088 | 38 | 101 | 50 | −63 | 9 | |
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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.)
Initial schedule (C3)
The preliminary post-season schedule matchups for the C3 tier:
| Date | Time (CT) | Arena | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., April 7 | 9:30 p.m. | Breck | #2 | #10 |
| Mon., April 7 | 8:20 p.m. | TCO Rink 1 | #1 | #9 |
| Tue., April 8 | 9:15 p.m. | Braemar E | #3 | #6 |
| Tue., April 8 | 9:15 p.m. | EPCC 1 | #4 | #8 |
| Tue., April 8 | 8:45 p.m. | SLP E | #5 | #7 |
| Fri., April 11 | 6:00 p.m. | Braemar E | #4 | #9 |
| Fri., April 11 | 7:45 p.m. | Braemar E | #1 | #10 |
| Fri., April 11 | 9:30 p.m. | Braemar E | #5 | #6 |
| Fri., April 11 | 9:15 p.m. | Braemar S | #2 | #7 |
| Fri., April 11 | 9:30 p.m. | Braemar W | #3 | #8 |
| Sun., April 13 | 3:30 p.m. | Highland N | #3 | #10 |
| Sun., April 13 | 5:10 p.m. | Highland N | #4 | #5 |
| Sun., April 13 | 6:50 p.m. | Highland N | #1 | #8 |
| Sun., April 13 | 8:30 p.m. | Highland N | #2 | #9 |
| Sun., April 13 | 4:30 p.m. | Highland S | #6 | #7 |
| Fri., April 18 | 6:00 p.m. | Braemar E | Semi #1 | Semi #4 |
| Fri., April 18 | 7:45 p.m. | Braemar E | Semi #2 | Semi #3 |
| Sat., April 19 | 4:30 p.m. | Richfield 2 | 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:
- Most points
- Wins
- Head-to-head
- Goal differential (six goals maximum per game)
- Fewest goals against
- Fewest minor penalties
- Fewest total penalty minutes
- Earliest goal scored
- 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.)
Qualifications
- Players must play a minimum of five regular season with the team to be eligible for playoff games.
- Players may only play on one team per tier. If a player is rostered on multiple teams in a tier, the Captain must declare, by notifying AHA prior to the playoffs, which team the player will participate with in the playoffs. Players are not eligible to participate with the other team, even if his/her declared team is eliminated from contention.
- Captains must notify AHA in advance if a sub goalie will be used. Sub goalies may not participate with more than one team in a tier in the playoffs unless previously authorized by AHA.
- Uniform compliance, as described in the AHA Rules Addendum, will be strictly enforced during the playoffs.
For more information, see the full AHA Winter Playoff info page.
