The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced the playoff format for the 2013 Robertson Cup playoffs, which begins the first week in April.
Stage 1: Play in Series-North Division Only
Seeding: Clubs within the North Division will be seeded based upon their finish in the NAHL regular-season standings. If necessary, the tie-breaking policy adopted in the NAHL Rules and Regulations will be applied to determine the final order of finish.
Play In Series Matchups: The Club seeded third in the North Division will compete in a best-of-three series with the sixth seeded Club in the North Division. The Club seeded fourth the North Division will compete in a best-of-three-series against the Club seeded fifth in the North Division. The Clubs seeded one and two in the North Division shall receive a bye into the division semi-finals.
Playoff Dates: The North Division Play in Series may begin no earlier than Thursday, April 4, 2013 and must conclude no later than Monday, April 8, 2013.
Scheduling: Clubs shall cooperate to schedule play in series competition. The Club seeded higher in each division play in series has the right to host two games and the lower seeded Club has the right to host one game in accordance with the schedule set forth below:
- Clubs separated by a distance of over 300 miles- If the Clubs facing each other in a play in series are separated by a distance greater than 300 miles, then the top seeded Club shall host games 1 and 2, and the lower seeded club shall host game 3 (if necessary).
- Clubs separated by a distance of 300 miles or less-If the Clubs facing each other in a play in series are separated by a distance of 300 miles or less, then the top seeded Club shall host game 1, the lower seeded Club shall host game 2, and the top seeded club shall host game 3 (if necessary).
Three-Game Series: The first Club to win two games in the play in series will be declared the winner of the series and advance to the North Division semifinals. The first Club to lose two games in the play in series shall be eliminated from further playoff competition.
Stage 2: Division Semifinals-Best of Five Series
Seeding: Clubs are seeded within their own division based upon their finish in the NAHL regular-season standings. If necessary, the tie-breaking policy adopted in the NAHL Rules and Regulations will be applied to determine the final order of finish.
Division Matchups
- Central, South and West Divisions. The Club seeded first in each division will compete in a best-of-five series with the fourth seeded Club in the same division. The Club seeded second in each division will compete in a best-of-five-series against the Club seeded third in the same division.
- North Division. The Club seeded first in the North division will compete in a best-of-five series against the lowest seeded Club advancing from the play in series. The Club seeded second in each division will compete in a best-of-five-series against the highest seeded Club advancing from the play in series.
Playoff Dates: The Division Semi-Finals may begin no earlier than Thursday, April 11, 2013 and must conclude no later than Sunday, April 21, 2013.
Scheduling: Clubs shall cooperate to schedule division semifinal series competition. The Club seeded higher in each division semifinal series has the right to host up to three games in Round 1, and the Club seeded lower in each division semifinal series must be able to host at least two games.
Five Game Series: The first Club to win three games in a division semifinal series will be declared the winner of the series and advance to the next round of playoff competition. The first Club to lose three games in a division semifinal series shall be eliminated from further playoff competition.
Stage 3: Division Final-Best of Five Series
Matchup: The two Clubs in each division that won a division semifinal series shall compete in a best-of-five series against each other.
Playoff Dates: Round 2 of the division finals may begin no earlier than Thursday, April 25, 2013 and conclude no later than Sunday May 5, 2013.
Scheduling: Clubs shall cooperate to schedule division final series competition. The higher seeded Club will have the right to host up to three games. The lower seeded Club must be able to host a minimum of two games.
Five Game Series: The first Club to win three games in a division final series will be declared the winner of the series and advance to the Robertson Cup Championship Tournament. The first Club to lose three games in a division final series will be eliminated from further playoff competition.
Follow the 2013 Robertson Cup Playoffs at the official site of the Robertson Cup at: www.robertsoncup.com
