Release from 01.03.2022

Postseason starts on Wednesday

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The win2day ICE Hockey League postseason starts Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022. For the first time, two pre-playoff series will determine the last two spots for the quarterfinals scheduled to start March 9th. The schedule has been confirmed, but scenarios for possible COVID-19-related disruptions had to be defined.

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Defined time frames for playoff stages
At the season start set game days for the postseason were confirmed lately. But for COVID-19-related impairments, the playoff series building on each other have been given predefined time slots in which the respective series is to be played with the largest possible number of games. On the last day within the predefined frame, one team must be declared as the winner. The COVID-19 Special Committee still has the option to reduce series due to COVID-19-related medical precautions.

Pre-Playoffs may be changed from "best-of-3" to a back-and-forth mode. During playoffs, series can be reduced from "best-of-7" to as low as "best-of-3." The "Finals" may be reduced to "best-of-5" if there is a COVID-19-related delay of more than seven days. If a leading team is deemed "unfit to play" whereby a series cannot be concluded and is ahead in games won in a series, can be the team eliminated from the playoffs.

Time frames defined for COVID-19 related rescheduling:

  • Regular Season: 17.09.2021 until 27.02.2022
  • Pre-Playoffs: 02.03.2022 until 07.03.2022
  • Quarter Finals: 09.03.2022 until 22.03.2022
  • Semi Finals: 22.03.2022 until 05.04.2022
  • Finals: until 18.04.2022

Procedure for classifying a team as "fit to play“
If a team provides a minimum of 13 skaters and one goalie, it is considered "fit to play" and therefore eligible to play. To raise this status, only COVID-19 positive tested players will be considered. Team members who are unable to play for non-COVID reasons are considered "fit to play".

It is considered the responsibility of each team to have the minimum amount of players, and if not and when the Doctors Committee deems a team “fit to play”, the decision will be 5-0.

Semi Finals and Finals can be brought forward
If all quarterfinal and/or semifinal series end correspondingly early, the respective following playoff stage can be started earlier. If all series are finished after five games, the following series will be brought forward.

Clarification Overtime
Starting with the Pre-Playoff, if the score is tied after three regular 20 minutes perions, an endless overtime with sudden death will be played. In non-elimination games, the number of skaters will be reduced to three players plus one goalie per team after the first complete overtime of 20 minutes. In elimination games, five-on-five shall be played until a team scores.

Playoff-Pick 2022
The quarterfinal pairings are determined in a playoff pick. In this process, the top 3 teams select their opponent after regular season, with the fourth-place team is not available for selection and will face the team not selected in the pick. The teams ranked fifth and sixth after the regular season and the two winners of the pre-playoff series can be selected. The pick will be made-up live on PULS24 immediately after the end of both pre-playoff series.