NAHL Weekend Preview: Division Finals
April 26, 2019
The 2019 NAHL Robertson Cup Playoffs continue in full force this weekend as the Division Finals series face-off.
The Division Finals series is a best of five series. The first team to win three games in the series will advance to the Robertson Cup Championship, which will take place at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota from May 10-14.
The NAHL has set-up various ways to follow the 2019 NAHL Robertson Cup Playoffs:
Playoff Overtime Procedure: During the all Robertson Cup playoff games, if the score is tied after three periods of play the following overtime procedure shall take place. Teams shall return to their dressing room and the ice shall be resurfaced. A fifteen-minute intermission shall take place. A twenty-minute, sudden death, overtime period shall be played with five skaters a side. The game shall terminate upon a goal being scored and the Club scoring declared the winner. If no goal is scored, the same procedure as above shall be repeated until a winner has been determined.
The Central Division Finals features a match-up of the last two teams to win the Central Division Playoffs, the Aberdeen Wings and the Minot Minotauros. Aberdeen held the series edge during the regular season, winning 8 of the 12 games. While both aren’t strangers to the Robertson Cup Championship Tournament, both teams are still looking for their first Robertson Cup title.
In the East Division Finals, both the Johnstown Tomahawks and New Jersey Titans were pushed to the 5th and final game in their respective Division Semi-Finals series and triumphed to make it to this point. It is new territory for both teams as neither has made it to the Robertson Cup Championship or won an East Division playoff title. Johnstown won six of the eight games during the season series.
In the Midwest Division Finals, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs are looking to make it back to the Robertson Cup Championship for a second straight season and looking for fourth title overall. Last season, the Ice Dogs won the Midwest Playoff title, but fell in three games to Minot in the Robertson Cup Semi-Finals. The Magicians are in new territory as this is the first time they have played in a Division Finals series with a chance to advance to the Robertson Cup. Fairbanks won six of the eight games during the regular season.
In the South Division Finals, the Shreveport Mudbugs took back home ice with a 3-1 win in Game 1 of the series in Amarillo on Thursday night. For the Bulls, it marked the third time they had lost in four playoff home games so far this season. The Mudbugs are looking to make it back to the Robertson Cup Championship, where they won the title last season. They would be the first team since the 2006-07 and 2007-08 St. Louis Bandits to capture back-to-back titles. Meanwhile, the Bulls are looking for their first trip back to the Robertson Cup since winning the title back in 2013. Amarillo won 7 of the 12 games during the regular season.
Central Division Finals: #1 Aberdeen Wings vs. #2 Minot Minotauros
Game 1: Friday, April 26 @ Aberdeen, 7:15pm
Game 2: Saturday, April 27 @ Aberdeen, 7:15pm
Game 3: Friday, May 3 @ Minot, 7:35pm
Game 4: Saturday, May 4 @ Minot, 7:35pm*
Game 5: Monday, May 6 @ Aberdeen, 7:15pm*
East Division Finals: #1 Johnstown Tomahawks vs. #3 New Jersey Titans
Game 1: Friday, April 26 @ Johnstown, 7:30pm
Game 2: Saturday, April 27 @ Johnstown, 7:00pm
Game 3: Friday, May 3 @ New Jersey, 7:30pm
Game 4: Saturday, May 4 @ New Jersey, 7:00pm*
Game 5: Sunday, May 5 @ Johnstown, 6:00pm*
Midwest Division Finals: #1 Fairbanks Ice Dogs vs. #2 Minnesota Magicians
Game 1: Friday, April 26 @ Fairbanks, 7:30pm
Game 2: Saturday, April 27 @ Fairbanks, 7:30pm
Game 3: If Fairbanks is up 2-0, Friday, May 3 @ Magicians, 7:15pm
Game 3: If series is tied 1-1 or Magicians are up 2-0, Sunday, April 28 @ Fairbanks, 5:00pm
Game 4: May 3 or 4 @ Magicians, 7:05pm*
Game 5: May 4 or 5 @ Magicians, 6:00pm*
South Division Finals: #1 Amarillo Bulls vs. #3 Shreveport Mudbugs (Shreveport leads series, 1-0)
Game 1: Shreveport 3 @ Amarillo 1
Game 2: Friday, April 26 @ Amarillo, 7:00pm
Game 3: Wednesday, May 1 @ Shreveport, 7:11pm
Game 4: Thursday, May 2 @ Shreveport, 7:11pm*
Game 5: Sunday, May 5 @ Amarillo, 7:00pm*
*if necessary
NAHL Robertson Cup Championship
The four divisional playoff champions will advance to the Robertson Cup Championship, which will be held at the Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota. Clubs will be seeded 1-4 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 seeding. The game schedule will be as follows: The #1 Seed will face the #4 seed in a best of three series. The #2 seed will face the #3 seed in a best of three series. The two series winners will advance on to a one-game playoff to determine the Robertson Cup Champion. The event will begin on Friday, May 10th and conclude on Tuesday, May 14th.
