LAKE ST. LOUIS, MO--- The United Hockey League (UHL) Board of Governors concluded their annual meeting on Wednesday, June 21, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Representatives from each of the ten (10) Member Clubs met to discuss multiple operational topics. The following items were approved and will take effect for the 2006-07 UHL season.
* The ten UHL teams will be split into two conferences
Eastern Conference
Elmira Jackals
Flint Generals
Kalamazoo Wings
Muskegon Fury
Port Huron Flags
Western Conference
Bloomington PrairieThunder
Chicago Hounds
Fort Wayne Komets
Quad City Mallards
Rockford IceHogs
* The Colonial Cup Playoffs will consist of eight (8) teams. The top four teams in each conference based on the points in the final standings qualify for the playoffs. Teams will be seeded #1 thru #4 based on their position in the final conference standings. The winners of each conference bracket will compete for the Colonial Cup Championship. Should the fifth place team in one conference have a higher point total than the fourth place team in the other conference, then that team will replace the fourth place team and compete in that conference for the first two rounds of the playoffs. Each series in all three rounds of the playoffs will be a best-of-seven format.
* The 2006-07 regular season will commence on Friday, October 13th, 2006 and conclude on Saturday, April 7th, 2007. A complete schedule will be released the week of July 3rd.
* The UHL selected its Board of Governors Executive Committee for the 2006-07 season.
Chairman of the Board
Comments
so the vet limit stays at 7...
I like the restricted area..and the icing rule..that will keep the flow of the game up.....
should be an interesting season..
GO KOMETS
Nothing to get excited about here.
I beg to differ, JM. I LOVE the playoff format. Rivalries here we come!
Okay Blake, I'll give ya some love on that point. With the old format we've faced Rockford the last two years and there is no current team hated more in the jungle. I only hope that it continues.
I did not get to see very many NHL shootouts.....did the dry pass by the zamboni make that much of a difference in the shootout? If we're going to adapt all of these NHL rules then why not play a 5:00 OT 4 on 4 BEFORE a shootout? Otherwise, I am ok with the changes....should increase scoring chances.
I agree the 4on4 5-minute OT would be a great move. Was there any discussion about following all the rules (really officiating) changes the NHL adopted for 2005-06? Has anyone in the UHL hierarchy noted how terrific the NHL playoffs were? Cutting down on all the clutching and grabbing and hooking really opened the game up. The UHL should take note.
I don't think I would go to the 4 on4 because the ganme would become to long. The goalie lines I think are a joke. My suggestion, make it legal to check a goalie IF HE'S OUTSIDE THE BLUE AREA AND PLAYING THE PUCK. Knock a golaie down once or twice and give up a goal and I beat he stays in the crease.
I do like the playoff format though, and just think, with only ten temas, rivalries should be in abundacne this year.
Yes Rick, the NHL playoffs were great! I watched every playoff game, sometimes sacrificing my sleep. LOL awesome action.
I am sad to hear that we're losing Lance though. we really liked him. He had a way of getting uner players skins. He proved that he could score and fight. It sounds like he'll be happier going back to Idaho though. Good Luck Lance.
Division / conference alignments are great.
Is there any idea how many times teams will play each other? Will it be weighted more toward division/conference opponents?
IF I did the math right - it's a little early in the morning to be thinking about math - FW could play each team in its division 9 times and each team in the other 8 times. That sounds too simplistic to be true though, especially with Elmira in the mix.
Hopefully they can sign Chaulk, plus several of the guys they picked in the draft - I really like some of those possibilities.
I imagine they will play teams in the opposite division 6 times each and team in their own division 11-12 times each. I would like to see the schedule weighted in favor of division foes, but then that cuts back on the komets playing the Michigan teams. I guess it is a win/win either way.