Tournament Format:
Twelve teams will compete in the PBIHT. Teams will be divided into three divisions, with each division containing four teams. These four teams will compete in pool play. Following the completion of pool play, teams will be ranked and placed into brackets according to rank. All teams are guaranteed five games.
Pool Play:
Games will be played in three 17 minute stop time periods, with a five minute warm-up. There will be no overtime in pool play. Ties will be allowed. The ice shall be resurfaced every two periods with an on-ice period intermission lasting two minutes. Each team will be allowed one (one minute) time-out per game.
Teams shall be ranked according to points earned. Points shall be awarded as follows: 3 points for a win; 1 point for a tie; 0 points for a loss. The top team in each division shall advance to the Championship Bracket to compete for the PBIHT Championship. Additionally, the highest ranked 2nd place team will advance to the Championship Bracket. The second and third ranked 2nd place teams and first and second ranked 3rd place teams shall be placed in the Lumberjack Bracket. The third ranked 3rd place team and all of the 4th place teams shall be placed in the Blue Ox Bracket. In the case of a tie in points, the following shall determine which team has the higher ranking:
Applied In Order:
- Head-to-head.
- Fewest goals allowed (total all games). If all teams do not play the same number of games, a goals-allowed average will be used.
- Goal Differential, (goals scored minus goals allowed): Maximum of a six (6) goal differential per game.
- Coin flip.
Example: Team #1, #2, and #3 are all tied for seeding. Team #1 beat Team #2 but did not play Team #3. Thus, “head-to-head” is not determinative, so the next consideration will be the goals allowed. If Team #3 has the fewest goals allowed, Team #3 will be the highest seed. Starting over and applying the factors in order, Team #1 will be the next highest seed because Team #1 beat Team #2 in head-to-head.
Coin Toss Multiple Teams Procedure: Team #1, Team #2, Team #3, and Team #4 are all tied for seeding points, have the same goals allowed, and same goal differential, thus the final determinative factor is a coin toss. When three or more teams utilized a coin toss to determine seeding, all teams will flip at the same time until one team is the odd flip. The odd flip will gain the high seed and the remaining teams will flip using the same procedure.
Wild Card Determination:
(3-pool / 3-bracket tournament) A wild card team will be determined from the three second-place finishers from each pool/bracket. The three (2nd place teams) will be compared and the top finisher based on the tie-breaker rules applied above (total points followed by tie-breakers if needed) will be the “Wild Card” team. The “Wild Card” team will be seeded against the highest-seeded pool winner that they have not played in the tournament.
Wild Card Example 1: Tournament with three pools. Team #1 wins North pool, Team #2 wins South pool, and Team #3 wins East pool. Team #4 is the “Wild Card” from North Pool. Team #1 is the highest seed, Team #2 is the second seed, and Team #3 is the third seed. The Wild Card Team would play Team #2 because they already played Team #1 in pool play, therefore they play Team #2 because Team #2 is the highest seed that they “Wild Card” has not played yet.
Wild Card Example 2: Same scenario as Example 1, except “Wild Card” is from South Pool. The Wild Card would play Team #1 because they have not played Team #1 yet in pool play and Team #1 is the highest seed.)
Bracket Play:
In bracket play, the game winners will advance to the first place games and the losing teams will play for the third place. Games will be played in three 17 minute stop time periods, with a five minute warm-up. Tied games shall be followed by an eight minute sudden-death overtime period, a two minute break, another eight minute sudden-death overtime period, and finally a shootout. Each team will be allowed one (one minute) time-out per game.
Mercy Rule:
A “mercy rule” will be applied in all games (pool and bracket play) as follows: If six or more goals separate the teams at the end of the second period, or at any time in the third period, running time will commence. And will revert back to stop time if goal differential falls below six.
Shootouts:
Each team shall select a goalie and five players. The visiting team shall go first, followed by the home team, and shall continue to alternate until all ten players have attempted to score. The team with the most goals shall be the winner. If a tie should result after all ten selected players have shot, then each team will continue to select a new player from the roster and continue to alternate shots until one team scores unanswered. If every player on the team has shot and no winner is determined, players may go a second time. If a goalie is injured during the shootout, a replacement goalie may be selected, but must remain for the duration of the shootout.