The winter season kicks off tonight as 6 teams begin the race for the playoffs.  While every team will make the playoffs, finishing first in the regular season is still something to play for.  The quarter finals will be:

• 1st vs 6th
• 2nd vs 5th
• 3rd vs 4th

The semi-finals will see the 3 quarter-final winners along with a wild card team.  The wild card will be determined by the QF loser who came closest to winning.

1. Points
   • losing on penalties is considered a draw for the purposes of wild card determination
   • eg. 1 game goes to penalties but the other 2 are decided in regular time – the team who loses in penalties gets the wild card
2. Goal Difference
   • if 2 or more teams lose on penalties, goal difference in the shootout is the decider
   • if nobody loses on penalties, goal difference in the QF games is the decider
3. Goals Scored
   • If neither of the above 2 are sufficient, then the highest scoring loser will get the wild card
4. Coin Toss
   • If none of the above 3 are sufficient, a coin toss will determine the wild card

Last season’s playoffs saw some upsets as the 5th ranked Maestros beat the 2nd ranked OTPP United.  In fact, Maestros made it all the way to final and only lost on penalties.  Finishing first place is a great accomplishment but doesn’t guarantee anything in the playoffs!