Reminder, after this weekend’s games, ALL teams should expect to have a game scheduled on 3/2.  For those that don’t advance to the semi-final matchups, this will be your final game of the season.  For the four teams that advance to the semi-finals, they will skate on 3/9 in the finals or consolation game as well.  Heading into next weekend, Orange and Yellow have locked up a spot, and the other two spots need this weekend’s games to play out to determine.  Here are the updated playoff standings after last week.

Place	Team	Games Played	Points	Seed
1	Orange	3	6	1
2	Yellow	2	4	2
3	Black	3	4	9
4	Green	3	2	3
5	Red	2	2	4
6	Teal	2	2	5
7	Neon	3	2	7
8	Gold	2	2	8
9	Silver	2	0	6
10	Purple	2	0	10

The fourth week of the playoffs opens at 5:00 PM with a rematch of Red and Purple.  Red outscored Purple 8-7 en route to a split in the regular season.  Purple will not advance, but a Red win secures one of the two open spots, a loss eliminates them.  A tie requires help, but does not eliminate Red, details on that later. 

Out of order, but in the order of controlling their own destiny, Teal takes on Silver at 7:00PM.  Silver outscored Teal 4-3 with a win and a tie in the regular season, but has been eliminated from advancing.  Teal wins and they claim a spot, regardless of Red’s outcome, lose and they are eliminated.  A tie requires help, but also does not eliminate Teal, details on that later.

In between these games, at 6:00PM, Yellow takes on Gold.  Yellow outscored Gold 8-2 in a regular season sweep.  Yellow is locked in to advancing, but one more win here eliminates Gold.  A Gold win requires Red or Teal to tie or lose for their win to put Gold in the semi finals.  Finally, a tie does not eliminate Gold, but requires help for them to advance.

While these are the remaining games, two more teams have yet to be eliminated.

Black is sitting in a decent position, currently 3rd, and would stay there if Red, Teal, and Gold all tie or lose.  If one of these three wins, Black moves to 4th.  If two or three win, they are eliminated.

If Red, Teal, and Gold all lose, there will be seven 1-2 teams after the round, and Green would advance with the highest seed of the seven.

Finally, the ties.  In the scenario where Black remains in 3rd, no wins by Red, Teal, or Gold, the fourth seed can be claimed by a tie on the final evening.  The highest seeded team who tied on the final night would claim that fourth spot.  Red is the highest seed of the three, then Teal, then Gold.

To recap, Red and Teal control their ability to claim the last two spots, with Gold in position to claim it if either falter, Black already making their case if two or more fail to win, messy tie scenarios with no wins but one or more ties, and finally Green backing in if all three fail to win or tie.

Reminder, all teams are playing their 3 initial playoff games over 4 weeks, so there are more scenarios open than usual going into the third week. 

Place	Team	Games Played	Points	Seed
1	Orange	2	4	1
2	Black	2	4	9
3	Yellow	1	2	2
4	Green	2	2	3
5	Teal	2	2	5
6	Neon	2	2	7
7	Red	1	0	4
8	Silver	2	0	6
9	Gold	1	0	8
10	Purple	1	0	10

The third week of the playoffs opens at 6:30PM with a re-match of Green and Gold.  Green swept the regular season meetings with Gold, winning both games 7-5.  A Green win here will advance Green to the semi-final round, and a loss will eliminate them.  A Gold victory leaves paths open to advancing, requiring some help, while a loss will eliminate them.

Following will be a rematch of Orange and Purple at 7:30PM.  Orange split with Purple, outscoring them 6-4 in their two meetings.  Orange has already secured their ticket to advance, but will lock up the 1st seed in the semi-final round with a win.  A Purple win leaves paths open to them advancing, requiring help, while a loss will eliminate them.

Next up at 8:30PM will be a Red and Neon rematch.  Red edged Neon in each of their first two meetings, outscoring them 7-5 between the two.  Both Red and Neon will remain in contention to advance with a win, needing scenarios to play out to advance, but be eliminated with a loss.

The evening will close with a 9:30PM rematch between Yellow and Black.  The winning team here will secure their advance, while the losing team will not necessarily be eliminated.  Yellow would have another opportunity to secure a second win and advance, while Black would have to wait and see if two teams are able to advance past them with 4 points and a higher seed.  All of the other games have complicated scenarios that could play out with ties, none have happened so far in this year’s playoffs, but specifically the scenario where Black and Yellow tie will advance Black as well.

To recap, Orange is in.  Yellow or Black will claim a spot this week.  Green can claim another.  One or two spots will be open going into the final week of this round.  Only Silver has been eliminated, but their long standing rivalry with Teal won’t allow any let down in the final week of this round of playoffs.

Remember that the semi-final round will be filled by the top four teams from this round of three games.  These will be determined by points in the round, and ties broken by regular season seed.  After the first night of playoffs, where Red and Purple sat idle and now have a game in hand, the standings for the semi-finals round are:

Place	Team	Points	Seed
1	Orange	2	1
2	Yellow	2	2
3	Neon	2	7
4	Black	2	9
5	Green	0	3
6	Red	0	4
7	Teal	0	5
8	Silver	0	6
9	Gold	0	8
10	Purple	0	10

The second week of the playoffs opens at 6:30PM with a re-match of Teal and Purple.  Teal outscored Purple 9-5 en route to a regular season sweep, needing to complete the sweep for a chance to advance after their opening loss.  Purple will look to open their playoffs with a win after an opening night bye.

Following will be a rematch of Silver and Black at 7:30PM.  Silver outscored Black 6-3 in the previous two matchups, completing a regular season sweep.  Silver will need a win and help for a chance to advance, while Black will look to build their opening win and hold their place among the top four.

Next up at 8:30PM will be an Orange and Neon rematch.  Orange outscored Neon 9-4 with a regular season sweep. Orange will advance with another win against Neon, regardless of their final game.  Neon would not secure an advance with a win, but would be sitting in control with many paths to advance.

The night will close out with a Greed and Red rematch at 9:30PM.  Green finished with the higher seed, but lost and tied Red in two tight games, with Red outscoring Green 7-6 in their two meetings.  Green will need a win to remain alive in the chase, while Red will be seeing their first playoff action in this game.

Reminder, while the website shows games scheduled through 2/23/2025, all teams will have an additional game scheduled after this, with four teams having two more games scheduled after the 23rd.

Former AOTHA player, Chris Whaley, passed away today. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers during this time. We’ll provide more details about arrangements are they’re made known.

The regular season has wrapped up and the matchups are now established.  As a reminder, seeding is determined by points, then wins, head to head, and then point differential.  The three games per team will be played over the next four weeks, so each team will be idle one of those weeks.  The schedule for the next four weeks is now available on AOTHA.com.

Orange closed the season with a win over Gold to secure the 1st seed and playoff matchups with Silver, Neon, and Purple.  Orange is 5-1 in regular season games with this group, and opens with Silver, who they defeated in both meetings so far.

Yellow ended the regular season with win over Teal and held strong to the 2nd seed and playoff matchups with Teal, Gold, and Black.  Yellow is 5-0-1 in regular season games with this group, opening against Teal where they tied before this week’s season ending win.

Green ended the regular season with a loss to Purple, holding the 3rd seed and playoff matchups with Red, Gold, and Black.  Green is 4-1-1 in regular season games against these teams, opening against Black, who they defeated in both meetings so far.

Red was idle on the final weekend, having already locked up the 4th seed and playoff matchups with Green, Neon, and Purple.  Red is 4-1-1 in regular season games with these teams.  Red will be idle, again, for the first week of the playoffs, and open with Green the second week, who they have won and tied so far.

Teal ended the regular season with a loss to Yellow, staying put with the 5th seed and playoff matchups with Yellow, Silver, and Purple.  Teal is 2-2-2 in regular season games with these teams.  Teal will open against Yellow who they have tied and lost to.

Silver lost to Neon to close the regular season, staying put with the 6th seed and playoff matchups with Orange, Teal, and Black.  Silver is 3-2-1 in regular season games with this group, opening against Orange who they have lost to both games so far.

Neon defeated Silver to close the regular season, locking up the 7th seed and playoff matchups with Orange, Red, and Gold.  Neon is 1-5 in regular season with these teams, opening against Gold who they split the regular season with.

Gold lost to Orange to close the regular season, standing pat in the 8th seed and playoff matchups with Yellow, Green, and Neon.  Gold is 1-5 in regular season games with these teams, opening against Neon who they split the regular season with.

Black was idle on the final weekend of the regular season of play, already securing the 9th seed and playoff matchups with Yellow, Green, and Silver.  Black is 0-6 in regular season games with these teams, opening against Green who they have lost to both games so far.

Purple closed the regular season with a win over Green, staying in the 10th seed with playoff matchups against Orange, Red, and Teal.  Purple is 2-4 in regular season games with this group.  Purple will be idle on the opening playoff weekend, opening against Teal in week two who they split their regular season matchups with.

All teams are guaranteed these three games, after which the top 4 point earners in these three games will advance (2 points for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss), with the higher seed winning the tiebreakers to advance to the semi-finals. Good luck to all!

Heading into the final week of the regular season, there are three playoff position battles!  As a reminder, regular season seeding is determined by:

1)      Points

2)      Wins

3)      Head to head

4)      Point differential

Sunday’s matchups

In the first matchup of the night at 6:30, Neon versus Silver, each team is hoping to move up one spot on this final weekend.  Neon, with a win, can claim the 7th seed with a Gold tie or loss. Otherwise Gold will claim 7th and Neon 8th.  Silver, with a win and a Teal tie, or a tie and a Teal loss, can claim the 5th seed.  Otherwise, Teal will claim 5th and Silver 6th.

In the next game at 7:30, Yellow versus Teal, Yellow is attempting to claim the 1st seed with a win and a Orange loss.  Otherwise Orange will claim 1st, and Yellow 2nd.  Teal is looking to hold onto 5th with a win or a Silver loss.  Otherwise Teal will drop to 6th and Silver will claim 5th.

In the third game at 8:30, Orange versus Gold, Orange will claim the 1st seed with a win, tie, or Yellow tie or loss.  Otherwise Orange will fall to 2nd and Yellow will claim 1st.  Gold looks to hold the 7th seed with a win, tie, or Neon loss.  Otherwise Gold falls to 8th and Neon claims 7th.

In the final game of the regular season at 9:30, Green versus Purple, Green has locked in the 3rd seed and Purple the 10th.  Green can catch Yellow in points, but loses on tie breakers, and Purple can catch Black, but loses tie breakers as well.

Idle on the final night, and resting for their playoff matchups, are Red and Black.  Red has locked in #4, and Black #9.

Round of three matches are based on seed.

The first seed (Orange or Yellow) will face 6 (Teal or Silver), 7 (Gold or Neon), and 10 (Purple).

The second seed (Orange or Yellow) will face 5 (Teal or Silver), 8 (Gold or Neon), and 9 (Black).

The third seed (Green), will face 4 (Red), 8 (Gold or Neon), and 9 (Black).

The fourth seed (Red), will face 3 (Green), 7 (Gold or Neon), and 10 (Purple).

The fifth seed (Teal or Silver) will face 2 (Orange or Yellow), 6 (Teal or Silver), and 10 (Purple).

The sixth seed (Teal or Silver) will face 1 (Orange or Yellow), 5 (Teal or Silver), and 9 (Black).

The seventh seed (Gold or Neon) will face 1 (Orange or Yellow), 4 (Red), and 8 (Gold or Neon).

The eighth seed (Gold or Neon) will face 2 (Orange or Yellow), 3 (Green), and 7 (Gold or Neon).

The ninth seed (Black) will face 2 (Orange or Yellow), 3 (Green), and 6 (Teal or Silver).

The tenth seed (Purple) will face 1 (Orange or Yellow), 4 (Red), and 5 (Teal or Silver).

This will be the sixth year we’ve used this playoff format, where four will advance from this round of three to the semi-finals.  Intent has been to favor results from the regular season, but provide everyone with an opportunity to advance.  In six seasons so far, the 1, 2, 4, and 6 seed have advanced 4 times each, the 3 and 9 twice each, and all others once.

Look for updates next week about the Playoffs and matchups.  While the lower seeds certainly have a tougher schedule to make it to the semi-finals, all teams will begin the Playoffs needing only three wins to ensure their semi-final berth.  Good luck!

Free admission for all AOTHA members +3 guests. Great time to support the team and Head coach Gary Astalos (AOTHA Green) and Associate Head Coach Doug Raymond (AOTHA Red) as they take on Indiana Tech.

The AOTHA 2023-2024 has wrapped up. Congratulations to Team Green on winning the Championship and to the recipient of the Jim Hokenson Award Pat “Hugger” Wollet.

When I sat down to write the first playoff article, where all seeds were described and matchups announced, I noticed that this season was much more balanced than recently completed seasons.  In particular, I saw that Green’s first place finish with 25 points would have placed them behind two teams last year.  Then, looking at the other end of the standings, I noticed Yellow’s tenth place finish with 11 points would have placed them above two teams last year. While I appreciated the balance, I hadn’t considered that the championship game would feature those first and tenth place teams!

Opening the evening this Sunday, 3/24, at 5:00 will be a Championship rematch between Green and Yellow!

When Yellow started the season 2-1, they did not expect that this would be their last winning streak in the regular season.  Grinding out the next 15 games to get 3 more wins and a tie, Yellow found themselves in 10th place with the toughest seeded path to advancing.  They then put together 3 straight wins over #4 seed Silver, #5 seed Gold, and #1 seed Green to become the first ten seed to advance.  In the semifinals they were rewarded with a match against the #2 team in the regular season, Neon, and won a marathon of a game 8-6 to advance to the championship.

Green stumbled out of the gate this season, losing their first two games, before winning their next five in route to a 12 win regular season.  Edging out Neon for first place, Green was rewarded with the lowest seed combination of opponents in #6 Orange (tied), #7 Purple (won), and #10 Yellow (lost).  Finishing this round with 3 points, tied with Silver, they advanced on the strength of their regular season finish.  Against Red, Green found the offense that had been thus far missing in the playoffs, winning 7-2 while scoring more than their previous three weeks combined, and advancing to the championship.

Green beat Yellow in their first meeting back in October 5-2, then again in December 3-2, before Yellow’s 5-2 playoff win on March 10th.  While Green is seeking the combination regular season and tournament championship, Yellow is looking to repeat as tourney champ and start the talk of a dynasty.

The finals, if tied at the end of 3 periods, there will be sudden death overtime periods until a winner emerges.  Good luck to both teams!

Following this game will be a consolation rematch between Neon and Red.  This, too, is a rematch from two weeks ago where Red evened the series at 1-1-1.  Red also had a tough seed matchup to get to the semi finals, beating #3 seed Teal, #6 seed Orange, and #2 seed Neon to advance, before a tough loss to Green has them in the consolation game.  Neon comfortably advanced after wins against #5 seed Gold, and #8 seed Black locked them in before the loss to #9 seed Red.  Being on the wrong end of the marathon game with Yellow has Neon also in the consolation game.  Congratulations to both teams on a great run, and good luck to both in this final game!