NAHL Division Alignment Released

This just in from the league... For Immediate Release NAHL PREPARES FOR 2006-07 SEASON Frisco, Texas -- Following the Board of Governors meeting in Denver, Colorado, this week, the North American Hockey League has announced its divisional structure and playoff format for the 2006-07 season. The league will operate with 17 teams and four divisions. The divisions will be: NORTH DIVISION Alpena IceDiggers Mahoning Valley Phantoms Marquette Rangers Traverse City North Stars U.S. National Team Development Program SOUTH DIVISION St. Louis Bandits Santa Fe Roadrunners Texas Tornado Wichita Falls Wildcats CENTRAL DIVISION Alexandria Blizzard North Iowa Outlaws Springfield Jr. Blues Southern Minnesota Express WEST DIVISION Alaska Avalanche Bismarck Bobcats Fargo-Moorhead Jets Fairbanks Ice Dogs Each team will play a 62-game schedule to begin on September 13 and conclude by April 1. The 2006-07 season will commence with the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota, at the Schwan Super Rink. Each team will play their first four games of the season at the Showcase between Wednesday, September 13 and Saturday, September 16. The top two teams in each division will qualify for the playoffs. The first and second place teams in each division will play a best-of-seven playoff round to begin no earlier than April 5 and conclude by April 22. This will determine the teams that will advance to the championship round, joining a host in a five-team Robertson Cup Tournament. As in the past, if the host team is one of the qualifying teams, the team they defeated to advance to the championship round will represent that division in the Robertson Cup Tournament. The Robertson Cup Tournament will conclude no later than April 29. The teams will now begin to draw up their schedules, which will include both divisional and inter-divisional games. In other league business, the Board of Governors has selected a new executive committee, comprised of one member from each division, and will select a Chairman of the Board before the end of the month. The Board also appointed a committee to conduct a search for a new commissioner. Michael Santos will remain commissioner and president of the NAHL until June 30, 2006.