League Format
The Deeside Ducks will play in the Laidler Division (NIHL North 2) for the 2024/25 season. It will be a 10-team league and, in a departure from previous seasons, it will be split into two regional sections with 5 teams in each.
The
Deeside Ducks will play in the same regional group as Altrincham Aces, Bradford
Bulldogs, Coventry NIHL Blaze and Telford Tigers 2.
The
other group will comprise: Billingham Buccaneers, Kingston (Hull) Sharks,
Nottingham Lions 2, Sheffield Titans and Sutton Sting.
Each
team will play the other teams from their own group twice home and twice away
and the teams from the other group once home and once away for a 26 game league
season.
Cup
Competition
There
will also be a Laidler Cup competition, with two qualifying groups of 5 teams
each feeding into knockout semis and a final.
Rather
than playing separate cup games for the qualifying stage, the first league
meeting home and away between the participating teams will be counted towards
the cup group table and this will decide who goes through to the latter stages.
Play
Offs
The end of season Play Offs also have a change of format for this year. The top 8 teams in the final Laidler Division table will qualify for the Play Offs and two groups of four will play each other home away.
The
top two finishers in each group will meet in 2 legged semi-finals played on a
home and away basis.
The
winners of the two semi finals will then meet in the Laidler Division Play Off
final, which will be held as part of a bigger NIHL Finals Weekend – at a venue
yet to be announced - over the weekend of 12th & 13th April 2025.
All four NIHL divisions – Moralee (North 1), Laidler (North 2), Britton (South 1) and Wilkinson (South 2) will have their respective play off finals held on the Saturday and the winners of each will meet in North v South national finals on the Sunday.
League
Points
Another
important development for the new season is the change in the allocation of
points for league and cup qualifying tables.
In
order to encourage teams to push for a win in regulation time, rather than hold
out for a draw and overtime, 3 points will be awarded for a win in regular time
for the 2024/25 season.
2
points will be awarded for a win in Overtime or by Penalty Shoot Out and 1
point for an OT / PS loss. A loss in regulation time will yield 0 points as
before.
Imported
Players
A
further rule change sees the number of imported players allowed on the team
roster for any one game reduced from three last season to two this season, and
both being allowed on the ice at the same time.
You
can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their
debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE
