ROANOKE, VA. – The SPHL announced an expanded format for the President’s Cup Playoffs on Tuesday, which was unanimously approved by the Board of Governors at the league’s Winter Meetings.
The new format starting this spring will increase both the semifinal and championship rounds to best-of-five formats, while the first round will remain a best-of-three series. The top eight teams in the regular season standings will make the postseason, and the first round seeding will operate as follows:
Series A – #1 seed vs. #8 seed
Series B – #2 seed vs. #7 seed
Series C – #3 seed vs. #6 seed
Series D – #4 seed vs. #5 seed
(All series are best-of three)
The four teams that advance from the first round will play each other based on original playoff seeding, with the highest-seeded team playing the lowest, and the other two remaining teams playing each other. Both series are best-of-five. In the President’s Cup Finals, the two remaining teams will meet in the best-of-five series to decide the league’s championship.
This change in the SPHL’s postseason format is not the only schedule-change to have taken place, as the league previously announced an expansion to the regular season back in January, adding two games for each team to bring the regular season slate starting in the 2026-27 campaign up to 60 games.
The Rail Yard Dawgs will host the Fayetteville Marksmen on Friday, February 13, at 7:05 P.M. EST at Berglund Center. Season ticket packages and group tickets are on sale by contacting the Rail Yard Dawgs’ front office. Single game tickets for the season are on sale now online and at Berglund Center box office.
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