The Elite League Challenge Cup quarter final ties will be confirmed tomorrow at the Elite League Board meeting, which is taking place in Nottingham.
All eight seeds have now been identified and for the first time, the new ‘pick your opponent’ format will be employed as each team learns their last eight opponents.
The new format will also be shown live from 1pm on the Elite Ice Hockey League Facebook page where fans can watch and learn who their team will be paired with.
Following Saturday’s game between Manchester Storm and Nottingham Panthers, the list of seeds were finalised and will be as follows:
1) Sheffield Steelers
2) Milton Keynes Lightning
3) Belfast Giants
4) Cardiff Devils
5) Guildford Flames
6) Fife Flyers
7) Nottingham Panthers
8) Dundee Stars
HOW IT WILL WORK:
The first seed, Sheffield Steelers, will choose who they wish to play in the quarter-finals from seeds four to eight – this will form the first quarter-final matchup (QF1)
The second seed, Milton Keynes Lightning, will then choose their opponent from the remaining teams seeded four to eight which this will form the second quarter-final matchup (QF2)
The third seed, Belfast Giants, will do the same from the remaining teams and will form the third quarter-final matchup (QF3)
The fourth highest remaining seed will then be matched up with the other remaining team to form the fourth and final quarter-final matchup (QF4)
The higher seed in each quarter-final matchup will have the choice of whether they have a home or away second leg.
SEMI-FINALS
The semi-final stage of the competition will then see the winner of QF1 face the winner of QF4, and the winner of QF2 face the winner of QF3
The higher seed in each semi-final will have the choice of whether they have a home or away second leg.
The winners of the semi-finals will meet in the final at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff on Sunday 4th March 2018.
Photo: Cardiff Devils
