Our rep teams are about to start the postseason - but you may wonder what's the difference between Playdowns and Playoffs?
Playdown Games
All rep teams have the opportunity to qualify for the OWHA Provincial
Championships, regardless of their regular season record. Playdowns are
typically a series of single or double (home and away) games with other teams
in a specified geographical region, resulting in one (or sometimes more) team
that will participate in Provincials. In some cases, a team may get a bye to
the Provincials if there are no other teams in their division in the regional
area. U9 teams automatically qualify for Provincials.
The GGHA is in Region L, which includes associations in
Guelph and Wellington County (Guelph, Grand River, Mount Forest), the north
part of Halton County (North Halton, Brampton), and a portion of Dufferin
County (Orangeville, Caledon).
Historically, playdown games are played Feb. 1 – mid March
(the Sunday of the first March Break weekend). The Provincial Championships are
played at multiple arenas in the Toronto area in April, generally the weekend
before Easter, but if Easter is early, then the weekend after.
The OWHA website has more information about Provincials plus the Playdown regions, teams participating, and the standings (once all participating teams are confirmed). However, the website does not indicate the number of
qualifying teams from each region, which may change from season to season based
on the number of teams in each region.
For the 2025-26 season we anticipate that the last day of
playdowns is March 8th, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Provincials are scheduled for April 9-12, 2026.
Playoff Games
Participation in playoff games is based on the regular
season standings – for the GGHA that is the OWHL – Southern League. The top 8
teams in each division (e.g., U13A Central, U15AA Central West) will
participate in playoffs, with the top four teams in the Championship round and
teams placing 5th – 8th in the Consolation
round. The format for this season is three rounds of playoffs, with ultimately
two teams per division advancing to the one-game League Championships. Per the
Hockey Canada U9 Pathway, U9 teams do not participate in the League elimination
playoffs/ championships. The Sr A team plays in the GHWHL and participates in a
championship tournament at the end of March.
For the 2025-26 season, the first round is Feb. 15-24, the second
round is Feb. 25-March 8th, and the third round is March 9-26th.
There is no black out for March Break. The Championships are March 28 & 26,
2026, at multiple arenas in the Toronto area.
More information about Southern League Championships can be found
on the OWHA website (at the bottom of this webpage).