Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Russian Playoff Matchups All Set

BOULDER, Colorado -- The playoff schedule for the Russian Bandy League has been announced, and Baikal-Energia Irkutsk will play their first match on Thursday against Rodina Kirov.

This year, the league will use a round robin format in which the top six teams from each division will play each team from their opposite division twice. In previous years, the top eight teams from the East and West made it to the playoffs, which were a single-elimination, home-and-home series format.

The teams that finished ranked 7th-11th in their respective divisions will also play a round robin tournament to determine the 13th-22nd places. The team that finishes in last place will be relegated to the first division, while the winner of the first division playoffs will be invited to the elite league next season.

Here is a schedule of Baikal-Energia's playoff matches:

February 15th: Baikal-Energia Irkutsk @ Rodina Kirov
February 18th: Baikal-Energia Irkutsk @ Uralsky Trubnik Pervouralsk
February 22nd: Raketa Kazan @ Baikal-Energia Irkutsk
February 25th: Zorky Kransogorsk @ Baikal-Energia Irkutsk*
March 1st: Baikal-Energia Irkutsk @ Volga Ulyanovsk
March 4th: Baikal-Energia Irkutsk @ Dynamo Moscow*
March 8th: Rodina Kirov @ Baikal-Energia Irkutsk
March 11th: Uralsky Trubnik Pervouralsk @ Baikal-Energia Irkutsk
March 15th: Baikal-Energia Irkutsk @ Raketa Kazan
March 18th: Baikal-Energia Irkutsk @ Zorky Krasnogorsk*
March 22nd: Volga Ulyanovsk @ Baikal-Energia Irkutsk
March 25th: Dynamo Moscow @ Baikal-Energia Irkutsk *

* Key matchups for Baikal

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