The Scottish National League (SNL) joint management committee recently met to discuss the structure of next season’s competition.
Eight teams will compete in the SNL – Aberdeen Lynx, Dundee Comets, Dundee Tigers, Edinburgh Capitals, Kilmarnock Thunder, Kirkcaldy Kestrels, North Ayrshire Wild and Paisley Pirates.
The regular season will start with three fixtures on Saturday, 3rd September, and run through until the end of March.
The clubs have agreed to play each other twice at home and twice away – a change which will significantly improve the standard.
Playing more fixtures is designed to make the SNL a more attractive proposition for players, fans and other stakeholders whilst having a positive impact on player development.
However, due to ice time issues at Dundee Ice Arena, the Comets and Tigers will play other teams just once at home for double points.
They will have four games against each other for single points to help level things up financially where possible.
The SNL Play-Off Final Weekend is scheduled to take place on 8/9th April (venue TBC) and will feature the winners of the two-legged quarter-final ties.
The format will be 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, 4v5, with the seedings remaining in place at the semi-final stage. The semi-finals and final will be played as single games to a finish.
In addition to the league and play-offs, the Scottish Cup will return for 2022/23. This will be played as a single game elimination tournament from the opening round through to the final.
The fixtures will be confirmed in due course.
