By ERIC BENEVIDES

Sports writer

Anything can happen in the playoffs. It’s a new season. Everyone’s record is 0-0. On any given night …
These may sound like some of the overused cliches head coaches use when they talk about their team’s chances in the postseason, but when it comes to the high school hockey playoffs in this state, those cliches ring true.
In the past few seasons, everything has happened. Favorites have fallen, the most recent being Portsmouth High, which was the No. 1 in the Division II playoffs in two of the last three years, yet absorbed stunning early exits.
Meanwhile, No. 6 seeds like St. Raphael Academy in last year’s Division II playoffs have reached the finals. And teams with 6-10-2 marks like Lincoln High three years ago in the then-called Division II-Large ranks have caught fire and gone on to win championships.    
It’s victories and setbacks of that nature that makes the postseason an extra special time in a high school hockey season, but this year, the playoff format is taking a little twist.
Instead of a best-of-three quarterfinal-round series for the fourth and fifth seeds in the Division I and I-A, third through sixth seeds in Division II, and all eight teams in the Division III ranks, there will be one-game showdowns to determine who will advance to the semifinals.
Those do-or-die games will take place next Wednesday, and the survivors of those games won’t have long to celebrate, because two nights later, they will begin play in the best-of-three semifinals.
Several coaches from across the state have voiced their displeasure over this change. One bad night and everything a team has worked hard for all season long is wiped out, while a good night only means you have to play again on Friday, Saturday, and possibly Monday.    
“I hate it,” remarked Smithfield coach Rob Jackson. “I don’t think it’s right. It’s always been a three-game series, and to have it come down to just a one-game elimination isn’t right. The best team won’t always win that game and I think that’s unfortunate.”
“Nobody’s a fan of it,” offered SRA coach Mark Anderson. “Obviously, it’s huge to have the one-game bye because you never know what could happen. You can’t have a bad night, because if you do, your season’s over.”
“I’d rather have the three-game series,” remarked Cumberland coach Mark Andreozzi. “The playoffs have never been what you expect them to be, and I’ve seen it all in the six years I’ve been coaching here. I just think (a one-game playoff) takes it out of the hands of the better team. It puts it maybe in the hands of one individual or a lucky bounce of the puck.”
If there’s one group this format favors, it’s the bottom seeds who barely get into the postseason and just need one night of good fortune to advance. The higher seed could have one or a few of their stars out with an illness, a key skater or goaltender could go down with an injury, or the puck could take a weird bounce into the net.
In years past, these higher seeds would come back the next day for a second game and try to right their ship, but instead, they will only be heading to the rink to hand in their uniforms.       
“If you’re a team that’s just barely making it into the playoffs and playing one of the top-seeded teams, you’re probably saying, ‘Anything can happen. We can win this game and get ourselves in another series,’ ” added Jackson.
“Even if I was a sixth-place team, I would say, ‘I want to play a three-game series.’ That’s what hockey is supposed to be. You go over there, you play in their rink, and then they go over and play in yours. And if you’re tied after two games, you go and play one more game.”
Luckily for Jackson and Andreozzi, their Sentinels and Clippers will be the No. 1 and 2 seeds in the playoffs and miss Wednesday’s action. Anderson’s Saints, meanwhile, will have to settle for either the third or fourth seed, and while that means a home game on Wednesday night at Lynch Arena, it also means the possibility of being a ‘one-and-done’ victim.
“It’s definitely not fair for the kids,” said Anderson. “You work all season long to make the playoffs and then you could be one-and-out. I bet that 80 percent of the series last year went three games, but now with a bounce of the puck, you can be out in one.”
A big reason for this switch is the return of the 18-game regular season for the Division II and III circuits after the season lasted 16 games a year ago. With the addition of these games came the subtraction of the eight Game 2s in the quarterfinal rounds and the possibility of a few Game 3.
“I’m sure the counter argument is that there’s not enough money for the ice time, there’s not enough time in the season to play 18 games and have three weekends of best-of-three series,” said Andreozzi. “I understand why we’re not doing it, but my feeling is we should try to find a way. There has to be a way to make it work so everyone’s happy, from the RIIL to the coaches.”
One thing that some coaches are unhappy about is the day of the one-game elimination. It takes places just two nights before the opening of the best-of-three semifinals, giving Wednesday’s survivors not enough time to rest any bumps or bruises or prepare for their higher-seeded opponent.
“I don’t like the timing of the game,” offered Andreozzi. “Would a Tuesday be a better day? I personally think so. You have two days between the end of the regular season on Saturday and two between that game and the start of the semifinals.”
As for the top three seeds in Division I and I-A and top two in Division II, there are several teams who would rather jump into action right away and forget having the weekend off.
Cumberland was an exception last year. The No. 2 seed (and eventual state champion) last year, the Clippers were hit hard by the injury bug at the end of the season and welcomed a weekend off with open arms.     
“I’d rather not have a bye,” said Jackson. “If we were hurt like Cumberland last year, it would be different, but I wouldn’t want to see us have a bye and get stale. … As far as I’m concerned, we’re playing Tolman on Friday and Portsmouth on Saturday, and this is our quarterfinal weekend.”
It’s a tough situation for everyone, especially for the 16 teams that will play for their postseason lives next Wednesday. The only thing everyone can do, noted Andreozzi, is go out and play.  
“That’s what it boils down to,” he remarked. "You have to be ready to face whoever you have to face. Everyone’s in the same boat.”