New format for 2017 tournament

THE 2017 National Hockey League will be played under a new format this season.

It will be held across nine days from September 16 to 24 at the National Hockey Stadium in Wellington.

The new structure aligns with the current International Hockey Federation tournament model. New Zealand’s eight regions will be split into two pools before a crossover finals phase.

Pools have been classified based on last year’s placings, with each team playing each of the other three sides to determine their seeding going into a mustwin quarterfinal against a team from the other pool.

Reigning men’s winners Mid lands and women’s champion Canterbury are the top seeded sides. The Southern Dogs are in pool A with Midlands, Harbour and Capital, while the Southern Storm will play Canterbury, Auckland and Capital in pool play.

Southern Hockey, which did not enter teams last season, did not respond to messages yesterday.