USHL playoff format leaves a lot to be desired - including a plethora of weeknight games

It’s a confusing year in the USHL. 

First of all, the league is the only league to allow players to go to the Spring IIHF Under 18 tournament if their team has not been eliminated from the playoffs. Four players from three teams, including Chicago’s Adam Fantilli, will be gone until likely the third game of the second round.

Then the playoffs themselves. A best-of-three in three nights in round one - all on weeknights, all in the same city. A best-of-three in round two - one at the lower seed, two at the higher seed. Finally, at least a best-of-five in the conference finals and the Clark Cup Finals - but still no best-of-seven like major junior or all Canadian junior A and B leagues have in every round.  

Here’s what I really don’t get - the playoffs - one reason they’re short is so players don’t have to play weeknights (or I’ve been told) is so players don’t have to play weeknights - either in the playoffs or in the regular season - so they don’t have to miss school. 

Yet say the first round series in the East is Mon-Tues-Wed (it’s either that or Tues-Wed-Thurs, the only options). One team could potentially play Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in round one, then come home Saturday night, then play the following Monday and Tuesday in Chicago for round two. Let’s say it’s Youngstown. By my count, that is four school days missed one week, three the next, and at the more important time of the school year - near the end. 

So…I don’t get this playoff format. Again, to repeat, a team could play Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, with only the Saturday game at home. We play all year virtually exclusively on Fri, Sat, and Sun, then we get to the playoffs and we play mainly on weeknights?

Then the league will say the attendance is down, so we need to shorten the playoffs…even though drawing three consecutive weeknights during school week/work week is almost impossible for anyone to go to all three. 

Then there’s this - Lincoln, if they go three games, play (starting in two nights, including the last two regular season games) Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. 5 games in 6 nights. And without a key defenseman who will be at the Spring IIHF U18. 

What I’d really like to know is what sense this makes. Why not start the first round Fri, Sat, Sun if this is the format - then the next week, go Wed, Fri, Sat for round two. Yes, we get done a few nights later. Yes, it adds a week to the season. But surely we could save a week in the regular season by adding a couple of three in threes - not ideal, but a lot better in the season than the playoffs.