Changes are coming to hockey’s postseason structure thanks to the Ohio High School Athletic Association — pivots that after years of consternation on the topic, are likely to be welcomed by all principles. In an Oct. 30 memo to coaches statewide, which was shared with The News-Herald, OHSAA ice hockey administrator John Kronour announced several changes. “I joined the OHSAA team last April and began working with the ice hockey coaches advisory committee almost immediately,” Kronour wrote. “We have met three times over the last seven months, and those meetings have produced several changes for the upcoming season.” The most prominent alteration is a dramatic overhaul of hockey’s “regional” tournaments — long referred to as the “district” level prior to the last two seasons. “First, we will be using a double-bye system for the regional tournament,” Kronour explained. “Seeds one (through) four will have two byes and seeds five (through) eight will have a single bye. All other teams in the regional will compete in the first round to get to seed five (through) eight. This is being implemented to hopefully help with major mismatches in the first round of the tournament. “Second, the regions have been balanced better to create more even numbers in each regional. The two most western teams in the Brooklyn Regional and the four most northern teams in the Columbus Regional have been moved to the Northwest Regional. You will be able to see your placement in each regional as you review tournament regulations, again posted on the website.” Kronour also stated the Northwest Regional will be contested at both the venerable Tam O’Shanter in Sylvania and the newly renovated arena at Bowling Green. Kent, Brooklyn and the Chiller and Ice Haus in Columbus, Kronour announced, will continue to host their respective regional tournaments. Last season, for perspective, there were 17 teams at Kent, 18 at Brooklyn, 10 at Sylvania and 20 at Columbus. In a related announcement, Kronour stated seeding will now be done through MaxPreps’ automated ranking system, emphasizing teams will need to report their scores to the site in order for the rankings to be accurate. That will dictate matchups come regional tournament time. The bracket will be reseeded for the frozen four once regional champions are crowned. Kronour also confirmed the frozen four will return to Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Semifinals will be Saturday, March 8, with the final being held Sunday, March 9. The Blue Jackets are on the road on both of those days. As of now, no other events are scheduled at the arena on those days. “The changes we are implementing will help make our tournament even better,” Kronour said.