BeNe League (ice hockey)
Current season, competition or edition: 2017–18 BeNe League season
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder |
Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation & Netherlands Ice Hockey Association |
| President | Pascal Nuchelmans |
| No. of teams | 13 |
| Country |
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| Continent | Europe |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Flyers Heerenveen (1st) |
| Most titles |
HYC Herentals Flyers Heerenveen (1 each) |
| Related competitions |
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| Official website | www |
The BeNe League (Dutch: Beneliga) is the highest-level ice hockey league in Belgium and the Netherlands. The league was founded in 2015, following a merger between the Belgian Hockey League and the Dutch Eredivisie and thus became the top tier of the sport in both nations. In terms of league structure, the BeNe League is made up of 13 teams, 9 from the Netherlands and a further 4 from Belgium, and they all play in a single group. The league features a mix of Belgian, Dutch, European and overseas players.
The BeNe League is made up of 13 teams, 9 based in the Netherlands and 4 based in Belgium, In the first season, the league comprised 16 teams (10 from the Netherlands and 6 from Belgium). These 16 teams were split into two groups, each containing 5 Dutch teams and 3 Belgian teams. Each team played a total of 22 games over the course of the regular season, they played each team in their division twice, as well as once against every team in the other division. Points are awarded in the following fashion, 3 points for a win, 2 for a win in overtime and 1 for an overtime loss.
At the end of the regular season, the top 4 teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. The playoff quarterfinals were played over two legs, whilst the semi-finals and final were both played as a best of three series. The winner of the playoffs was then crowned the league victor. On top of this, the league also crowns National Champions from each country. The team that advances the furthest through the playoffs from each country is subsequently crowned as National Champion.
One of the Netherlands most successful ice hockey teams, the Tilburg Trappers, announced that they would not be a part of the BeNe League, and would instead join the Oberliga, the 3rd tier of ice hockey in Germany. They do however, operate a developmental team in the BeNe League in the form of Tilburg Trappers II.
Following the 2009 season of the Belgian Hockey League, HYC Herentals and White Caps Turnhout decided to the join the Eredivisie, whilst the remaining 3 teams dropped down a division and played instead in the Belgian National League. This resulted in the North Sea Cup being played in place of both the Belgian Hockey League and the Eredivisie. Following the culmination of the 2011–12 season, in which White Caps Turnhout dropped out midway through the season, followed by the Leuven Chiefs also stating they would be leaving the competition, it was announced that the Eredivisie would once again take place, and that HYC Herentals would participate. A reformed Belgian Hockey League, featuring both Leuven Chiefs, White Caps Turnhout, and former Belgian National League teams would also take place.
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