2012 - 13 ECHL season The 2012 – 13 ECHL season will be the 25th season of the ECHL . The regular season schedule will run from October 12 , 2012 to March 30 , 2013 , with the Kelly Cup playoffs to follow . After not holding its All - Star Game and Skills Challenge for 2011 - 12 , the ECHL will bring it back for this season , holding it on January 23 at Budweiser Events Center in Loveland , Colorado , home of the Colorado Eagles . League Business . Team changes . On September 21 , 2011 , the ECHL Board of Governors approved the membership of the San Francisco Bulls for the 2012 – 13 season . The Bulls will play in the Cow Palace , which was the home of the San Jose Sharks of the NHL for their first two seasons . On November 1 , 2011 , the ECHL Board of Governors approved the membership of the reincarnation of the Orlando Solar Bears for the 2012 – 13 season . The Solar Bears will play in the Amway Center which is currently home to the NBA ' s Orlando Magic . The league announced on April 6 , 2012 , that the expansion franchise Chicago Express had withdrawn from the ECHL , effective immediately . The Express finished their inaugural season ninth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 34 wins , 26 losses , 8 overtime losses , and 4 losses in shootouts , eliminating them from playoff contention . The team also finished last in the league for attendance , averaging 2 , 508 fans per game ( compared to the league average of 4 , 282 fans per game ) . On May 17 , 2012 , the ECHL announced the addition of two expansion franchises - the Evansville IceMen and the Fort Wayne Komets , both located in Indiana and both former Central Hockey League markets . The IceMen will play home games at the Ford Center and the Komets at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum . The league also indicated that 23 teams would play in the 2012 – 13 season , making these two franchises the last to be added . Annual Board of Governors meeting . The league ' s annual Board of Governors meeting concluded on June 25 , 2012 . Announcements included the re - election of Steve Chapman , president of the Gwinnett Gladiators , to his seventh term as board president , capping of league membership at 26 teams , adoption of a two - referee system for the conference finals and Kelly Cup finals , and the league re - alignment for the 2012 – 13 season . The San Francisco Bulls joined the Western Conference ' s Pacific Division , while in the Eastern Conference , the Orlando Solar Bears joined the South Division and the Fort Wayne Komets and Evansville IceMen joined the North Division following the departure of the Chicago Express . The league also voted to table any decision regarding the playoff format until the Board of Governors ' preseason meeting . Preseason Board of Governors meeting . The preseason Board of Governors meeting was held on September 27 , 2012 . Announcements included changes to the Kelly Cup playoff format and a change to the league ' s reserve list policy . The 3 - day and 7 - day injured reserve spots were changed to two generic reserve spots with no minimum stay required . No change was made to the 21 - day reserve list policy . 2013 Kelly Cup Playoffs format . The 2013 Kelly Cup playoffs format represents a significant departure from previous years . Eight teams still qualify in the Eastern Conference : the three division winners plus the next five teams in the conference . With the addition of the expansion franchise in San Francisco , the Board of Governors changed the Western Conference seeding such that eight teams qualify : two division winners and the next six teams in the conference . This eliminated the Western Conference first - round bye . Similar to the NHL , the division winners are seeded as the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference and the top two seeds in the Western Conference ; the conference winner faces the eighth seed , second faces seventh , third faces sixth and fourth faces fifth in the conference quarterfinal round . The winner of the 1st / 8th series plays the winner of the 4th / 5th series while 2nd / 7th winner plays against the 3rd / 6th winner in the conference semifinal series . The Board of Governors also elected to change the playoff format such that all rounds of the playoffs are now best of seven series . For 2012 - 13 , the Conference Finals and Kelly Cup Finals will use a two - referee system . Regular season . Standings . By division . < br > Eastern Conference < br > Western Conference < br > By conference . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > - Division leader ; y - Won division ; z - Won conference ( and division ) < nowiki > * < / nowiki > - Division leader ; y - Won division ; b - Won Brabham Cup , best record in the league