The preliminary round was a two group of five teams each internal round-robin format, with two points allotted for a win, one additional point for a regulation win, and one point for an overtime or game winning shots loss.
The preliminary round was a two group of five teams each internal round-robin format, followed by a three-round playoff. In the round-robin, two points were allotted for a win, one additional point for a regulation win, and one point for an overtime or game winning shots loss.