Three new clubs were added – the Chicago Horizons, the Denver Avalanche and the Phoenix Inferno.
[1] While the first round was a best of three series, Commissioner Earl Foreman announced in early November 1980 that there would be single-game semifinals and a final set to be played in St. Louis on the weekend of March 27, 1981.
[2] As it turned out, St. Louis pulled off a worst-to-first turnaround in their division with the second-best record in the MISL and made the championship game.
In their semifinal against Wichita, the Steamers rallied from a 6-1 third quarter deficit to tie the game and win in a shootout.
[5] Zungul scored four goals and an assist in both the semifinal win over Baltimore and the championship game.