All Leagues to Adopt Same NCAA Hockey Overtime Rule

It appears as though there will be uniformity for overtime in college hockey next season.

All overtimes will remain a five-on-five (plus goalies), five-minute, sudden-death format as decided by the NCAA Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules Committee on Thursday, according to a NCAA.com report.

If nobody scores in the OT, it goes in the books as a tie.

That is what the NCAA rule has been but three of the six Division I conferences extended the overtime so teams could earn extra points for their league standings. That will no longer be permitted.

The National Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association went to a five-minute, three-on-three (plus goalies) format after the normal overtime and then went to a sudden-death shootout. The Big Ten went right to a shootout after the five-on-five OT period.

Hockey East, the ECAC and Atlantic Hockey stuck to the NCAA-mandated overtime rule.

Joe Bertagna, Hockey East Commissioner and chairman of the rules committee, said although there were differing opinions, the committee "strongly endorsed a single overtime option" because "hockey is played, for the most part, in a five-on-five format."

He said there someday could be an overtime with reduced manpower "but the prevailing voices on the committee did not see that time as now."

Several other proposals will also be sent to the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel for final approval.

Those include the use of video during a game in a situation where ejecting a player is being considered; a redefining of the slashing penalty; players coming off the ice on a line change must be within five feet of their bench before the substitute comes on; each team will be given a timeout for overtime; and the number of skaters (excluding goalies) will increase from 18 to 19. Also, a player who catches the puck must drop it on ice immediately or receive a minor penalty and coaches must now use a challenge to review goals scored where a potential high stick was involved or plays where the puck touches the netting out of play and leads to a goal.

Follow BDN Maine Sports on Facebook for the latest in Maine high school and college sports.

Read More of Today's AB Headlines

Subscribe to Our Daily E-Newsletter