Three-on-three overtime and shootouts will remain in men's and women's college hockey in 2018-19 after the NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel on Thursday approved a proposal that would allow conferences to use one of two formats to award points in their standings after a mandatory five-minute, 5-on-5 sudden-death overtime period.
If a game remains tied after the 5-on-5 OT period, conferences can end a game in one of three ways:
• Declare a tie, a method used in several conferences.
• Go directly to a shootout, used by the Big Ten in 2017-18.
• Play five minutes of 5-on-3 sudden-death overtime, then use a shootout if the score remains tied. This is the system that the NCHC and WCHA uses.
If it were up to new Gophers coach Bob Motzko, the Big Ten would add five minutes of 3-on-3 OT and then to go to a shootout if needed in 2018-19.
RANDY JOHNSON
