Repeating a rule change instituted by the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Junior Hockey League has removed shootouts from the game rules deciding tied games.
The OJHL recently announced that games tied after regulation time and a five-minute sudden-death overtime period of four-on-four will feature an additional five-minute sudden-death OT period of three-on-three, rather than a shootout. If a goal is not scored during the three-on-three overtime, the game will be declared a tie.
Many within the OJHL are saying that the shootout had too much of an impact on teams when it came to playoff seeding and some teams ability to qualify for the playoffs.
The NOJHL and OJHL may be leading a movement that becomes the standard throughout Junior A Hockey in Canada as other leagues are said to be reviewing how over time games are decided.
TJHN will update this story as more information becomes available.
