Hockey is finally back in Happy Valley!

Last week, Penn State women’s hockey team swept St. Lawrence, winning both home games in dominant fashion. This Friday, the men’s team will travel to Arizona to face off against Arizona State in the first game of the season. 

This will be the first time projected number one overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, forward Gavin McKenna, suits up for the Nittany Lions.

Hockey can be a bit confusing for new fans. NCAA rules differ in some aspects from the NHL, and women’s and men’s hockey don’t follow the exact same rules, so we broke it down for you!

The Rink

The game is generally played on a sheet that is 200 feet long and 85 feet wide. There are three zones: defensive, neutral, and offensive. The offensive and defensive zones are formatted the same. They are on opposing ends of the ice, characterized by two dots to the left and right of the goal cage and a blue line separating it from the neutral zone. These zones are where teams attack and defend. The neutral zone is the area between the two blue lines, with a red line in the middle marking the center point of the ice. The neutral zone has five dots for faceoffs. Four are for offside calls, and one is at center ice to start each period, and for faceoffs after goals.

Game Format

Hockey is played with three 20-minute periods, separated by intermissions. After three periods, if a game ends in a tie, the game will go to overtime. This will be a three-on-three sudden-death overtime, so the first team to score wins. In the NCAA, if neither team scores in overtime in the regular season, the game can end in a tie. If the conference elects so, the game can continue with a three-player penalty shootout to determine the winner of the game.

Positions

Teams may dress up to 19 skaters and three goalies per game. Both teams start with five skaters on the ice. This does not include either team’s goaltender. Forwards are right wings, left wings, and centers. There are two defenseman who play on the right or the left side. The goalie is (you guessed it!) in the net behind the two defenseman. 

The same five players do not play on the ice at all times. Instead, teams have lines and defensive pairings. The first line is the strongest group of forwards. The first-line center is, in most cases, the best player on a team. The second line is also a solid line of talented offensive players. The third and fourth liners bring the physicality and the grit. They are often called “grinders” or “enforcers.” Defensive pairings are important as well. Most teams play with three pairings. The top pairing consists of the team’s two strongest defensemen, who also have the best chemistry on the ice.

Line Changes

Line changes happen on the fly when the players on the ice get tired. They are usually on the ice for thirty seconds to one minute per shift. They can either happen on the forecheck, backcheck, or during a stoppage. The only time a line isn’t allowed to change is if a team ices the puck.

Offside

Offside occurs when an attacking player crosses the defending team’s blue line before the puck crosses, and touches it, causing a stoppage in play. If the player does not touch the puck, the referee will have his hand in the air signaling a delayed offside, giving the attacking player an opportunity to get over the blue line, into the neutral zone, and resume the attack with the rest of the team.

Icing

Icing is called when the defending team clears the puck down to the other end without crossing the center red line. The team that iced the puck can not change players. This usually happens when the team on defense is hemmed in their zone and needs a way to get the puck out, or as a result of an errant breakout pass. This rule was implemented as a way to maintain and raise offense so defenders can’t just sail the puck to the other end and get a line change with no repercussions.

Special Teams: Power Plays and Penalty Kills

Power Play (PP)

When the opposing team takes a penalty (ex, a tripping call), they are forced to play with one less player on the ice than the other team (five on four). The penalty can last either two, four, or five minutes, depending on the severity of the call. When a goal is scored by the team with the advantage during a power play, the penalty automatically expires, and the power play ends.

Penalty Kill (PK)

The opposite of a power play. A player who takes a penalty is forced to serve the time of the infraction in the penalty box, while their team plays down a player. A common term used for this situation is “shorthanded.” If a team does not allow a goal during the time of the penalty, the penalty is “killed.” When the penalty expires, the player in the box returns to the ice.

Five-on-three

If another player on the opposing team takes a penalty at the same time the first penalty is called or while the team is in the process of killing the first penalty, the power play will be a five-on-three instead of a five-on-four. Each goal scored on the man advantage erases the current penalty, so a team on a five-on-three would have the opportunity to score two goals.

Pulling the Goalie

If a team is trailing by one or more goals with the time winding down in the third period, a coach almost always will pull the goalie to add an extra skater on the ice. It’s like a makeshift power play, but with one glaring problem. The net is empty. If the other team gains possession, all they have to do is shoot the puck into an empty net. 

The purpose of this is to give the team the benefit of having an extra offensive player on the ice, and hopefully scoring a goal. It works fairly often, but most of the time it results in an “empty netter” for the other team. Another time a coach will pull the goalie is during a delayed penalty, since the other team cannot touch the puck without the play being blown dead.

Where the NCAA Differs From the NHL in Rules

NCAA rules are not all the same as the NHL’s. 

Some of the major differences are as follows:

• Hand passes are completely illegal, even in your own defensive zone (in the NHL, they are legal in the D-zone).
• If a team scores on a delayed penalty in the NCAA, they will still receive a power play. (In the NHL, the goal cancels out the power play, and both teams are even strength.)
• NCAA games can sometimes end in ties. (In the NHL, there are no ties under any circumstances.)
• All players must wear cages on their helmets; visors are not permitted in the NCAA.
• All fighting is illegal. Any player who fights will be penalized with a 5-minute major and a game misconduct. This means the player will be suspended for the remainder of the game as well as the next game.

NCAA Women’s Hockey

Body checking is allowed in men’s hockey, but it is completely illegal in women’s hockey. A body check in a women’s hockey game will typically be penalized, and the player will receive a two-minute minor penalty. This is the only major difference between men’s and women’s hockey at the collegiate level.

NCAA Rule Changes for the 25-26 Season

The most significant rule change for the upcoming season is one that has impacted Penn State more than any other college hockey team.

The Canadian Hockey League has always been the most common pathway to the NHL for players. This season, CHL players were allowed to commit to NCAA Division One programs, when in the past, playing in the CHL automatically forfeited a player’s NCAA eligibility.

This rule change is what allowed projected first overall pick Gavin McKenna to commit to Penn State, as he played his last three seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the CHL. This is considered a major development for NCAA hockey and hockey in the United States as a whole.

Some other rule changes for this season are as follows:

• Game misconducts can now be requested to be reviewed by the NCAA for possible adjustment.
• A face mask penalty can be called for intentionally placing a hand on an opponent’s face mask. A minor penalty will be called for moving a hand back and forth on a player’s face mask (this was previously a major penalty in the NCAA).
• On ice officials are now required to review penalties when a major penalty is being considered.

All of these rule changes (minus CHL eligibility) apply to both men’s and women’s college hockey.

Penn State’s women’s hockey team will have a double header against Vermont this weekend in Burlington, VT, at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 3, and 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 4.

The men’s team will play Arizona State in Tempe, AZ, at 10 p.m. on Friday, October 3, and 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 4.