Quoted from the Bangor Daily News without permission today.
"It appears as though Hockey East will implement a shootout to break
ties in regular season play beginning next season.
 
The league's coaches voted in favor of the shootout and now all that
is necessary is the approval of the league's athletic directors this
summer.
 
Under the format, if a game is still tied after the five-minute
overtime, each team will receive a point and the winner of the
shootout will receive an extra point.
 
Teams receive two points for a win and one for a tie in Hockey East.
 
There will be five shooters for each team and, if it is still
deadlocked, they will go to a sudden death shootout.
 
The shootout format is similar to the one that was used in the
Olympic Games.
 
"I think it will be terrific" said Maine Coach Shawn Walsh. "It will add
a tremendous amount of excitement for the fans." Walsh also said
he liked the fact that each team is ensured of receiving a point,
regardless of the outcome of the shootout.
He added that there were "too many ties" in the league this past
season and this is a way to break them.
If you exclude Maine's forfeits and figure in the real scores of
those Maine games, 14 of the league's 96 games (14.6 percent) wound
up as ties.
 
Walsh, who is president of the American Hockey Coaches Association,
said the nation's college hockey coaches have given a proposal to the
Ice Hockey Rules Committee to reinstitute four-on-four and three-
on-three hockey if matching minor penalties are handed out.
 
Under the current college rule, if matching minors are assessed, the
teams can replace those skaters on the ice and remain at five-on-five
(excluding goalies).
 
"This change would add some speed and spice to the game," said Walsh.
"
"Five-on-five has become very methodical because teams play such tight
defense now."
 
He also said the coaches have the rules committee to pass the word on
to the referees to crack down on interference next season to open the
game up more." End of quoted material.
 
Any thoughts on proposed changes out there?