As I have heard it...
 
The rationale behind remaining at the same end of the ice for all overtime
periods is because the benches then remain in your defending zone for the entire
time.  The point is that a bad change situation won't cause a goal.  Obviously
the idea is to have overtime decided by a good play.  I do not know how this
would work at an arena like Boston College where the home team bench is in the
center of the ice and the visiting team bench is on their offensive half of the
ice.
 
On another overtime note:
IS anyone else disappointed with the lack of penalties called in OT??
I can understand loosening up a little in overtime and not letting a power-play
resulting from a marginal call decide the game.  HOWEVER,  the blatant punch to
the head delivered by Michigan's goaltender (Turco) to a Maine forward after the
whistle was outrageous as were many other "TACKLES" made by both teams, many
times stopping good scoring chances.  It has always been my opinion that a
penalty in the first minute of a game should be called at any other time during
the game.  I thought that all the way through the game this was not the case.
The officials would let a play go and a m,inute later the identical play would
happen and a penalty would be called (right at the beginning of the game this
happened).  Maybe the officials just had a bad night, anyway, their no-call
menality probably was one of the reasons we witnessed the longest game.  Without
the hooking, holding and tackling, IMO, the game wouldn't have made it past the
first OT.
 
Ryan Stone
 
See you on Saturday in Providence...