Which rulebook? The 2026-28 NCAA book plus the ACHA additions
Rule numbers: ACHA Manual Part Three, Art. II, Sec. 1 ACHA Additions (introduction)
All six ACHA divisions (Men's 1, 2 and 3, Women's 1 and 2, and the ACDC) play the 2026-2028 NCAA Ice Hockey Rules book with the guidance in the ACHA additions document, and the additions say every rule they list applies to all six divisions. Several of those listed rules are men's-only or Division I men's-only in the NCAA book, such as allowing a line change after a defending-zone high stick, so ACHA games can differ from an NCAA game of the same gender or division. The ACHA Manual adds that NCAA rules apply unless the Manual or a division's policies say otherwise. Women's ACHA games also apply NCAA Rule 94 on body checking. Bring the book, the additions and your division's Manual section.
The American Collegiate Hockey Association will use the 2026-2028 NCAA Ice Hockey Rule book with the following guidance.
Example
An ACHA Women's Division 2 game: the 2026-28 NCAA book applies, plus the ACHA additions (which apply to all six divisions) and the Women's Division 2 policies in the ACHA Manual.
Common mistake: Applying an NCAA women's or Division III exception in an ACHA game without checking whether the ACHA additions changed it for all divisions.