ACHA overtime and shootouts by division
Rule numbers: NCAA 91.1 NCAA 91.3 ACHA 2026-28 Overtime and Shootout Requirements
In ACHA regular-season games, a tie after regulation goes to a five-minute, 3-on-3, sudden-victory overtime, and unexpired penalties carry into it. What follows depends on the division. Men's D1: a three-player shootout, then sudden-death rounds, in all games where an M1 team is home. Men's D2: a shootout for M2-vs-M2 games only; cross-divisional games end tied, and a player still serving a penalty with time left cannot shoot. Men's D3: recorded as a tie for D3 rankings, with a shootout only under conference rules or against a non-D3 team. Women's D1: a tie, with an optional shootout that does not count for rankings. Women's D2: a tie, no shootout.
Any overtime period shall be considered part of the game and all unexpired penalties shall remain in force.
- Clock
- 5:00 of 3-on-3 overtime; penalties still running at the end of regulation carry over.
Example
ACHA Men's Division 2 team plays a Men's Division 3 team and the game is tied after the five-minute overtime. There is no shootout; the game is recorded as a tie.
Common mistake: Running a shootout in a cross-divisional M2 game or a Women's D2 game, or forgetting that unexpired penalties carry into overtime.
Sources
- ACHA: 2026-28 Regular Season Overtime and Shootout Requirements (updated 8/27/2026), NCAA 91.1-91.3 and ACHA Specific Rules, p. 1, 3-4
- ACHA Manual, 2026-27 Season (FINAL 8-10-2026), Part Four, Art. III, Sec. 1(B)-(C), PDF p. 49-50
- ACHA Manual, 2026-27 Season (FINAL 8-10-2026), Part Five, Art. III, Sec. 1(A), PDF p. 66
Verified