Last five minutes: a major-versus-minor differential goes up at once
Rule numbers: NCAA 19.3 NCAA Appendix G ACHA Additions Rule 19
New in the 2026-28 NCAA book and listed in the ACHA additions for all six divisions: in the last five minutes of regulation, or at any time in overtime, when one team gets a minor (or double minor) and the other team gets a major (or match) at the same stoppage, the three-minute (or one-minute) differential is served immediately as a major. It goes on the penalty clock as 3:00 or 1:00 and is served like a major, so a goal does not end it. It also applies when coincidental penalties cancel down to that pattern, regardless of the on-ice strength. NCAA Appendix G has four worked cases.
the three-minute (or one-minute) differential shall be served immediately as a major penalty.
- On the ice
- The team with the major plays shorthanded for 3:00 (or 1:00).
- Clock
- A single 3:00 or 1:00 differential, served like a major.
- Scoresheet
- Record each player's full penalties; the clock shows only the differential.
Example
With 3:40 left in the third, Team A gets a minor and Team B a major at the same stoppage. A 3:00 differential goes on Team B's clock, served like a major.
Common mistake: Running the old 4-on-4 or substitution sequence late in the game, or letting a goal end the differential.
Sources
- NCAA 2026-27 and 2027-28 Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules and Interpretations (IH28), Rule 19.3, pp. 37-38 (PDF pp. 40-41)
- NCAA 2026-27 and 2027-28 Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules and Interpretations (IH28), Appendix G, p. 138 (PDF p. 141)
- ACHA: 2026 NCAA Major Ice Hockey Rule Changes and ACHA Additions (updated 8/27/2026), Rule 19, p. 2
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