Goalkeeper freezes a long dump-in: no change, attacker picks the dot
Rule numbers: NCAA 67.6 NCAA 85.2 NCAA 85.4 ACHA Additions 67.6
When the attacking team sends the puck in from its own half of the rink and the goalkeeper covers it, the face-off goes to an end-zone dot in the goalkeeper's zone and the defenders may not change before it. The attacking team picks the dot. The ACHA additions apply this to every division. Icing works the same way: the icing team may not change and the attacking team picks the dot. A barred team may still change for an injured player or when a penalty alters the strength; after icing it may also return a goalkeeper who had been pulled for an extra attacker. Delay tactics: warning, then a bench minor.
The defending team shall not be permitted to make any player substitutions prior to the face-off.
- On the ice
- The defending team keeps the same skaters; the attacking team picks the end-zone dot.
- Clock
- Nothing posted unless a team stalls after a warning (bench minor).
Example
Team A dumps the puck in from its own half and Team B's goalkeeper covers it. Team B may not change, and Team A chooses the end-zone dot.
Common mistake: Letting the goalkeeper's team change after freezing a long dump-in.
Sources
- NCAA 2026-27 and 2027-28 Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules and Interpretations (IH28), Rule 67.6, pp. 76-77 (PDF pp. 79-80)
- NCAA 2026-27 and 2027-28 Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules and Interpretations (IH28), Rule 85.2, p. 102 (PDF p. 105)
- NCAA 2026-27 and 2027-28 Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules and Interpretations (IH28), Rule 85.4, p. 103 (PDF p. 106)
- ACHA: 2026 NCAA Major Ice Hockey Rule Changes and ACHA Additions (updated 8/27/2026), Rule 67.6, p. 4
Verified