The trapezoid comes to NCAA men's hockey
Rule numbers: NCAA 28.4 NCAA 1.6
NCAA men's hockey now uses a goalkeeper restricted area behind the net. Behind the goal line, the goalkeeper may play the puck only inside the marked area; playing it outside the lines behind the goal line is a minor for delay of game. The deciding factor is where the puck is, not the goalkeeper. There is no penalty when the goalkeeper plays the puck while keeping skate contact with the goal crease. Division I men use the restricted area in 2026-27; Divisions II and III men keep the privileged area through 2026-27 and switch in 2027-28. Women's games keep the privileged area, where the goalkeeper may not body check. Follow the rink's markings rather than measuring lines yourself.
The determining factor shall be the position of the puck.
- On the ice
- Puck played outside the restricted area behind the goal line: delay-of-game minor to the goalkeeper.
- Clock
- Minor served by a teammate who was on the ice (28.1).
Example
Division I men's game. The goalkeeper skates into the corner below the goal line and stops a rim-around outside the painted line. He gets a minor for delay of game.
Common mistake: Judging by the goalkeeper's skates instead of the puck, or applying the trapezoid in a D2/D3 men's or a women's game this season.
Sources
- NCAA 2026-27 and 2027-28 Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules and Interpretations (IH28), Rule 28.4, pp. 45-46 (PDF pp. 48-49)
- NCAA 2026-27 and 2027-28 Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules and Interpretations (IH28), Rule 1.6, p. 12 (PDF p. 15)
Verified