WCHA on Shootouts.

This was over on INCH. I agree with the article that eventually the NCAA is going to settle ties via the shootout just like they do in the NHL. I agree with Joe Bertagna its coming eventually. Of course it will be fun, yet predictable to see the anti-shoot out people come out of the wood work to complain about the shootout being a gimmick.

INCH on the shootout: I would’ve hated to travel 13 hours one way and 14 hours home to lose in a shootout,” said Owens, who has plenty of shootout experience from years of coaching in the USHL. “The only value it adds is entertainment for the fans. You can play a great road game, earn a 2-2 tie, lose in a shootout and feel like you lost the game. We went to Clarkson, a tough road trip, and came away with a split. And I’m fine with that.”

The CCHA, along with the women’s leagues in Hockey East and the WCHA, are using shootouts to settle tie games this year. And some college hockey higher-ups - most notably Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna - have predicted to INCH that shootouts are going to be the normal tiebreaker in all of college hockey within a few years. But for now, many are watching closely to see how they affect the CCHA standings.

Even after his team won a shootout with Air Force in a holiday tournament last season, Minnesota coach Don Lucia is a vocal opponent of the procedure. He notes that the CCHA is only using them for standings purposes, and that games tied after five minutes of overtime still count as a tie for NCAA purposes. Lucia told INCH that if shootouts are such a great idea, he feels the CCHA should have the courage to let the results (win or lose) count for NCAA purposes.

The entertainment value of the shootout is noted by Denver coach George Gwozdecky, He thinks they’re fine in the NHL, where you play 84 games that count, but feels that in a 28-game WCHA schedule, too much emphasis could be placed on the results of shootout. Gwozdecky said he also hates the idea of playing a team game for 65 minutes, then deciding who wins or loses with a contest that pits two individuals against one another.

CCHA will have the Shoot out...

I think this is a step in the right decision I just hope the buffoons that run the WCHA follow suit soon. I don't care what the hockey purest say. Also, I think it is a way to make the games a little more exciting. I find ties boring and love when the NHL regular season games go to a shoot out, just another element to the game. Obviously, this is not a good way to decide a playoff games and rightfully playoff games will still be played in sudden death like the NHL is.

There will be a few hockey puriests that are going to say that this will ruin the college hockey and they will no longer watch the game any more; fine... Have fun watching basket brawl or some other exciting sport. This rule change WILL NOT ruin the college game and it will actually make it better and the shoot out has been a huge success already in the NHL. It has been going on for three seasons while some have complained the fans have embraced it. I also believe this is a good way to decide a winner. Also, rightfully so the shoot out will not affect the PWR rankings and SOL will still count as a tie. So the so called purests will still have their sister kissing tie.

Shootouts will be used to break ties in the CCHA next season.
Aug. 14, 2008
Farmington Hills, Michigan - The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced today that an NHL style three-player shootout will be used in the 2008-09 season to determine a winner for all of the 168 regular-season conference games that are tied after 60 minutes of regulation play and five minutes of overtime.

"The shootout has proved to be an exciting addition to hockey at a variety of levels and we are anxious to bring it into college hockey. The drama it creates is very popular with fans, and importantly, today's players love it," stated CCHA Commissioner Tom Anastos, whose conference becomes the first of college hockey's six Division I men's leagues to adopt the shootout. "At the same time, the NCAA rules and ice hockey committees have allowed us to implement this tie-breaker protocol so that every regular-season league game will have a winner while preserving the integrity of the national rankings because CCHA games decided by a shootout will still be considered ties for NCAA purposes. Bonus points awarded will impact the conference standings only."

The shootout concept has been enthusiastically endorsed by Greg Hammaren, the Vice President and General Manager of FSN Detroit, which will televise 17 CCHA regular-season and playoff games in 2008-09.

"This is a bold decision and I think it's a great one," said Hammaren. "College hockey is already one of the most exciting sports in America, adding the shootout just adds to the excitement."

The CCHA has also approved the following point system for regular-season play; Two (2) points for a win in regulation or overtime, one (1) point for each school if the game is tied at the conclusion of the five-minute overtime period and one (1) point is awarded to the team who wins the shootout.