The way hockey games end in junior hockey leagues across the region could look a lot different in the upcoming season.
Great Lakes Jr. C Hockey League convenor Jeff Beatty says they're hoping to get rid of shootouts.
"We want to switch that to a 3-on-3 format for seven minutes and just have that," says Beatty. "After that seven minutes of 3-on-3 hockey, if it's still tied, it's just a tie game."
Meantime, GOJHL commissioner Chuck Williams says they're also ditching shootouts, but their format will be a bit different.
"Five minutes of 4-on-4 followed by five minutes of 3-on-3 and at that point, if the game is still tied, it just ends and both teams get one point," says Williams, adding that it is in line with what other junior hockey leagues are doing. "That was really our goal because a lot of our players will go between leagues and it keeps it consistent for them."
In both the GLCJHL and the GOJHL, if the game is decided in overtime, the losing team would still get one point, while the winning team would get two.
The changes would take place for the 2015-16 season, but they are all pending approval from the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA).
