We are hours away from the launch of the 2015 Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) season and the action on the ice will be faster and more skilful than ever before! The players have been honing their skills between seasons and volunteers are excited to present new and improved fan experiences.
For the most part, rules and game day operations will remain the same. Here are the answers to common questions asked by our community:
- Jersey colours- Home teams will continue wearing the dark strip. Visitors will wear white jerseys.
- Period length- Unique to the AIHL, period lengths will remain consistent with 2014: 15 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes.
- Intermission length- Intermissions will remain 15 minutes.
Hybrid IcingIn 2015, the AIHL will use hybrid icing. Some fans may have already seen this rule change in the AJIHL and NHL. Our objective is to prepare players for IIHF competition but continue mitigating risks of potentially damaging collisions into the end walls as players race for the puck to either force or negate an icing.
Here’s a Summary from IIHFAs of now there will be no more automatic calls against the team that ices the puck as in the past. However, opposed to classic touch icing that was used in the NHL until 2013, the offending team can only prevent an icing call by touching the puck if its player has a chance to reach the puck.
This means linesmen will have to make two decisions under the hybrid icing rule. They have to determine that the shot from a player’s own side will cross the icing line in the attacking zone. Second, they must determine whether a defending player or attacking player would be first to touch the puck. This second decision must be made no later than the instant the first of the players reaches the end zone faceoff dots, although the decision can be made earlier. The players’ skates are the determining factor. If there is no race for the puck, icing will be called as soon as the puck crosses the icing line.
Video ExampleTo illustrate the rule, please have a look at this video produced by the NHL:
http://goo.gl/V6T7xy.