The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) announced its regular season schedule for the 2024-25 campaign.
A revised format will see each of the NOJHL’s 12-member clubs play 25 games at home and another 25 on the road and two showcase games.
Each team will suit up twice during the league’s annual Showcase event, which goes October 1-2 at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury.
As part of the 312-game slate, which features a more balanced schedule, sees two notable changes that will take effect for the upcoming season.
Firstly, there will be just one division of 12, with the Top 8 clubs in the final standings qualifying for the playoffs.
Secondly, the shootout has been eliminated and will see games that are tied after regulation go to a seven-minute overtime period, skating three players aside.
Should contests remain without a winner being decided after OT, the game will end in a tie and each squad will earn one point.
Teams will still receive two points for wins in regulation and OT as well as one for extra time defeats.
“In discussions at the league-level over the course of the past number of seasons, it was deemed that deciding games in shootouts had run its course and had become a less amenable way of determining the outcome,” said NOJHL commissioner Robert Mazzuca.
“We believe the additional two minutes of overtime will aid in providing more on-ice action, involving more of our players throughout the campaign,” added Mazzuca.
“Should games end in ties following the lengthened OT, one point apiece for the respective clubs would be more than respectable.”
The Timmins Rock will open the season on Sept. 13 against Voodoos at the Powassan Sportsplex. The Rock's home opener is Sept. 20.
The full 2024-25 schedule is available here.
