Mason:

In an effort to add a bit of excitement to the sport, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association decided to use the shootout format in women’s games to break ties.

The way it’s going to work is the teams will first play a five-minute overtime period. If neither team can break the stalemate after that, they’ll move to a three-player shootout to determine a winner.

On the surface, it may seem like a good idea. From a fan’s perspective, it’s going to be thrilling to watch the outcome of a game come down to a heart-stopping shootout. As we all know, there’s nothing more disappointing than walking out of an arena after a tie. You’d almost rather have your team lose just to feel some sort of closure.

The team that wins on a shootout will come away with two points, while the losers will earn one. Clearly, it’s a way for one of the teams to pick up another point they otherwise wouldn’t get had the game ended in a tie.

But herein lies part of the problem.

Since the WCHA is the only conference to utilize the shootout, the points earned will be inflated compared to the rest of the college hockey world. I know fans may not care so much about this, but it has the potential to skew overall standings and rankings.

And frankly, I don’t see a shootout as the fairest way to determine a winner. I’d propose doing what is done in postseason play and continuing overtime periods until someone scores. First though, start with a 10-minute OT instead of the current five minutes, which is too short to set up much in the way of scoring opportunities.

No more ties? Sounds good. Shootouts? I’ve got to shoot the idea down.

Zetlin:

Clearly, Mason, you’ve never played FIFA. There’s no better way to end a three-period thriller than with a three-shooter shootout, with all eyes in the arena on one player, center stage.

That’s pressure. That’s excitement. That’s sports.

The Wisconsin women’s hockey team has been one of the most successful collegiate programs this decade and yet, the Kohl Center isn’t exactly at capacity when the Badgers take the ice.

But NASCAR fans love crashes. Boxing fans love to see knockouts. Maybe shootouts will bolster the women’s hockey fan base a little.

You never know.

I agree; a shootout isn’t the fairest way to settle a hard-fought battle. But the losers of the post-overtime dramas still get a point in the standings, as if it were a tie, making it a win-win situation for all.

Everyone knows there’s no satisfaction in splitting two points. Sports should be settled on the ice; stalemates should only involve pawns, bishops and rooks.

Plus, who says sports have to be unified, anyway? In college football, the Big XII, SEC and ACC have conference championship games, while the Big Ten, Pac-10 and Big East settle things during the regular season. The American League has a DH, but the pitchers hit in the NL.

Stupid? Perhaps. But good for the WCHA for taking advantage of the system. Let the conference’s teams be rewarded for playing the toughest schedules in college hockey year-in and year-out.

In hockey, goals were meant to shoot in. So I’m all for the shootout.