How to Use a Live Ice Hockey Scoreboard

1. Go to the Free Scoreboard page on JudgeMate (no login required).
2. Select Ice Hockey from the 22 available sports.
3. Tap "Create Scoreboard".

The system instantly generates two links:

• Admin link — contains a secret token. This is your control panel. Save this link, if you lose it, you cannot regain control.
• Spectator link, no token. This is the public-facing display for fans, teammates, and anyone watching.

You are immediately redirected to the admin panel, where the game starts in Setup mode.

Before the game begins, you will see the Setup Screen with the following options:

Team Names:

• Type up to 20 characters per team
• Default names: HOME / GUEST
• Tip: Use short names (e.g., "Eagles" not "Springfield Eagles Hockey Club") for better readability on spectator screens

Team Colors:

• Choose from 12 presets: red, orange, amber, lime, green, teal, cyan, blue, purple, pink, gray, white
• Colors appear on both the admin panel and the spectator display

While you're in Setup, spectators who open the link see a waiting screen:

"Game Starting Soon — Waiting for the host to start..."

When you are ready, tap "Start Game". The board switches to LIVE status, the clock appears at 20:00, and spectators see the scoreboard in real time.

The score section is split into two zones — Home (left) and Guest (right).

Each side has:

• A large "+" button to add a goal (+1)
• A smaller "−" button to remove a goal (score never goes below 0)

Every tap updates the spectator screen instantly — there is no delay. If you make a mistake, tap the minus button to correct it.

There is no +2 or +3 in hockey — every goal is worth exactly 1 point, so a single +1 button per team is all you need.

The total score is displayed prominently in the center of both the admin panel and the spectator view.

Ice hockey uses a countdown clock — each period starts at 20:00 and counts down to 0:00.

Basic Controls

• START (blue button) — starts the clock countdown
• PAUSE (yellow button), pauses the clock

The clock runs only when you press START. In real hockey, the clock stops on every whistle — you should pause the scoreboard clock whenever play stops (goals, penalties, icing, offside) and restart it when play resumes.

Adjusting the Clock

Tap "Adjust clock" under the clock. A sheet opens with six steps: −1:00, −0:10, −0:01, +0:01, +0:10, +1:00. The steps add up, and a preview shows the corrected time before you apply it. Use it to correct the clock if it drifts from the official game time, or to set it to a specific moment.

Ice hockey progresses through the following phases:

Advancing Periods

Tap "End period", then tap it again to confirm, to progress: Period 1 → 2 → 3 → Overtime 1 → Shootout.

Each transition:

• Resets the clock to the appropriate starting time (20:00 for regular periods, 5:00 for overtime)
• Updates the period label on the spectator display
• The clock does not start automatically — you must press START when ready

Overtime (OT)

When you advance from 3rd to OT:

• The clock resets to 5:00 (standard 5-minute overtime)
• The display shows "Overtime 1" as the current period
• If the game is still tied after the 5:00 clock runs down, advance to Shootout

Shootout (SO)

When you advance from OT to SO:

• The clock disappears entirely — shootouts have no time limit
• START/PAUSE and all clock adjustment buttons are hidden
• Only the score buttons (+/−) remain active
• The display shows "Shootout" as the current phase
• Use the +/− buttons to track goals scored during the shootout

Ice hockey penalties are tracked with countdown timers — not just a count. This is one of the most useful features of JudgeMate's hockey scoreboard.

Adding a Penalty

1. Choose the team — Home or Guest
2. Optionally enter a player name or number (e.g., "#17" or "Smith")
3. Select the penalty duration:
   • 2 min, Minor penalty (most common: tripping, hooking, holding, interference)
   • 4 min, Double minor (2+2): two minor penalties served back to back
   • 5 min, Major penalty (boarding, charging, fighting)
   • 10 min, Misconduct (unsportsmanlike conduct, arguing with officials). It is personal: the player sits, but the team does not play short-handed

The penalty timer starts immediately and is synchronized with the game clock — it runs when the game clock is running and pauses when the game clock is paused.

Active Penalties Display

All active penalties are shown as a list with:

• Team color indicator — so you can see at a glance which team is penalized
• Player name/number (or just the team name if no player was specified)
• Remaining time, counting down in real time
• × button (Cancel penalty), for a penalty entered by mistake

Spectator View

Active penalties are also displayed on the spectator screen with live countdown timers. Spectators can see exactly how much penalty time remains for each team — just like on a top-league arena scoreboard.

When a Goal Ends a Penalty

Under the IIHF rules for 2026/27, a minor penalty ends when the opposing team scores a power-play goal, that is, with more players on the ice. The board does this on its own: the penalty timer stops at the goal and the penalty disappears from both the admin and spectator displays.

• Minor penalty (2 min): ends on the power-play goal. At equal strength, or after a goal by the short-handed team, it keeps running.
• Double minor (2+2): a goal ends the part that is running. If it comes in the first part, the second 2:00 starts at the goal.
• Major penalty (5 min): never ends on a goal.
• Misconduct (10 min): the team is not short-handed, and a goal does not shorten it.

If several minors are running, the one with the least time left ends. Use the × button only when you entered a penalty by mistake.

Multiple Simultaneous Penalties

The system tracks any number of active penalties simultaneously. If both teams have players in the penalty box, all timers run independently and are all visible on the spectator display.

When the game advances to the Shootout (SO) phase:

What Changes

• The clock is removed from the display
• START/PAUSE buttons and all clock adjustments are hidden
• The period label shows "SO"
• Only the score +/− buttons remain active

How to Track a Shootout

1. Watch each shooter attempt
2. If a goal is scored, tap "+" for the scoring team
3. If the goalie saves or the shooter misses, do nothing
4. After all 3 shooters per team have attempted, the team with more goals wins
5. If still tied, continue with sudden-death rounds — add goals as they occur

The scoreboard does not enforce shootout rules (round limits, shooter eligibility) — it tracks the score. You manage the shootout rules yourself.

Returning to Play

If your league or tournament format uses additional overtime instead of (or after) a shootout, you can undo the period transition to return to OT and reset the clock.

Sharing with Spectators

Tap the "Share" button in the top bar to open the share panel:

• QR Code — spectators scan it with their phone camera to open the scoreboard instantly
• Link, copy and send via WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS, email, or any app
• Native share, use your phone's built-in share sheet (iOS/Android)

The spectator link looks like: judgemate.com/{language}/scoreboard/live/ice-hockey/{boardId}

No login, no app download required. The link works on any device with a web browser — phones, tablets, laptops, Smart TVs, and projectors.

Font Size Remote Control

As the admin, you can control the text size on all spectator screens remotely:

• A− / A+ buttons — decrease or increase font size
• Range: 50% to 300% of default size

This is especially useful when the spectator display is on a big screen, projector, or jumbotron — you can scale the text up so scores are readable from a distance.

Spectators can also adjust their own local font size (range: 70%–160%) by tapping their screen, but the admin's setting takes priority for the base scale.

Ending the Match

The board never ends the match by itself. When the final buzzer sounds:

1. Tap "End match" at the bottom of the panel.
2. Tap it again within 4 seconds to confirm. The button needs this second tap, so a stray touch does not end the match.

Once ended:

• The score is frozen for spectators, and no more goals can be added.
• Spectators see the final score under a "Final Score" label.
• The clock stops.

After the Match

The panel shows a "Match ended" card with the final score, the shootout score if there was one, and the winner. Further down, "Match summary" lists every event of the match in order.

• "Share" sends the final score to fans, team chats, or social media.
• "Save to my matches" keeps the match in your account. If you are not logged in, you see "Log in to keep this match" and "Not now" instead.
• When you are logged in, "My matches", "My leagues" and "Add to a league" appear as well.

There is no rematch button. For the next match, create a new board.

Board Expiration

Completed scoreboards you have not saved remain accessible for up to one week. After that, the board expires and spectators see a "Session Expired" message. Save or screenshot the final result if you need a permanent record.