Ice Hockey League Software Compared

Hockey asks more of software than most team sports. Penalties run on their own clocks, a game can end in overtime or a shootout, and the table gives different points for each. Run these checks in a test event before the season starts.

1. Approved game sheet. In some associations the official game sheet is a regulated document. If yours requires an approved electronic sheet, that requirement decides the shortlist before anything else does.
2. Timed penalties on the board. A minor is 2 minutes, a double minor 4, a major 5 and a misconduct 10 (IIHF Rules 16.1, 18.1, 20.1 and 22.1). A power-play goal ends the minor with the least time left, but a goal on a penalty shot does not (Rule 16.2).
3. Delayed penalties. A team never plays with fewer than three skaters, so a third penalty waits until one of the first two expires (Rule 26.1). Check that the scoreboard queues it instead of starting it at once.
4. Standings 3/2/1/0. Under IIHF Event Code Article 218.1 a win in regulation earns 3 points, a win in overtime or the shootout 2, a loss after regulation 1 and a loss in regulation 0.
5. Formats. Round robin, groups into a knockout, and whether a two-legged tie exists for a cup.
6. Free plan limit. Count your teams. A free plan for eight teams does not cover a ten-team youth tournament.
7. Payments and languages. Do you need to collect registration fees, and in which language do parents and players read the site?

Three teams play a round robin.

Under the IIHF scale A has 4 points, C 3 and B 2. The table is settled.

Now count 3 points for any win and nothing for any loss. Each team has one win, so all three sit on 3 points. The shootout goes into the score as a single decisive goal (Rule 84.4 XI), so B v C counts as 3-2. Goals for and against are then 4-4 for A, 5-5 for B and 4-4 for C. Goal difference is zero for all three, and the tie moves on to the next step in the regulations.

Before choosing software, look up the article in your regulations that awards points for overtime and check that the tool can follow it. The ice hockey scoring guide explains overtime and the shootout in more detail.

PlayHQ comes from Australia and sells to sports bodies running whole competitions. On its ice hockey page it promises to “organise large-scale ice hockey tournaments with group stages, knockout rounds, and finals progression” and “live tracking of goals, assists, penalties, substitutions, and match results”.

The line that sets it apart reads “Compliance Confidence — Automate eligibility checks, age group verification, and transfer approvals.” That is the work of an association registrar, and it sits outside what tournament tools do.

We did not read PlayHQ's pricing page, so this comparison gives no price for it.

Teams. A club enters by name, without player accounts. A hockey squad defaults to 22 names, the IIHF roster size, with room for up to 30.

Formats. Round robin, knockout, and groups into a knockout with 1 to 4 groups. A cup can be played as a two-legged tie, with a shootout to settle a level aggregate.

Standings. A new tournament draw starts with the IIHF rule set: 3/2/1/0 from Event Code Article 218.1, then points, goal difference and goals scored in the games between the tied teams (219.3 a–c). A shootout counts as one decisive goal in the score. The live scoreboard records whether a game went past regulation, and the table takes it from there. A league takes the 3/2/1/0 scale only if you switch it on, either when you create the league or later in its settings, before the first result is confirmed; after that it stays locked for the season. A forfeit defaults to 5-0.

Live scoreboard. Three 20-minute periods counting down, a 5-minute overtime and a shootout. Penalties of 2, 2+2, 5 and 10 minutes run on their own clocks. A power-play goal ends the minor, a penalty-shot goal does not, and a third penalty waits while two are already running. The shootout panel has goal and miss buttons for each team and flags the decision after five attempts or in sudden death. Period length, the number of periods and overtime on or off can be changed. Overtime length cannot, so a 10-minute playoff overtime has to be run by hand.

Who enters results. By default, the organiser. You can let teams enter and confirm results themselves in group and round-robin games. Knockout, consolation and third-place results are always confirmed by the organiser; a referee can keep the score on the board from the QR code.

At the rink. Rinks are resources with an auto-schedule. Each match with a live scoreboard gets a referee QR code that opens the panel for that board only. Match cards and the bracket print as PDF. A league keeps top scorers and assists.

Price. Free for organisers, no card.

What we do not have: an approved game sheet from any association, plus-minus, save percentage, power-play statistics or ice time, a second assist on a goal, online payments, email or push notifications, and a native app.

Try the ice hockey live scoreboard or create a hockey tournament. More on the sport: ice hockey page.