Rule 94 Overhaul
The NCAA is reviewing Rule 94, the regulation that governs women's ice hockey, with a view to broadening the scope of legal body checking while still emphasizing skill, puck possession and player safety.
If adopted, the amendment would take effect for the 2026‑27 season, giving teams a multi‑year window to adjust training and strategy.
The suggested changes would permit contact in a range of scenarios, including parallel pursuits, end‑wall battles, forward angling, corner defense and 50/50 puck contests, while still prohibiting dangerous maneuvers.
Illegal actions would remain defined as overt shoulder, arm or torso extension, hits delivered from opposite directions and forced drives through opponents.
The Professional Women's Hockey League has already integrated checking into its gameplay, offering a real‑world reference point that the NCAA hopes to emulate.
Both the NCAA and its rule‑making committees stress that the primary goals are to ready athletes for the physical demands of elite competition and to harmonize North American standards with leading women's leagues abroad.