A generation ago, the concept of a shootout to break a tie in hockey seemed to many like an abomination. Example: at the time, some Canadians demanded an asterisk next to Sweden’s men’s hockey gold medal won at the 1994 Winter Olympics after Paul Kariya was famously denied by Tommy Salo in the shootout that settled the final game.



Even a decade ago, when the now-defunct Central Collegiate Hockey Association started using a post-overtime shootout to determine conference points, there were naysayers.



“It’s a little gimmicky,” said then-Northern Michigan coach Walt Kyle prior to the 2008-09 season, when the CCHA first started using a shootout after five minutes of 5-on-5 overtime. “I’m all for breaking ties, but why don’t we do it by playing hockey?”



Much has changed since then in the college hockey world, and in hockey overall, as both 3-on-3 overtime play and the shootout have gained much more wide-spread...