Skip to main content
No items found.

March 2025

Analyzing the frequency of penalties in the last 5 minutes of hockey games

This GameSheet Insider Report examines the frequency of penalties in the last 5 minutes of the game compared with the whole game. The report also examines if the score of the game has an impact. Around the rink, and amongst coaches, parents and players, there is a belief that more penalties occur or are called late in games. They feel referees tighten up late. Of course the NHL seems to be the exact opposite. Data from over 20,000 games, equally distributed between the USA and Canada, were analyzed for this report. The report focuses on data from the youth level, U12-U16.

Penalties/min Comparison

There is an obvious and clear increase in the frequency of penalties inthe last 5 minutes across all age groups. The average increase inpenalties/minute is 23.5%

How does the score of the game impact penalty frequency?

In games that are close, the increase in penalty frequency is 17.6% while in games that are “out of reach” the increase is 29.5%. The question is do the referees tighten up to keep things under control or is it the players taking out their frustrations?

HOW DOES THE DATA VARY BETWEEN CANADA AND THE USA?

Both Canada and the USA had an increase in penalties/minute in the last 5. The increase was far greater in Canada, as well as their overall penalty frequency.

GameSheet Insider is a recurring look into sports statistics and trends. We go beyond the scoreboard by diving deeper into game stats to provide interesting and insightful analytics. GameSheet tracks data across hundreds of hockey and lacrosse leagues throughout North America and beyond. Check back next month for more of the inside scoop on the latest trends and analytics.

Discover More

Case Study
05/2024

Case Study - Fargo Youth Hockey Association

Scholarship
04/2025

GameSheet 2025 scholarship applications are now being accepted