{"id":27197,"date":"2026-04-10T14:59:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T18:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/?p=27197"},"modified":"2026-04-10T15:34:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T19:34:22","slug":"btsh-2026-season-big-changes-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/btsh-2026-season-big-changes-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"BTSH 2026 Season: Big Changes Coming!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s a new season of hockey at BTSH, and along comes a host of changes. For this particular season, some of the changes will definitely feel bigger than in years past. In this article we will outline everything that you can expect. We have changes for the rules, the league scheduling, the way standings points are calculated, and even to stats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll start with the big one.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-large-font-size\">Game Play Rule Changes<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">High Balls&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two changes here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>High balls are no longer identified as head high and now the <strong>cross bar<\/strong> will be the standard height limit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>High balls will now be considered <strong>delayed penalties<\/strong>. No longer will opposing teams who catch a high ball in a high percentage scoring opportunity be punished because of the instant whistle. The team that committed the high ball offense must touch the ball for play to be blown down and possession given to the opposing team.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Penalty Shots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For the first time in league history, penalty shots will be included in the rules, specifically for a trip or infraction on a player who is on a clear breakaway for a scoring opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some are calling this the \u201cYehuda rule\u201d, as you often see him cherry picking and then complaining for a penalty shot when he doesn\u2019t score.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-large-font-size\">League Scheduling<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to feedback about how league dynamics and competitiveness has changed over time, captains have voted to make changes to the makeup of the season. Below is what the league previously had been using for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Previous Schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>D1 Team Matchups<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D2 Team Matchups<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D3 Team Matchups<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D4 Team Matchups<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>D1 8 times<\/td><td>D2 8 times<\/td><td>D3 8 times<\/td><td>D4 8 times<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>D2 5 times<\/td><td>D1 5 times<\/td><td>D4 5 times<\/td><td>D3 5 times<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>D3 3 times<\/td><td>D4 3 times<\/td><td>D1 3 times<\/td><td>D2 3 times<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>D4 2 times<\/td><td>D3 2 times<\/td><td>D2 2 times<\/td><td>D1 2 times<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Captains voted to eliminate the Division 1 vs Division 4 match-ups as well as several other small changes in the numbers to ensure competitiveness and maintain a diversity of matchups between divisions. Below is the new schedule and highlighted are the parts of the structure that have changed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>D1 Team Matchups<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D2 Team Matchups<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D3 Team Matchups<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D4 Team Matchups<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#fcb900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">D1 8 times<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#fcb900\" class=\"has-inline-color\">D1 7 times<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D3 8 times<\/strong><\/td><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#fcb900\" class=\"has-inline-color\">D4 10 times<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#fcb900\" class=\"has-inline-color\">D2 7 times<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#fcb900\" class=\"has-inline-color\">D2 6 times<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D4 5 times<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D3 5 times<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">D3 3 times<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D4 3 times<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D1 3 times<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D2 3 times<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#fcb900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">D4 0 times<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D3 2 times<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>D2 2 times<\/strong><\/td><td><strong><mark style=\"background-color:#fcb900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">D1 0 times<\/mark><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Standings Calculations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This one might be the trickiest change to explain. With the change in the schedule, it was agreed that the way standings were calculated would need to change to be more equitable with the level of competition between the matchups. A unique idea was proposed for bonus points for the winning team based on the division of the team they play against. Here\u2019s how it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a win, a team still gets the standard 2 points. However, on top of that they get bonus points depending on what division the team they beat were\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If the team was in Division 1 then the winning team gets 1.5 bonus points (3.5 points total).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If the team was in Division 2 then the winning team gets 1 bonus point (3 points total).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If the team was in Division 3 then the winning team gets .5 bonus points (2.5 points total).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No extra bonus points are awarded for beating a division 4 team (winning team only gets the standard 2 points for the win),<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some example scenarios that may help you wrap your head around it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A Division 2 team defeats another Division 2 team<br \/>2 (win) + 1.0 (bonus) = <strong>3.0 total points<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A Division 4 team defeats a Division 3 team<br \/>2 (win) + 0.5 (bonus) = <strong>2.5 total points<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A Division 1 team defeats a Division 3 team<br \/> 2 (win) + 0.5 (bonus) =<strong> 2.5 total points<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-large-font-size\">Assist Tracking<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Another major update this season: assists will be tracked for the first time in league history. Playmakers everywhere are rejoicing, while league grandfather John Walker can finally earn a point after years of passing up prime scoring chances in what now seems more like a personal philosophy than missed opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Assist tracking is made possible by our new web app, which will allow referees to record scoring more easily. If you see Campbell, Harris P, and Justin M around the courts offer them a beer, because they have gone above and beyond in providing the league technology capabilities similar to a tech startup and doing so with virtually no financial incentive. Also, shout out to previous league commissioners, Faz and Courtney, who got the ball rolling for a new website almost two years ago. That said, we\u2019ll need everyone\u2019s help to make it work. Please be ready to clearly provide names to the refs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-large-font-size\">New League Bar!<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Our league bar this year is Royale! Thomas, of Offside Tavern fame, is now running the ship at Royale and has offered to host us! Included are drink specials, use of the outdoor patio space, and space for everyone to stash their hockey equipment! Thomas put together a special for us this Sunday to celebrate the opening week of BTSH. The special includes a discount for a new spiked sports drink called &#8220;Spiked Ade&#8221; which has the potential to be the biggest innovation in hockey since Stan Mikita accidentally created the curved blade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-750x750.png 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a new season of hockey at BTSH, and along comes a host of changes. For this particular season, some of the changes will definitely feel bigger than in years past. In this article we will outline everything that you can expect. We have changes for the rules, the league scheduling, the way standings points [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6594,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-league-info"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6594"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27197"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27209,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27197\/revisions\/27209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.miyagimedia.com\/bruise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}