US Trends

how many periods in women's hockey

In women’s ice hockey, a standard game has three periods , just like men’s hockey, with each period lasting 20 minutes of game time in most top-level competitions (Olympics, IIHF, PWHL, NCAA, etc.).

Quick Scoop: How Many Periods in Women’s Hockey?

  • Number of periods: 3 regulation periods.
  • Length of each period: 20 minutes of stop-time (clock stops on whistles).
  • Total regulation time: 60 minutes of play (not counting intermissions and stoppages).
  • Intermissions: There is an intermission between the 1st and 2nd, and between the 2nd and 3rd periods, usually around 15–18 minutes depending on the league.
  • Overtime:
    • Many leagues use a short sudden‑death overtime if the game is tied (for example, 3‑on‑3 or 4‑on‑4 for 5–10 minutes).
* If still tied, some leagues go to a shootout; tournaments may instead use longer sudden‑death periods.

Small Variations You Might See

While top‑level women’s hockey almost always uses three 20‑minute periods, lower levels (youth, some amateur leagues, local tournaments) sometimes shorten period length to manage fatigue, scheduling, or ice time (for example, 3 x 15 minutes). The structure, however—three periods with intermissions—almost always stays the same.

Simple HTML Table (for your “Quick Scoop” box)

html

<table>
  <tr>
    <th>Format</th>
    <th>Details (Women’s Ice Hockey)</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Number of periods</td>
    <td>3 regulation periods</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Length of each period</td>
    <td>20 minutes stop-time</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Total regulation time</td>
    <td>60 minutes</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Intermissions</td>
    <td>Breaks between 1st–2nd and 2nd–3rd periods (about 15–18 minutes, league-dependent)</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Overtime (if tied)</td>
    <td>Short sudden-death overtime; if still tied, shootout or extended OT depending on league/tournament</td>
  </tr>
</table>

TL;DR: Women’s hockey is played in three 20‑minute periods, with overtime and possibly a shootout if the game is still tied, matching the modern standard used in elite men’s hockey.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.