Post-COVID-19 Penalty Trends Following an Injury-Prevention Rule Change in Rhode Island High School Boys' Hockey.

BACKGROUND: Penalty infraction minute (PIM)-based rule modifications have been implemented in youth and high school ice hockey to reduce injury risk. A prior Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) study demonstrated a reduction in game-related injuries following implementation of a statewide 2015-2016 50/70 PIM rule. The durability of these behavioral trends post-COVID-19 has not been evaluated. PURPOSE: This descriptive epidemiologic study evaluates post-pandemic trends in penalty infraction minutes and disqualifying penalties in RIIL boys' varsity ice hockey. METHODS: Publicly available RIIL varsity boys' ice hockey data were reviewed for four consecutive seasons (2021-2022 through 2024-2025). Extracted variables included total rostered players, counts of players exceeding PIM thresholds (≥25, ≥50, ≥70), mean team PIM per game, goals scored, number of participating teams, and total disqualifying penalties per season. Data were summarized descriptively by season. RESULTS: Across four seasons, rostered players ranged from 479 to 540, with 21 to 25 teams competing annually. Mean team PIM per game remained stable, ranging from 8.13 to 8.83. No players accumulated ≥50 or ≥70 PIM in any season. Players accumulating ≥25 PIM ranged from 17 to 24 per season. Disqualifying penalties occurred each season (range, 5-11 per year) without a consistent directional trend. Goals scored remained proportional to participating teams. CONCLUSIONS: In post-pandemic seasons, PIM distributions and disqualifying penalties remained stable, with no recurrence of high-PIM accumulations requiring suspension. These findings suggest sustained behavioral patterns following rule modifications, but cannot be interpreted as evidence of injury reduction without injury surveillance data. Continued monitoring incorporating injury outcomes is warranted.