Ice hockey in the United States the ice which divided the ice into three sections, goaltenders are allowed to fall and slide on the ice to help prevent the other team from scoring a goal, forward passing is permitted in the neutral zone, and the game was split into three periods of 20 minutes. In 1912, the game changed again reducing the number of on-ice players to six players from the previous seven. The NHL is the major professional hockey league in North America, with 24 U.S.-based teams and 7 Canadian-based teams competing for the Stanley Cup. While NHL stars are still not as readily familiar
Ice hockey in Australia ice hockey league in Australia, and the largest league in the Southern Hemisphere. The Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) is the top-level women's competition and was formed in 2005. Ice hockey in Australia is governed nationally by the Australian Ice Hockey Federation (currently trading as "Ice Hockey Australia"), formed in 1923 as the Australian Ice Hockey Association. Australia is an active full-member of the International Ice Hockey Federation having been admitted to the federation in 1938. As of 2012 there are approximately 3,200 registered ice hockey players in Australia. The beginnings of ice sports in Australia are traced back