Empty-net and shootout goals: what should count?

These plays matter to the game result, but they answer a different question from “how did the goalie perform?” Keeping them separate makes the record easier to trust.

The short answer

Keep an empty-net goal and a shootout attempt in the game record, but do not blend them into normal goalie shots, saves, save percentage, or regulation GAA.

What is an empty-net goal?

An empty-net goal is scored while a team has pulled its goalie, usually late in a close game. It changes the final score, but there was no goalie in the net to face the shot.

For example, if a goalie faces 28 shots, allows 3 goals while in the net, and the opponent adds 1 empty-net goal after the goalie is pulled:

• Shots against: 28
• Goals against for goalie stats: 3
• Empty-net goals in the game result: 1
• Save percentage: 25 saves ÷ 28 shots = .893

Counting the empty-net goal against the goalie would make the number describe a shot they never had a chance to stop.

What is a shootout attempt?

A shootout happens after regulation and overtime when a game still needs a winner. The attempts are useful to record, but they are a separate skills competition rather than normal in-play shots.

Track the shootout result beside the regulation record. That lets a family remember the full game without making the regulation save percentage look better or worse because of a tiebreaker.

Why this matters for youth hockey

Small samples already move youth goalie numbers a lot. Adding one event that was not a normal shot can make the record harder to explain. A clean record lets you say:

• “The goalie stopped 25 of 28 shots.”
• “The team lost by one after an empty-net goal.”
• “The shootout went two rounds.”

Those can all be true at once. Separating them gives a coach or parent better context without hiding the result.

How to record them without slowing down

1. Record the normal save or goal first. Keep the live action moving.
2. Use the separate Empty Net action when no goalie is in the net.
3. Record the shootout after overtime as its own game context.
4. Review both ledgers in the report. The final score can include every goal while goalie stats stay fair.

Frequently asked questions

Does an empty-net goal count in the final score?

Yes. It counts in the game result. It is normally kept out of the goalie’s regulation goals-against and save-percentage calculation.

Does a shootout goal count as a goal against?

It is recorded as a shootout result, not blended into normal regulation goalie statistics.

What if the goalie returns after an empty-net attempt?

Record each play based on whether the goalie was in the net for that shot. If the event is unclear, keep the note and correct it when the game record is reviewed.