This investigation identifies the type, location, and severity of injuries University of North Dakota ice hockey players experience during competition and practice over a competitive season, and compares the findings with those reported by other studies. More specifically, the sub-problems investigated were: (1) practice, competition, and overall injury rates; (2) injury type, severity, and location by frequency; (3) injury frequency by player position; and (4) injury trends that may be occurring, with a view toward prevention through equipment, rules, coaching, and training.

A modified version of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System was used to collect athletic exposures and injury data. The results of this study were, for the most part, inconsistent with the previous studies that were analyzed, showing the need for further studies with good epidemiologic data. Only then will we be able to identify the injuries common to ice hockey, their trends, if any, and intervention proposed with rules, equipment, coaching, or training techniques, if necessary.