HOCKEY; More on overtimes

The National Hockey League's adoption of five-minute overtime periods has met with mixed reactions, including the one expressed in this space two weeks ago: that games should be played out, as they are in baseball and basketball, until a winner is determined.

Whatever the particulars of the overtime, Bill Jennings, president of the New York Rangers, feels that neither team should be penalized for forcing play beyond the regulation 60 minutes. His idea, as explained in the New York Times, would be to reward the overtime loser with one point in the league standings rather than none. The winning team, as always, would recieve two points.

Since each team earned a point for a tie game under the old system, Jennings reasons that this shouldn't be taken away. In essence, then, winning the overtime would take the form of a bonus.