NCAA Two Other Rules Possibly To Be Altered, To Go Along With Face Shields

[chilly666]

Meanwhile, two other rule tweaks have gotten wider support, and are expected to be passed in some form when the Rules Committee officially convenes in June at the NCAA convention in Indianapolis.

First, the seemingly age-old debate over whether to count pucks that go off skates as goals. In the NHL, a goal counts so long as there is not a "distinct kicking motion." College hockey restrictions go further, disallowing the goal if a player's motion is going towards the net, unless the player is in the process of stopping.

The rule may be relaxed further. Whitehead said he favors allowing all goals steered in off a skate, as long as the player's skate doesn't leave the ice. But at the very least, it will probably go to the NHL definition.

Second, how to count a goal when the net comes off the moorings. Currently, if the net is dislodged in any way from "its proper position" as the puck crosses the goal line, even if the net immediately returns to its moorings, the goal is disallowed. In the NHL, the referees have the discretion to call that a goal.

This come up a few times in the NCAA Tournament this year, most notably when Michigan State had the tying goal disallowed because a Union player had briefly knocked the net up in the air.

This is also likely to be changed to the NHL rule.

Other issues: hybrid icing could be looked at and tweaked, but no major changes are expected; and the two-referee system could be implemented across all levels.

CHN