Rule 27. Penalties
(a) Penalties shall be in actual playing time, and are divided into the following classes:
1. Minor Penalties
2. Bench Minor Penalties
3. Major Penalties
4. Misconduct Penalties
5. Game Ejections (See Glossary)
6. Game Misconduct Penalties
7. Gross Misconduct Penalties
8. Match Penalties
9. Penalty Shot
(b) Any player or team official may be assessed penalties at any time during, or after a game, when an offence is committed on the ice or off the ice before entering the dressing rooms. Any altercations occurring off the ice must be reported to the President on the official game report by the referee. A player who is assessed any penalty in the pre-game warm-up shall automatically have her name placed on the Official Game Report and be counted as one of the eligible players as per Rule 16(a) and (b) - Players in Uniform.
(Note 1): The maximum of 5 players per team being assessed Game Misconducts (as per Rule 70(c) Note 1 - Leaving the Players' or Penalty Bench) also applies to the pre-game warm-up.
(Note 2): Any unnecessary contact between opposing players after the whistle shall result in penalties being assessed as prescribed by the rules.
(c) If an offence occurs after the conclusion of a game and before the players have left the ice, a penalty shall be assessed. Such penalty shall be reported to the President by the Referee on the Official game Report.
(d) Where the rules state that the Manager or Coach shall designate a player to serve a penalty and the Manager or Coach refuses to name a player, the Referee shall name any player of the offending team to serve the penalty.
(e) Where penalties are assessed to players of both teams at the same time, the penalized players of the Visiting Team shall take their position in the penalty bench first, in the place designated for the visiting players. Where there is no special designation they must take a position on the bench furthest from the gate.
Rule 28. Minor Penalties
(a) For a "Minor Penalty", any player, except the goaltender, shall be ruled off the ice for two minutes actual playing time, during which no substitutes shall be permitted.
(b) If, while a team is short-handed because of one or more Minor or Bench Minor penalties, the opposing team scores a goal, the first of such penalties shall automatically terminate.
(Note) Coincident Minor penalties to both teams do not cause either team to be short-handed.
When a goal is scored on a Penalty Shot against a team that is short-handed by reason of a Minor or Bench Minor penalty, no player of the short-handed team shall return to the ice with the scoring of the goal.
(c) When a player is assessed both a Minor and Major penalty at the same time, the Major penalty shall be served first. The same principle will apply when a player is assessed both a Minor and Match penalty at the same time. The five minute penalty which accompanies the Match penalty is to be served first. (See Rule 38(e)).
(d) If a goal is scored against a team that is short-handed because of one or more Minor penalties, the player serving the first Minor penalty shall return to the ice. In the case of a player who has received a Double Minor penalty, his first Minor penalty shall be terminated.
(e) When coincident Minor or coincident Minors of equal duration are imposed against players on each team during the same stoppage of play, immediate substitutions shall be made for those penalties, and such penalties shall not be taken into account for the purpose of the delayed penalty.
Unless they have been ejected from the game, such penalized players shall take their place on the penalty bench and remain there until the first stoppage of play following the expiry of their respective penalties.
Where at least one Major and/or Match penalty is assessed to each team during the same stoppage of play, the coincident Major/Match penalty rule shall take precedence over the coincident Minor penalty rule.
(f) Any player incurring a total of three or more stick infraction penalties during the same game shall be ejected from the game. For the application of this rule, stick infraction penalties are considered to be: high sticking, cross-checking, slashing, spearing and butt-ending.
Rule 29. Bench Minor Penalties
(a) A "Bench Minor Penalty" requires the team against which the penalty is assessed to play a man short for a period of two minutes of actual playing time.
(b) Whenever a Bench Minor penalty is assessed according to the rules, if the player guilty of the actual infraction is identified by the Referee, that player shall serve the penalty except when such identified player is already on the penalty bench serving a penalty. However, if the player is not identified, then the Manager or Coach of the penalized team, through the playing Captain, shall designate any player of her team on the ice at the time of the infraction to serve the penalty.
Rule 30. Major Penalties
(a) For the first "Major Penalty" in any one game, except to the goaltender, the penalized player shall be ruled off the ice for five minutes actual playing time, during which time no substitute shall be permitted.
(b) For the second Major penalty in the same game to the same player, including the goaltender, such player shall be ruled off the ice for the remainder of the game (Major penalty plus Game Misconduct). It shall be necessary to place a substitute on the penalty bench immediately. The substitute will be permitted to return to the ice after five minutes playing time has elapsed.
(Note): The Penalty Timekeeper shall notify the Referee when any player or goaltender receives a second Major penalty in the same game.
(c) When coincident Major and/or Match penalties or coincident penalties of equal duration including a Major or a Match are imposed against players of each team during the same stoppage of play, immediate substitutions shall be made for those penalties, and such penalties shall not be taken into account for the purpose of the delayed penalty. In the case where the penalized players remain in the game, they shall take their place on the penalty bench and shall not leave until the first stoppage of play following the expiry of their respective penalties.
When the coincident Major/Match penalty rule is applied and there is a differential in the total time penalties, those penalties causing the differential shall be served first in the normal manner and shall be taken into account for the purpose of applying Rule 28(b) - Minor Penalties and Rule 38 - Delayed Penalties. Any time difference or differential in the total time penalties must be served by a player (or players) on the ice at the time of the infraction.
(d) The Referee in charge shall report to the President any player who incurs a second Major penalty within ten minutes of the game's conclusion.
Rule 31. Misconduct Penalties
(a) A player, except the goaltender, incurring a "Misconduct Penalty", shall be ruled off the ice for the period of ten minutes actual playing time. A substitute for the penalized player shall be permitted immediately. A player serving a Misconduct penalty shall remain on the penalty bench until the first stoppage of play following the expiry of her penalty.
When a player is assessed a Minor and a Misconduct penalty or a Major and a Misconduct penalty at the same time, the penalized team shall immediately place a substitute player on the bench to serve the Minor or Major penalty. The Misconduct penalty shall commence on the termination of the Minor or Major penalty.
(b) The Referee in charge shall report to the President any player who is assessed a Misconduct penalty within ten minutes of the conclusion of the game.
(c) Any player who is assessed a second Misconduct penalty in the same game shall automatically be assessed a Game Misconduct penalty.
Rule 32. Game Ejection/Game Misconduct Penalties
(a) A player incurring a "Game Ejection" penalty in accordance with Rule 28(f) - Minor Penalties, shall be ordered to the dressing room for the remainder of the game.
(b) A player, or team official incurring a "Game Misconduct Penalty" shall be ordered to the dressing room for the remainder of the game and shall be reported to the President for further action. A substitute for the penalized player shall be permitted immediately.
(c) In Minor and Female Hockey, in the last ten minutes of a game (regular playing time including overtime), any player or team official who is assessed a Game Misconduct shall automatically be suspended for a minimum of the next regular league/play-off game or seven days.
A total of ten minutes shall be charged in the records against the penalized player for a Game Misconduct.
Rule 33. Gross Misconduct Penalties
(a) Any player or team official incurring a "Gross Misconduct Penalty" shall be ordered to the dressing room for the remainder of the game and shall be reported to the President for further action. A substitute for the penalized player shall be permitted immediately.
(b) Gross Misconduct penalties shall be assessed where a person conducts herself in such a manner as to make a travesty of the game.
(c) In Minor and Female Hockey, in the last ten minutes of a game (regular playing time including overtime) any player or team official who is assessed a Gross Misconduct shall automatically be suspended for a minimum of the next regular/ play-off game or seven days.
A total of ten minutes shall be charged in the records against the penalized player for a Gross Misconduct.
Rule 34. Match Penalties
(a) Any player or team official incurring a "Match Penalty" shall be ordered to the dressing room immediately, for the balance of the game, and will not be permitted to take part in any further games until his case has been dealt with by the President.
(b) In every instance where a Match Penalty has been assessed, the offending player's team shall be required to send a player to the penalty box for five minutes. The player who serves the five minutes must have been on the ice at the time of the infraction. Where an offending player has been assessed penalties in addition to the Match Penalty, those penalties shall be served by the same player who serves the five-minute penalty. This section would not apply in the case of the coincident Major or Match penalty rule.
(Note): Referees are required to report all Match Penalties and the surrounding circumstances to the President immediately following the game involved. THIS IS IMPORTANT.
Rule 35. Penalty Shot
(a) Any infraction of the rules which calls for a "Penalty Shot" shall result in the following:
The Referee shall cause to be announced over the public address system the name of the player designated by her or selected by the team entitled to take the Shot (as appropriate), and shall then place the puck on the centre face-off spot and the player taking the shot, will, on instruction of the Referee, play the puck from there and shall attempt to score on the goaltender. The puck must be kept in motion towards the opponents' goal line and once it is shot the play is considered to be complete. No goal can be scored on a rebound of any kind and any time the puck crosses the goal line, the Shot shall be considered complete.
(b) The goaltender must remain in her goal crease until the designated player touches the puck at center ice, and in the event of a violation of this rule, the player designated to take the Shot shall be entitled to take the Shot over again. The goaltender may attempt to stop the Shot in any manner except by throwing her stick or any other object, or deliberately dislodging the goal, in which case a Goal shall be awarded.
(Note 1): No player other than the goaltender is permitted to tend goal during a penalty shot.
(c) In cases where a Penalty Shot has been awarded under Rule 55(d) - for delaying the game, Rule 82(a) - for throwing a stick, Rule 85(c) - for fouling from behind and Rule 70(e) - for interference from players' or penalty bench, the Referee shall designate the player who has been fouled as the player who shall take the Penalty Shot. If by reason of injury, the player designated by the Referee to take the Penalty Shot is unable to do so or again if the player fouled is not identifiable, the Penalty Shot shall then be taken by a player who was on the ice at the time of the infraction, and is selected by the Captain of the non-offending team and her selection reported to the Referee.
In cases where a Penalty Shot has been awarded under Rule 55(e) - for delaying the game, Rule 58(c) - for falling on the puck in the crease area and Rule 61(c) for picking up the puck in the crease, the Penalty Shot may be taken by a player selected by the Captain of the non-offending team and her selection reported to the Referee. This player must be on the ice at the time of the infraction.
(d) Should the player in respect to whom a Penalty Shot has been awarded, herself commit a foul in connection with the same play or circumstances after the Penalty Shot has been awarded, she shall first be permitted to take the Shot before being sent to the penalty bench to serve the penalty, provided the penalty assessed was not a Game Ejection, Game Misconduct, Gross Misconduct or Match penalty.
If at the time a Penalty Shot is awarded, the goaltender of the penalized team has been removed from the ice to substitute another player, the goaltender shall be allowed to return to the ice before the Penalty Shot is taken.
(e) While he Penalty Shot is being taken, players of both sides shall withdraw to the sides of the rink and beyond the centre red line.
(f) If, while the Penalty Shot is taken, any member of the opposing team shall have by some action interfered with or distracted the player taking the Shot, and because of such action the Shot should have failed, a second attempt shall be permitted and the Referee shall assess a Misconduct penalty to the player. If interference is from a team official, a game misconduct shall be assessed.
(g) If a goal is scored from the Penalty Shot, the puck shall be faced-off at centre ice in the usual way. If the goal is not scored, the puck shall be faced-off at either end zone face-off spot in which the Penalty Shot was attempted.
(h) Should a goal be scored from a Penalty Shot, a further penalty to the offending player shall not be applied unless the offense for which the Penalty Shot was awarded was such as to incur a Major or Mach penalty, in which case the penalty prescribed for the particular offense shall be assessed.
If the offence for which the Penalty Shot was awarded such as would normally incur a Minor penalty, then regardless of whether the Penalty Shot results in a goal or not, no further Minor penalty shall be served.
(i) A measurement of the stick of the player designated to take the Shot must be requested before the shot is taken, as if it were a normal play. Should the stick prove illegal, the offending team shall be denied the Penalty Shot and no further penalty shall be imposed. Should the measurement prove the stick to be legal, the Penalty Shot shall be taken in the normal manner and the penalty for an "unsustained request for a measurement" shall be assessed whether the Shot is successful or not.
(j) If the foul upon which the Penalty Shot is based occurs during actual playing time, the Penalty Shot shall be awarded and taken immediately in the usual manner notwithstanding any delay occasioned by a slow whistle by the Referee to permit the play to be completed, which delay results in the expiry of the regular playing time in any period.
The time required for the taking of a Penalty Shot shall not be included in the regular playing time or any overtime.
(k) (Note): Also refer to:
Rule 24(c)
Rule 55(d)
Rule 55(e)
Rule 58(c)
Rule 61(c)
Rule 70(e)
Rule 82(a)
Rule 85(c)
Rule 36. Awarded Goals
(a) A "Goal" will be awarded to the attacking team when the opposing team has taken their goaltender off the ice and an attacking player has possession and control of the puck on the opponents' side of the centre red line, without a defending player between himself and the opposing goal and:
(1) he is interfered with by an opposing player who has illegally entered the game or
(2) a stick or any other object is thrown by a player on the defending team or
(3) the puck carrier is fouled from behind and prevented from having a clear shot on the open goal or
(4) any member of the defending team including the team officials, whether on the players' bench or penalty bench, interferes by means of his body, stick or any other object with the puck or puck carrier.
(b) A Goal shall be awarded when the goaltender is removed from the ice and he, or any team-mate, has deliberately piled snow or any other obstacle at or near his net, or has deliberately dislodged the net from its moorings, when any such action has prevented a goal from being scored.
Rule 37. Goaltender Penalties
(a) No goaltender shall be sent to the penalty bench for an infraction which incurs a Minor, Major or Misconduct penalty. Instead, such a penalty shall be served by any player of her team who was on the ice at the time of the infraction. Such player shall be designated by the Manager or Coach of the penalized team through the Captain.
(b) An alternate goaltender may replace a regular goaltender who has been ejected from the game or has been assessed a Game Misconduct, Gross Misconduct or a Match penalty. In the event there is no alternate goaltender recorded on the playing line-up, the regular goaltender's place may be taken by any player on the Game Report designated by the Manager or Coach of the penalized team through the Captain. Such substitute will be allowed fifteen minutes to put on the full goaltender's equipment.
(c) When a goaltender leaves her goal crease during a fight, she shall be assessed a Minor penalty, plus any other penalties she incurs.
(d) When a goaltender leaves her goal crease to join in a fight, act as a peacemaker, or take part in another fight, during the same stoppage of play, she will receive a Game Misconduct penalty, plus any other penalties she incurs.
(e) If a goaltender intentionally participates in the play in any manner when she is beyond the centre red line, she shall be assessed a Minor penalty.
(f) A Minor penalty shall be assessed a goaltender who, after catching the puck, drop kicks the puck. If injury results, a Major penalty shall be assessed.
Rule 38. Delayed Penalties
(a) If a third player of any team shall be penalized while two players of the same team are serving penalties, the penalty time of the third player shall not commence until the penalty time of one of the two penalized players has elapsed. Nevertheless, the third player penalized must at once proceed to the penalty bench, but shall be replaced in the ice by a substitute until time [sic] as the penalty time of the penalized player shall commence.
(b) When a team has three players serving penalties at the same time and while due to a delayed penalty rule a substitute for the third player is on the ice, none of the three penalized players on the penalty bench may return to the ice until play has been stopped. When the play has been stopped, the player whose full penalty has expired may return to the play.
(c) When the penalties to the player or players have expired and the penalized team is entitled to more than four players on the ice, the Penalty Timekeeper shall permit the penalized players to return to the ice in the order of the expiry of their penalties.
(d) In cases where Minor penalties are assessed at the same time to more than one player from the same team, those penalties shall be served in order of occurrence. Rule 38(d) does not apply when the coincident Minor penalty rule is applied.
(e) When a Major penalty and a Minor penalty are assessed at the same time against two different players of the same team, the Penalty Timekeeper shall record the Minor as being the first penalty assessed. (See Rule 28(c)).
Rule 39. Calling of Penalties
(a) If a player on the team in possession of the puck commits an infraction of the rules which would call for a Match, Major, Misconduct, Bench Minor or Minor penalty, the Referee shall blow her whistle immediately and give the penalty(ies) to the deserving player(s). The resulting face-off shall be where the play was stopped, unless the stoppage occurred in the offending player's attacking zone, in which case the face-off is brought out to the neutral zone.
(b) If a player on the team not in possession of the puck commits an infraction of a rule which would call for a Match, major, Misconduct, Bench Minor or Minor penalty, the Referee shall signal the penalty by extending her arm straight up. The Referee shall blow her whistle and stop play immediately when the offending team gains possession and control of the puck.
(Note 1): The play is not considered to be complete until the offending team gains possession and control of the puck. The resulting face-off shall be where the play was stopped, unless during the period of the delayed penalty call against the side not in possession, the side in possession ices the puck, shoots the puck from its own zone so that is goes out of bounds or is unplayable, or commits an off-side pass over the centre red line, the face-off following the stoppage of play shall take place at the face-off spot in the neutral zone nearest the defending blue line of the team shooting the puck.
If the penalty to be assessed is a Minor penalty and a goal is scored on the play by the non-offending side, The Minor penalty shall not be assessed, but OTHER Minor, Bench Minor, Major, Match and Misconduct penalties shall be assessed in the normal manner, regardless of a goal being scored.
(Note 2): If after the Referee has signalled a penalty, but before the whistle is blown, a member of the non-offending team shall put the puck in her own net in any manner through no contact by the offending team, the goal shall be allowed and penalty signalled shall be assessed in the normal manner.
If the Referee signals a Minor or Bench Minor penalty(ies) against a team that is short-handed by reason of one or more Minor or Bench Minor penalties, and a goal is scored by the non-offending side before the whistle is blown, the goal shall be allowed and the player who is serving the first Minor or Bench Minor penalty will return to the ice, while the signalled penalty(ies) shall be assessed and served in the normal manner.
(c) If further infractions are committed by the same offending player, either before or after the Referee blows her whistle, that player shall serve the penalties consecutively.
(d) The Referee has the right to stop play immediately in the case of a Match penalty. The resulting face-off will be where the play was stopped, unless the stoppage occurred in the offending player's attacking zone, in which case the face-off is brought out to the neutral zone.
