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Next post: Tuesday, Oct 27 (craft note)
A Team B defender standing in the neutral zone knocks a clearing attempt down with a glove, straight to a teammate who is also in the neutral zone.
After a whistle, Team A's #19 swings at Team B's #3 and misses. #3 covers up and does not swing back.
Team A has the puck along the half wall in its attacking zone. A Team A forward drifts into the crease on his own while the Team B goalkeeper is set in the crease.
A report is read by people who were not at the rink. Write it so they can see what you saw: the time on the clock, the period, the player numbers, what each person did...
In one scrum Team A's #12 gets a roughing minor and a major plus game misconduct for cross-checking. Team B gets nothing.
Team B's coach claims Team A's #9 has no mouthpiece. You check in front of both captains and find a legal coloured mouthpiece in place.
A Team A forward shoots from the slot. The puck hits a Team B defender's shin pad and goes into the netting above the glass.
Every official misses calls. What separates good officials is the next sixty seconds.
Team A already has two players serving minors when a third player is called for hooking.
Youth 15-Only game. A Team A forward is a stride inside the attacking blue line when a teammate dumps the puck in. The linesperson raises an arm. The forward turns bac...
Warm-ups are the cheapest time to fix equipment. A slow lap with your eyes on the players finds most problems before they cost anyone a penalty.
Before an 18U game you see a Team A defender warming up without a neck laceration protector.
Team B's goalkeeper slashes a Team A forward at the crease and gets a minor.
New officials follow the puck like a spectator. Experienced ones watch the players who are about to matter: the defender who will be beaten, the forward cutting to the...
A Team A player tells you an opponent used a slur. Neither you nor your partner heard it.
A Team A forward in the high slot uses a skate to drive the stick blade through the puck and shoots.
Most penalty-clock mistakes start with a rushed report. Stop, face the penalty bench and the scorekeeper, and give the same four things every time: team colour, player...
The front linesperson blows the whistle for icing as the puck crosses the goal line. The back linesperson then reports that a Team B forward touched the puck at centre...
Print it, fold it and keep it in your bag. Craft advice, not a rule; your assignor and league come first.
Team B's #10 gets a slashing minor and then a misconduct for continuing to argue. No coincidental penalties.
You improve what you write down. After each game, before you drive home, rate yourself 1 to 5 on five things: positioning, communication, rule knowledge, fitness and g...
After the handshake line a Team B player skates past the officials and directs a profane remark at the referee.
Under a hard forecheck, Team B's goalkeeper tries to rim the puck up the boards and it flies over the glass.
Coaches want to know what you saw, not why you are right. Give them one calm sentence that names the foul and the number ("Number 14, hooking, the stick pulled him dow...
After a shoving match, Team A's #8 and Team B's #22 each get a roughing minor at the same stoppage. No other penalties.
At a stoppage the referee sees a small camera clipped to a Team A forward's helmet. It is not worn for a medical reason.
A good pre-game talk is short and specific. Three minutes in the room covers more than any amount of talking on the ice later.
Team A is two players short. #4 is serving a minor that started at 8:10 on the clock, and #17 a minor that started at 7:30 (the clock runs down). Team B scores at 7:00.
Youth 16U game. Team A is a player short with one second left on the penalty clock. A Team A defender shoots the puck from behind the centre red line. By the time it c...
The same play can have two right answers in USA Hockey depending on the classification on the game sheet. Before the opening face-off, read the level off the scoreshee...