NIHOA's origin dates back to 1933. NIHOA was formally organized in 1955. NIHOA was established by officials for the betterment of ice hockey officials and the game of ice hockey. This site serves as a resource to both present and future members. Feel free to check out the different sections. For those thinking of becoming members of the ever growing NIHOA family, you will find applications for individual members and entire chapters in the Contact NIHOA section of this site.

Saturday, July 04, 2009 12:40 AM

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Jul 01, 2009 -
FROM NCAA MEN'S & WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY RULES COMMITTEE TO HOCKEY COMMUNITY
The committee met June 1-2 and is using this opportunity to inform the membership of its main topics of discussion and to communicate points of emphasis, experimental rules and future considerations. While understanding that this is not a year in which rules will change, the committee is communicating its intent in a few key areas to allow for experimentation and refinement before the next annual meeting in June 2010.

The committee reaffirmed its intent to use the following principles when making rule changes:
1. Encouraging the speed, skill and integrity of the game;
2. Encouraging more scoring chances, but not necessarily more goals; and
3. Eliminating whistles and encouraging continuous action.

Points of Emphasis.
The committee identified several points of emphasis for the upcoming season:
1. Contact after the Whistle. The committee believes altercations after the whistle are a growing and disturbing trend. After reviewing numerous situations, the committee is extremely concerned about student-athlete safety as well as the negative impact on the game’s image. The committee believes a cultural shift is needed. The committee instructs officials to strictly enforce these types of penalties when violations occur.
Any contact to the head after a whistle tends to escalate altercations. The committee has clarified that “facewashing” is considered grasping the facemask, which is a violation of Rule 6-14-a.

To provide officials with further guidance the committee instructs officials to follow these guidelines when assessing penalties in this area:
• Placing an open hand on the facemask of an opposing player should be penalized with a minor penalty;
• Pushing with an open hand on an opposing player's facemask, grabbing or, moving an open hand back and forth on an opposing player's facemask, e.g., “facewashing,” should be penalized with a major penalty; and
• Grasping the facemask and either pulling or twisting is considered an aggressive and potentially dangerous tactic and may be penalized as excessive roughness, which carries a disqualification.

Additionally, when altercations occur, players must respect and follow the direction of game officials. Players must not resist an official or persist in continuing an altercation after the player has been ordered to stop. Rule 6-1-l calls for a misconduct, game misconduct or disqualification at the referee’s discretion in this area.

2. Standard of Enforcement/Protection of the Puck Carrier. Entering the second season with the two-referee system in place for all levels of NCAA ice hockey, the expectation of overall enforcement is higher. Referees should be comfortable with the mechanics and positioning of the system. As a reminder, officials are instructed to call fouls when the puck carrier’s hands or arms are impeded by the use of a stick or free hand. The puck carrier is not required to fight through such actions. Consistent enforcement of all restraining and impeding fouls must continue.

3. Hitting From Behind. The committee continues to emphasize strict enforcement of this penalty and reaffirms that responsibility remains with the player delivering the contact. A major penalty must be assessed when this foul occurs into the boards or goal cage. The committee understands that, in some cases, a player will be penalized for an unintentional hit, but student-athlete safety is the overriding concern.

Experimental Rules.
The committee voted to allow experimentation with the following in exhibition games or if requested and approved by the rules committee:
• Hybrid icing. This rule would protect the safety of student-athletes, but add an element of touch-up icing to the game. In the proposed model, the official would determine which player will reach the puck first, using the faceoff dots as a reference point. If it is determined to be the attacking player, icing is waved off. If it is the defending player, icing is blown when puck crosses the goal line. A tie goes to the defender.
• Hand passes in all zones. Simply stated, this rule would permit hand passes anywhere on the ice.

Future Considerations.
The committee discussed the following items for consideration in the next rules cycle:
• Reducing or Eliminating Ties. The committee believes a change is in the best interest of the game and voted to implement changes at its June 2010 meeting to either reduce or eliminate tie games. The committee will collect and consider all written proposals from the membership.
• Puck shot directly out of play. When the puck is shot directly out of play from the defensive zone, the committee is considering conducting the faceoff in the non-offending team’s attacking zone without a change of players allowed. At this point, the committee does not believe a penalty is warranted for such action, but currently a team that does this would be allowed to change players.
• Shot that hits the post and goes out of play – faceoff location. Currently, because the attacking team last touched the puck, a shot that hits the post and goes out of play comes outside of the zone. The committee is considering keeping this faceoff in the attacking zone.
• Timeout during situations where players are not allowed to change. Currently, if a team calls a timeout during a situation where, by rule, it is not allowed to change its players, the rule remains in place. Some coaches have asked why they are not allowed to change players, since only one timeout is allowed per game. The NCAA rule is currently consistent with NHL rules.
• Icing the puck during shorthanded situations. The committee is considering implementing a rule change that would not allow shorthanded teams to ice the puck.
• Delayed penalty administration. In this proposal, when a penalty is called on a team in its defensive zone, the offending team must clear the puck out of its defensive zone before play is stopped.
• Leaving the feet to play the puck. This proposal deals with defensive players diving or sliding to block shots or passes. A minor penalty would be imposed for a violation.

Jun 19, 2009 -
12th ANNUAL BRET CHERNIK AMPUTEE FOUNDATION GOLF TOURNAMENT
The 12th Annual Bret Chernik Golf Open will be held on Friday, July 17, 2009 at Simsbury Farms Golf Course, Simsbury, CT.

You can get all tournament information and register to play or to be a part of the tournament by going to the Foundation's web site at www.chernikamputeefoundation.org or call 860-668-5005.

You can register online for your 4 some, 2 some or as single player. The entry fee includes: Player Gift, Player Goodie Bag, Golf with Cart, Range Balls, Lunch and Dinner, Beverages, Player Prizes, Golf Contests, Hole-in-One Items, Large Raffle to include clubs, Silent Auction and a chance to win $1,000,000.

Registration opens at 8:30 AM. The shotgun start will be 10:00 AM with social hour, dinner and awards to follow play. A raffle and silent auction will be conducted, each with great items. Exciting sponsorship opportunities at various levels are available. Proceeds will once again benefit the Bret H. Chernik Amputee Foundation.

Thank you for your continued support.

Jun 09, 2009 -
JOHN "JR" ROBINSON RECEIVES 2009 CHET STEWART AWARD
John Robinson is the winner of the 2009 Chet Stewart Award. John has held a number of Southeastern U.S. Chapter officer positions, and is currently the Southeastern U.S. Chapter President. He served as a NIHOA National Officer from 1989 to 1995, and as NIHOA National President, 1993 – 1995. He is USA Hockey’s Southeastern District Treasurer, a past Southeastern District Referee-In-Chief, and was Director of Risk Management for USA Hockey.

The Chet Stewart Award, established in 2000, is presented annually by USA Hockey at its annual Congress in June. The award recognizes the outstanding achievements of a grass roots officiating program volunteer. The award is named for the late Chet Stewart of Illinois, who served NIHOA as National President from 1979 to 1981. Chet was the founder of the Illinois NIHOA Chapter. He was longtime chairman of the USA Hockey Playing Rules Committee and National Referee in Chief. Congratulations JR.

May 28, 2009 -
HIGHLIGHTS OF NFHS ICE HOCKEY RULES COMMITTEE MEETING
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
In an effort to simplify the game for coaches, players and officials, four rules addressing faceoffs were among nine changes approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Ice Hockey Rules Committee at its April 26-27 meeting in Indianapolis. The rules changes subsequently were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Rule 6-12-1 now begins with the sentence “All faceoffs must be conducted on one of the nine (9) faceoff spots located on the rink.” Under Rule 6-12 as previously written, faceoffs could have occurred “…at many locations on the ice 15 feet from the boards, along an imaginary line between the end zone faceoff spots.” “The committee felt that this revision will help simplify the game for everyone,” said Rick Majerus, chairperson of the NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Committee. “By making this change, the rule is now very specific regarding where faceoffs can occur.”

The committee felt that penalties for puck-handling should be consistent with those for high-sticking. As such, the penalties for Rules 6-17-1 and 6-17-3 have been changed from “Faceoff” to “Faceoff at the defensive zone faceoff spot of the offending team.” “The former puck-handling penalties were ‘Faceoff,’ and the high-sticking penalties are ‘Faceoff at the defensive zone faceoff spot of the offending team,’” Majerus said. “Since the committee felt the penalties for both offenses should be the same, the penalties in Rules 6-17-1 and 6-17-3 (puck-handling) are now the same as those in Rule 6-18, which deals with high-sticking.”

In an effort to cut down penalties and to make the high school rules consistent with those of the other national governing bodies, the committee changed the faceoff location after a penalty is assessed to take place at the defensive zone faceoff spot of the offending team. All such references to this in Rule 6-12 (Faceoffs) have been rewritten to reflect this revision.

As a means of helping readers more easily locate rules pertaining to minor penalties that involve team captains, the copy in Rule 2-2-6 has been replicated in Rule 4-2-8. Rule 2-2 addresses “Team Captains” and Rule 4-2 addresses “Minor Penalties.” Since Rule 2-2-6 (“When rules indicate ‘captain’s choice of players’ for serving the penalty, the captain must select a player who was on the ice when the infraction occurred.”) is a rule that addresses both minor penalties and team captains, it is now replicated in the “Minor Penalties” section. In that manner, readers will now find it referenced in both locations within the rules book.

Rule 4-3-2 was revised to replace the penalty “A player (captain’s choice of players)” with “A player and an additional player.” “Prior to last year, ‘captain’s choice’ meant any player,” Majerus said. “Last year’s revision was a blanket change that stipulated that any place the rules book says ‘captain’s choice,’ the player had to come from the ice. In this particular situation, the player does not need to come from the ice. As such, it should not read ‘captain’s choice of players.’”

In an effort to make NFHS rules consistent with other national governing bodies’ and to conform with manufacturers’ current dimensions, the measurements of the goalkeeper’s leg pads, goalkeeper’s gloves and goalkeeper’s catching glove have been downsized. According to Rule 3-3-2, the goalkeeper’s leg pads currently “… shall not be wider than 12 inches (30.48 cm) each.” The new rule states “… shall not be wider than 11 inches (27.94 cm) each, nor longer than 38 inches (96.52 cm).” Rule 3-3-3 currently stipulates that “Protective padding attached to the back or forming a part of the goalkeeper’s gloves shall not exceed 9 inches (22.86 cm) in width at any point, nor shall it exceed 17 inches (43.17 cm) in length. Protective padding attached to the back or forming part of the goalkeeper’s catching glove shall not exceed 9 inches (22.86 cm) in width at any point, nor shall it exceed 17 inches (43.17 cm) in length.” The revised rule now stipulates that the width of the goalkeeper’s blocking glove shall not exceed 8 inches (20.32 cm), nor shall it exceed 15 inches (38.1 cm) in length. The rule further stipulates that the catching glove shall have a maximum circumference of 45 inches (114.3 cm), and the wrist cuff shall not exceed 4 inches (10.16 cm) in width, nor more than 8 inches (20.32 cm) in height.

The words “with face masks” were added to Rule 3-4-8 so that it now reads “All players are required to wear helmets with face masks while in the players’ or penalty box.” This rule was revised at a previous rules committee meeting. The aforementioned verbiage regarding face masks (while possibly implied or understood) was inadvertently left out at that time. This revision will now specifically state that those helmets will have face masks.

ENJOY YOUR SUMMER - To all NIHOA Members and Friends: Thanks for a great season! Enjoy the summer months and we look forward to your return next season.
BE SAFE AND BE WELL!