Hi -
 
On Mon, 15 Dec 1997, Chris Craig wrote:
Edward N. Moller wrote:
>> The whistle blew because of a delayed penalty call.  The delayed penalty
>> on Ronan was signaled prior to the scrum.  As soon as the BU goaltender
>> made contact with the puck, the whistle was blown.  He did not have to
>> freeze it, just "control" it.  Gravallese made the right call.
>
> That's an interesting interpretation of the word "control".  So what you're
> saying is, the puck bouncing off of the goaltender's equipment constitutes
> control of the puck by the defensive team.  Is there anything in the NCAA
> rule book that supports your interpretation?
 
  This subject comes up from time-to-time on the List, and the appropriate
chapter and verse from the NC$$ Rules Manual is usually invoked to support
the notion that "control" entails more than the defensive team simply making
contact with the puck.  But it's a subjective call, and one that most refs
interpret in a way that invariably benefits the defensive team.  I've rarely,
if ever, seen a ref fail to blow his whistle once the goal-keeper handles the
puck in a delayed penalty situation, even if "handling" constitutes nothing
more than deflecting a shot off his blocker.  It's analagous, I guess, to
a defenseman deflecting a shot down low in the same situation, which almost
always will draw a whistle too.  To my way of thinking, "control" entails
taking a stride or two with the puck on your stick (or smothering the puck
if you're a goal-keeper), but this is rarely the way the refs see it.  Nor
do I believe that forcing the offensive team to *temporarily* relinquish the
puck (say with a good sweep/poke check) without the defensive team then
picking up the resultant loose puck establishes "control" either, yet this
variety of "loss of possession" is routinely judged to be cause for a whistle.
Most refs won't even wait to see who picks up the loose puck, choosing in-
stead to whistle the play dead as though a *change* of possession had oc-
curred.  But that won't be known until we see who picks up the loose puck,
and simply flicking at it with stick doesn't cut it in my book.  If the swept
puck deflects into the corner, and another offensive team player digs it out,
then the delayed penalty should continue, but .... I've seen so many delayed
penalties ended - in my view - by premature whistles, that I've come to be-
lieve that many refs simply use any D-team touch-up as cause to blow the play
dead, as though not to further penalize the D-team who'll be having to defend
a PP soon enough.  Whatever the "official" definition of "control," it's clear
to me that intent/practice only rarely coincide.  I'd be a rich man if I had
a nickel for every premature whistle I've seen in the past two+ decades :-)
Full disclosure forces me to admit, however, that more than a few times these
calls have gone in UNH's favor <grin> ....
 
  Cheers from the Chesapeake - Jim
 
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