In his summary of the Michigan - Bowling Green game, Roger Spurgeon
commented:
 
>Warren Luhning skated into the Falcon zone backwards and carrying the
>puck, passed to Matt Herr who got the puck behind Petrie and into the
>net.  My initial impression (and, it seemed, the impression of many
>of the other 5015 people in the arena) was that the play was
>offsides.  It was later explained to me that a skater in possesion of
>the puck can skate in backwards (thus entering the zone before the
>puck) and still be onside.
 
 
Followed by the comment from Dr. Stephen E. Roth:
 
>I've never heard of such an exception to the off-sides rule.   I
>thought that rule was iron-clad -- the puck MUST precede any and all
>attacking players.  Any comments from our hockey rules experts???
 
 
 
        A quote from the USA Hockey rule book goes like this "A player
actually propelling and in possession and control of the puck who shall
cross the line
ahead of the puck shall not be considered "off-sides"."
 
 
 
 
Matthew J. Hummel
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