>I must disagree.  If a penalty shot is called and the net is empty, a
>goal is automatically awarded.  This rule makes sense because if you
>were allowed to put your goalie back in the net to face a penalty
>shot, there would be every incentive to throw your stick or haul
>someone down from behind to prevent an empty net goal.  There's always
>a chance he'd miss the penalty shot while only people on my team can
>miss empty nets ;-)
 
I don't know if this is the rule at other levels of hockey, but it is not
the NC$$ rule.  Here, three rules apply.
 
Rule 6.43a says that if a stick is thrown to prevent a goal, a penalty shot/
optional minor shall be awarded.  It does not say anything anywhere in the
book about sticks being thrown to prevent empty-netters, only sticks being
thrown to prevent goals (which do not have to be ENGs).
 
Rule 4.6a says that if a penalty shot/optional minor is awarded, the
nonoffending team has its choice unless the infraction involves a major,
DQ or misconduct - in which case the shot is mandatory.  (I am not sure if
the misconduct given at 19:58 was because of the stick-throwing or the
harassment of the referee afterwards.)  No mention of an automatic goal.
 
Rule 4.6e states that if the goalie of the penalized team has been removed
for another player at the time of the infraction, he shall be allowed to
return to the ice for the shot.  This indicates to me that, besides there
being no rule which explicitly awards a goal, goalies can be off the ice when
penalty shot situations occur and a goal is not necessarily awarded.
 
>I believe the reason that an automatic goal wasn't awarded was that
>the sticks were all thrown wide and did not interfere with the play.
>As for the possible high stick play, the linesman was right there and
>saw the entire play.  Even in slow motion, I couldn't tell whether the
>puck was played by the high stick.
 
From my view in the front row, it appeared to me that the Badger jumped to try
to keep the puck in the zone, but he only deflected it slightly, and Ness
picked it up and went down to score.  The scoring on the goal reflected this,
too, as it was Ness unassisted.  Going off memory, I don't recall Ness being
the LSSU player who also tried to knock it down, but at any rate, I did not
think the LSSU player who waved his stick at the puck got any of it.
 
 
- mike