Adam C Wodon wrote
 
>McNeill clearly motioned with his hand to knock it out of the air, and
>his intention also seems clear. But regardless, the refs always call
>that.  So, you can defend the call in other ways, but I don't believe
>you can defend it by saying the pass wasn't deliberate.
 
I agree that he clearly motioned with his hand to knock it out of the air,
but I think that's where the referee got the call right.  It's okay for
McNeill to intentionally knock it out of the air and down to the ice.
 That's perfectly okay under the hand pass rule.  Nobody can doubt he did
that on purpose.  What he can't do is "deliberately direct" the puck TO a
teammate.  He also can't bat the puck into the net directly or off the
goalie or anybody else and score a goal.  Now he definitely did knock it
down and intentionally, but there isn't anything in the rules that I saw
that say a defender has to touch the puck before another offensive player
is allowed to touch it again.  So even if McNeill knocked the puck down on
purpose hoping a teammate would come along and stuff the puck in the net,
he has not made an illegal hand pass.  He actually made a very good play.
 The rule is very clear that unless the ref can say in his opinion that
McNeill deliberately directed the puck to a teammate, he is not supposed to
call an illegal hand pass.  I just don't see how anyone can say with with
certainty he "deliberately directed" the puck anywhere but down where it
ended up behind the goalie and Remackel followed the play and put the puck
in for the goal.
 
I'm not clear on what it is you're saying the refs always call.  In the
games I've seen, intentionally swatting the puck down is not called a hand
pass.  It's only called a hand pass if it is directed anywhere else but
down and you are in the offensive zone.  The rule says "deliberately
directed" not "deliberately swatted down".  It specifically says that is
okay.  If the NCAA rule is the same as the one for the NHL I included in
the previous message then in my opinion, even though it is a tough and
controversial way to lose, it's a goal.
 
Any NCAA refs out there that can comment on the hand pass rule?  Anybody
know if the complete NCAA hockey rules are on-line somewhere?
 
Eric Carlson
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