----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Lewin" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2000 10:27 PM
Subject: Re: I: Union 4, RPI 2 (11/4/00)


> >The controversy was not over yet.  Union was again on a power play
> >when the net was knocked off, but play was allowed to continue for
> >several seconds before Jason Ralph scored into the dislodged net.  A
> >very long argument followed, but the goal was allowed to stand.  I
> >thought it should have been disallowed, but one of the people in my
> >section says there is a new rule that if the defending team dislodges
> >the net intentionally, play may be allowed to continue so long as it
> >is unaffected by the fact that the net is loose.  This had to be the
> >call here, as the net was clearly off, but moved no more than about 6
> >inches.
>
> This is a new rule this year. I was not at the game but the announcers on
WRPI actually looked up the rule and read it over the air.  According to the
new rules, if the defense intentionally dislodges the net during a scoring
opportunity, play continues until the referee determines the scoring
opportunity is over at which time the whistle is blown. During that time, if
the offense scores, the goal counts.  From the
> play by play on WRPI, that is exactly what happened for Union's 4th goal.

This is not the way in which this rule was interpreted in Friday night's
Minnesota-Wisconsin game.  In that one, Badger netminder Graham Melanson
deliberately dislodged the net while he was trapped behind it, and a Gopher
had the puck in front of the net.  Grant Potulny shot it into the dislodged
net, but it was waved off.  Why, I'm not sure; the only way in which playwas
affected was that Potulny had less area into which he could score, since the
net was tipping straight forward.  There was no interruption of the scoring
chance.

J. Michael Neal