GEWillaims raised the issue of bench-penalty box placement on INFO-Hockey-l. One distinct advantage of benches on opposite sides of the ice (the alternative suggestion in the rule book) is that the players are separated from each other during entry and exit from the arena. This is especially useful on exit when players are occasionally slightly heated from the recent play. I have seen a few occasions at Joe Louis Arena (which has the "preferred" arrangement) where post-game skirmishes have flourished. This has been further worsened when he "home" team has not been allowed to use the home ice gate and both teams have had to use the same "tunnel. Of course there are arenas where both teams enter/exit through the same gate at the same end of the arena. There is a further advantage to the alternative arrangement during the game (especially the second period) when teams must "cross" as they change of the fly - and other things have been known to fly is these situations also. I used to worr about this also, but have decided that unobstructed access to the bench is more fair than the penalty release time disadvantage. Not much a team can do about the rink layout, but they can avoid the visitor can avoid the penalty release problem by not going in the box in the first place. -glen- HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.