Jay Lau writes: >>Tommi Degerman was caught cheating by using an illegal stick (huge curve) on >>Saturday in the Maine-BU series. When confronted with the stick challenge, >>Degerman tried to run to the BU bench and only the actions of a Maine player >>who went into the BU bench prevented Degerman from hiding the illegal stick. >>As the players struggled for the stick, the referee skaated in and yanked the >>stick from Degertamn's hands. This was one of the strangest things I've seen >>in awhile. >>This sequence raises a couple of questions in my mind: >>1. Does Degerman face additional action from Hockey East (ie suspension) or is >>the two minute penalty he received the only punishment he'll get for the >>illegal stick? >>2. Along the same lines as question 1, since Degerman tried to run from the >>ice and hide the illegal stick, does he face league action for his >>unsportsmanlike conduct? DGMacJr replies >Read your rule book! There are no game disqualifications or sanctions for an >equipment violation. Maine had a 2 minute power play to make up for the fact >that the stick was not conforming to the rules. There is, however, an automatic 10-minute misconduct, which can be pretty significant since most stick challenges occur in the final minutes of the game. I think part of the question is whether there's an additional punishment for attempting to get rid of the stick. Presumably not, since when a Vermont player broke his stick before it could be measured in the Cornell game last year, he was given the same minor+miconduct as if it had been illegal. There was an animated discussion about stick measurements on this list last year after that Cornell-Vermont game... John Whelan, Cornell '91 Official Scorer/PA Announcer U of Utah Ice Hockey Club <[log in to unmask]> <http://www.cc.utah.edu/~jtw16960/joe.html> HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.