2015 EPISODE SIX

Evans Comments: “The play in question does have a “lot of action going on” but none of it looks illegal. The clearing blue middie is hit from the side by the riding white middie and loses the ball. The hit is below the shoulder, from the side (blue #32 actually lands on his back) with hands close enough together to avoid a cross-check call.

Then there is general mayhem for a few seconds with players checking each other from the front and none of the hits is high (neck or above) or in a cross-check position. None of them involve a player “in a defenseless position.”

No calls here.”

 

2015 EPISODE FIVE

Evans Comments: “There are two face-offs. First one is at 1:20

On the first faceoff…everything is fine until after the whistle whereupon the white player kicks through the crosse of his opponent with his right foot and frees the ball. Illegal procedure for kicking the crosse and award the ball to Green.
On the second  face-off everything is fine for a while: players come down together and line up their bodies and sticks in the proper position.
Whistle blows. White player traps the ball in the back of his stick. Okay so far but then he tries to pass it backwards to a teammate…and ball doesn’t come out (should have been an immediate whistle for withholding). A second later the stick rolls over so that the ball is on the bottom (facing the ground) and it still won’t come out…defies gravity in a sense. Should have been a whistle there for withholding as well. You see the Green faceoff player object to the referee (to no avail) and he is right…Green should have been awarded the ball.”

 

2015 EPISODE FOUR

Evans Comments: “Cross-Checking is a personal foul. Checking involving the Head/Neck is an even more serious personal foul.

Defender Gold #9 does both.

Under a full head of steam, Gold #9 checks the ball carrier with the handle of his crosse that is between his hands by thrusting away from his body and directly into the neck/head area of the ball carrier. The official correctly throws his flag and allows the scoring play to continue. The penalty for this foul is a minimum of two minutes non-releasable. An official would err here if Gold #9 was only given a one minute penalty or a releasable penalty.  Non-releasable in all instances means the penalty on Gold #9 will be full time served no matter how many goals are scored during Gold’s penalty.

The cherry on the sundae is an extra cross-check-like push that Gold #9 gives the ball carrier a second or two later. The official would be working within the rulebook to throw a second flag for a push here. If he did, how would the penalties be served? The 2-minute non-releasable penalty would be fully served first..then the 30-seconds of releasable time would be served. Goals scored during the first 2 minutes would have no bearing on releasing  that 30 second penalty.”

 

2015 EPISODE THREE

Evans Comments: “This is an interesting sequence. Blue #25 emerges with the ball in front of his crease and proceeds upfield where he is pushed slightly from behind by White #14. The push doesn’t seem to disadvantage Blue #25 as it propels him in the direction he wants to go anyway. So a good no-call.

On his own, Blue #25 loses the ball and it goes to the ground.When he tries to pick it up he is pushed by White #14. Is it from behind? A case could be made in that #14’s head was behind #25’s head.
Was it from the side and therefore legal? The contact indicates it is from the side.
Blue #25 is not happy: he lost the ball on his own and now he thinks he was prevented from picking up the ball by a White #14 push. So, in frustration, he throws his stick at White #14. Immediate flag for Unsportsmanlike conduct. Probably one minute and definitely non-releasable. Throwing the stick is a technical foul, but throwing the stick at an opponent or at the ball is USC.
This is as good a time to remember: Sometimes when we “pass” on a technical foul, it immediately leads to unwanted consequences with a retaliation.”

 

2015 EPISODE TWO

Evans Comments: “Page 55 Rule 5-3-5. This play is an instructor’s delight, but very dangerous for the White #15 who has been checked.

This check by #6 Green has several things wrong:

1. White #15 is in a “defenseless position” in that his head is down and cannot see or prepare for the hit to come.

2. Green #6 hits him high under a full head of steam from several yards away…right on the neck/head area

3. Green #6 hits him in a cross-check position (with that portion of the stick between his gloves.)

By rule your options range from a minimum of 2 minutes non-releasable, a 3-minute non-releasable, or an ejection (3 minutes non-releasable). I would base my choice on how the game has gone to that point and Green #6’s behavior to that point.

So…quiet game and good behavior: 3 minutes non-releasable. Rough game, #6 a menace out there…ejection for #6.

I can hear the question already: “Why not 2-minutes non-releasable?” Reply: “If that is a 2-minutes NR, Id’ hate to see what #6 would have to do to earn 3 minutes NR.””

 

2015 EPISODE ONE

Evans Comments: “Clip #1. Red #23 in possession of the ball sees his opponent approaching, lowers his shoulder and arm upon contact, and then extends that free arm (glove not on the stick) outward against the opponent to push him away. A clear ward. Immediate whistle. Award ball to white team. If Red #23 had kept his free hand on the stick…no ward.

Clip #2. Loose ball. Green player bends to scoop the ball and then extends his free arm (not on the stick) to keep his white opponent from reaching the ball. A ward. Ball is loose, so “Play On” and hope White team picks it up quickly. If not, then a whistle and award ball to White team.”

 

2014 EPISODE EIGHT

Evans Comments: “Blue #1 with possession is pushed from behind by Gold #18.  A bit hard to tell if Blue #1 had possession when he was pushed or had lost the ball just before he was pushed. I think the ref to the right with his hand in the air (play-on) thinks the ball was loose.  Let’s say it was a loose-ball push to make sense of what ensues. Blue #1 lands on the ball…withholding…good time to kill the play and award it back to Blue Team…because…letting the play continue results in Gold #18 getting back into the act by hitting Blue #1 in the neck/head area…2 minutes non-releasable minimum. This could have been avoided with a quick whistle.”

2014 EPISODE SEVEN

Evans Comments: “Early in this short clip #4 White evades #8 Green with a dodge. Leaves him in the dust.  #4 White accelerates, alone, toward the goal and prepares to shoot. #8 Green chases him full speed and body checks him quite hard from the rear (certainly not just a push) before the ball is released (body check with possession). #4 White goes sprawling and he is de-sticked. Some of this is due to his own speed as he is being illegally checked. So…one or two minutes to be served? Answer might depend on how the game up to that point has been going. Is #4 White in a defenseless position? His head is turned away from his pursuer, but I have a feeling he is aware he is about to get checked.  I would be inclined to go releasable on the penalty time.”
2014 EPISODE SIX

Evans Comments: “Green goalie secures possession of the ball inside his own crease. Then he loses possession and the ball lies outside of the crease line. GK places his stick over the ball in an attempt to rake it back into the crease. White #22 plays the ball as he is allowed to do. He is then pushed by Green defender #24 from behind. “Play on!” in the hope that White Team will pick up the loose ball. Film ends with Green #22 about to…what? cross check White #22?”

 

2014 EPISODE FIVE

Evans Comments: “Excellent clip of a situation that might be argued well in several ways:

1. No call. Gold attacker was rolling in that direction anyway..no advantage gained.
2. Push with possession.
3. Cross check. See blue defender extend his arms to make contact first with shoulder and then end up on the neck.
4. Hit to the head/neck area…emphasis this year. 2 min Non-releasable as you can see the attacker’s head get pushed forward by the action of the blue defender.
I’d be inclined to assess a cross-check penalty on the blue defender. 1 minute releasable.”

 

2014 EPISODE FOUR

Evans Comments: “Defender White #7 gains possession of the ball inside the crease. He then appears (tough to see even in slow motion) to step out of the crease and then roll back into the crease. “In and out” or “re-entry of the crease” is the call: 4-19 Article 3.”

 

2014 EPISODE THREE

Evans Comments: “Ball is loose in front of the white goal as the result of an errant White pass. White #22 has his back turned and is facing away from Blue #21 who cross-checks him (arms extend with crosse between the hands) in the back..sending #22 flying. This is more than a loose ball push. Since ball is loose, immediate flag and whistle. Blue serves at least a minute, releasable.”

 

2014 EPISODE TWO

Evans Comments: “At the 46-second mark, White #30 bends down to pick up a groundball. He is in a defenseless position.

Blue #15 not only body checks him when he is in a defenseless position (#30 sent flying), he does so with a cross-check to the neck and head area.
Depending on the “temperature of the game” : minimum of two minutes NR and three minutes NR  is a real possibility.”

 

2014 EPISODE ONE

Evans Comments: “At the 00:48 mark White attacker #32 has the ball and is either pushed from behind on the back by defender Red 17 or even cross-checked. Without knowing how the rest of the game has gone, I would call a push with possession 30-second technical foul on #17. Notice that after he tumbles, White #32 never loses possession of the ball so a flag is thrown and play continues.”