Basics  of  Hockey

The object of the game is to score more goals against the other team than they score against your team. Each goal counts the same as any other goal, unlike, for example, basketball where you can score one, two, or three point baskets, or football, where you can kick three point field goals, score six point touchdowns, kick extra points, etc.

A goal is scored when the puck is entirely across the goal line and in the goal.

A game usually consists of three periods of equal length, with time to rest between periods. In upper age level hockey the ice will be "cleaned" between each period. In lower age level hockey the ice might be cleaned only once during a game, or even only at the completion of a game.

The length of a period is 17 minutes at upper age levels and is a shorter length at younger age levels. Play starts (and the clock starts ticking) when an official drops the puck and it hits the ice in what is called a "face-off". At the beginning of a period of play, or after a goal is scored, the face-off is at center ice. Face-offs can also be at other spots on the ice depending on why play was stopped by the officials.

Play stops (and the clock stops) when an official blows a whistle or a goal is scored.

Each team is allowed to have six players on the ice and starts with a goalie, two defensemen, and three forwards. The two defensemen and the three forwards are generally referred to as a "line".

Each team might have two or three lines. Hockey is the world's fastest, and one of the world's most tiring, games. Entire lines, or parts of lines can change during official interruptions of the game or "on the fly". The same goalie generally plays the entire game although the coach is free to change goalies at will.

Any player on the ice can score a goal although it is exceptionally rare that a goalie would ever score.

The entire line is either in a defensive mode (the other team has the puck and you want it), or an offensive mode (your team has the puck and wants to keep it until a goal is scored). Hockey is exceptionally fast paced and possession of the puck can change dozens of times within a single minute.

Penalties occur when an official witnesses a player commit anyone of a number of offenses. Officials have considerable discretion in calling penalties.

A minor penalty usually means that the offending player will have to sit out two minutes in the penalty box, and the offending team will have to play short handed during that time. A major penalty usually means that the offending player will have to sit out five minutes, and the offending team will have to play short during that time.

Depending on the official's interpretation of the seriousness of the offense a player can even be given both a major and a minor penalty together, or can even be ejected from the game after having served the penalty, although at that point (after the penalty was served) another player would be put in as a replacement.

An official might delay a penalty if the team committing the offense loses possession of the puck. To stop play under this circumstance might penalize the wrong team. The official will hold his arm in the air to indicate that a penalty is being delayed. If the team that committed the penalty then regains control of the puck the delayed penalty will be immediately called.

During the time a penalty is being delayed it is not possible for the offending team to score a goal so you might see a coach call his goalie off the ice and replace the goalie with another "skating" player in an attempt to take temporary advantage of the situation. The rules allow six players to be on the ice, but the rules don't say one of those players has to be a goalie. Things happen so quickly in hockey that this seldom helps, but it certainly can.

If a team is serving a minor penalty and is scored against the remainder of the penalty is forgiven and the team is put back to full strength.

On rare occasion you might see an official call for a "penalty shot". This is called when a player who is clearly on a breakaway for the other teams goal (with no opposing players except the goalie to stop him), is blatantly fouled. The ice will be cleared and the player who was fouled will be given a single chance to move the puck from the red center line toward the opposing goal and make a shot.

There are also numerous violations that do not result in a penalty (in other words no one is sent off the ice to serve time in the penalty box), but do stop play and create a face-off at a place on the ice that is to the disadvantage of the team that made the violation. The two most common such violations are "off-sides" and "icing".

Off-sides simply means that a player not in control of the puck goes into another teams zone (crosses the other team's blue line) ahead of a teammate who is in control of the puck. The worst case of being off-sides would be for a player to simply hang out near the other team's goal waiting for the puck to eventually come his way. This is so obvious as to seldom happen, except for the youngest, most inexperienced players, but this rule is very closely followed, so even if a player enters the other team's zone a split second early his team will be called for off-sides. Play stops and a face-off brings the puck back a few feet, the intent being to disrupt the momentum of the team making the violation.

Icing is where a player, usually in an attempt to clear the puck out of his own zone simply fires away and sends the puck all the way down the ice instead of trying to control it out of the zone, or purposely pass it to a teammate. When this occurs play stops and the puck is faced-off nearby the offending team's own goal. An interesting rule allows a team that is short handed because of one of their players is serving a penalty to "ice" the puck without being called for a violation.

These, and other, violations are sometimes done on purpose by a team just to stop play so they can make a line change or just try to re-establish their pace if play was getting out of hand.

When a team is playing short handed because one of their members is in the penalty box they might try to "eat up the clock". In other words maintain a defensive posture until the penalty ends and they are full strength. You will often hear fans yelling to a short handed team to "ice the puck", since, remember, a team playing short handed is allowed to do so without incurring a violation.

Almost every coach has a strategy for playing short handed and the fans would be helping more just to let the coach and the kids do their thing, but fans are fans and screaming "ice the puck" is one of the few things most fans know is at least one of several legitimate tactics, so they do it.

There are numerous other ways to "eat up the clock", but some coaches simply put out a specialty line that might continue a very aggressive offense during a short handed situation.

In the last minute or two of a close game a coach whose team is behind might "pull the goalie" and put in another "skating" player in an attempt to overpower the other team and perhaps even the score.

Of course, this means the team that is behind has no goalie. This is a desperation move, but it can sometimes work. It is also fun to watch because it gives fans the possibility of seeing a very rare goalie score, where a goalie fires a shot all the way down the ice and into the unguarded goal.

As you watch the game you will come to understand some of the intricacies. The game is incredibly fast so it takes a while to catch on to what's happening, but it is well worth the effort.

Spectators are always welcome at any Amery game, whether it be at the Mite, Squirt, Peewee, Bantam level, or the Amery/Clear lake/Clayton/Unity High School Varsity Warriors.