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PAHL Rule Question


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Excuse the ignorance as my kid is still a mite however we were watching a PAHL PeeWee game today and something happened that confused me. Team A took a minor penalty and while on the penalty kill they cleared the puck all the way down the ice. As Team B was going to retrieve it the linesman blew the whistle and called it icing. The faceoff came all the way back and was in Team A’s defensive zone. I was confused but figured maybe he forgot it was a power play and accidently called icing and I chalked it up to that. Until it happened another 6 times in the span of the 2 minute infraction. Not one single parent or coach said or did anything. This was my first time watching a PAHL game so I am asking is this normal? I mean WTF? What would be the purpose of doing this? It slowed the game down and made no sense to me. Calling icing on the short handed team during a penalty kill. First time in my 30 years of watching hockey I’ve ever seen it. 

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This has been a rule for a few years now. The purpose is to make the short handed team PLAY and not just dump it and not take the easy way out. The problem is to do this you need to have a system in place which is a NO NO for USA hockey so some teams just continue to ice it. The 1 rule that wastes a lot of time is the automatic offsides. You want to see a game take forever. 

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This isn't just PAHL, it's USA Hockey, isn't it? I thought I would hate it but the kids adjusted pretty quick and now I like it. Not sure that you need a system in place, just some players who can stick handle and skate. Icing the puck is pretty mindless, I like that the rule requires the kids to think a bit to get the puck out. Automatic offsides does stink, I think Peewees can play tag up and leave that to the Squirts.

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4 minutes ago, Saucey said:

This isn't just PAHL, it's USA Hockey, isn't it? I thought I would hate it but the kids adjusted pretty quick and now I like it. Not sure that you need a system in place, just some players who can stick handle and skate. Icing the puck is pretty mindless, I like that the rule requires the kids to think a bit to get the puck out. Automatic offsides does stink, I think Peewees can play tag up and leave that to the Squirts.

Agreed.  I like the icing rule but lower level kids that can not skate or stick handle just ice it. I have seen plenty of shorties scored over the few years they have had this rule. I think it would be an awesome NHL rule. 

And yes the tag up offsides would be great for the younger ages, especially if they are on the other side of the ice trying to get back and someone dumps it in. 

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I am in the minority of parents that love this rule. It forces the penalty killers to either outskate or outsmart (tactical dump) their opponents. It also generally results in more of the PP with thr puck in the Off. Zone, which gives those players more time working on puck movement and offensive skills. I’d love to see the rule at all levels of hockey. 

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9 hours ago, Saucey said:

This isn't just PAHL, it's USA Hockey, isn't it? I thought I would hate it but the kids adjusted pretty quick and now I like it. Not sure that you need a system in place, just some players who can stick handle and skate. Icing the puck is pretty mindless, I like that the rule requires the kids to think a bit to get the puck out. Automatic offsides does stink, I think Peewees can play tag up and leave that to the Squirts.

You are right - it’s USA Hockey’s rule.

https://www.usahockey.com/news_article/show/804355

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Stupid rule, especially at Bantam. It just penalizes the team on the kill even more. You want to make the skill teaching argument, but if you have a man advantage, and you can't hold it in the zone, what does that say about skill? Works fine at the high school level!

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It simply results in a defensive zone face-off. You can change players so what's the big deal? You can try to kill the penalty with either strategy, icing it or carrying it. Now, on the other hand, touch up offsides at 12U would be foolish. You would have many coaches teaching nothing but dump it in, take the offsides. The players at that age need to learn how to regroup and use their Defensemen or puck support players in the neutral zone.

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They've been using this rule for years at the development camps in the USA, and several minor leagues have experimented with it. Based on that experience, USA Hockey believes that it has a positive effect on play for the affected players. Note that the rule does not apply to high school and above, professional, and adult leagues.

Personally I don't think that it hurts the game at all. After all, players at the levels affected can change on an icing, so it basically gives you a free change in exchange for a defensive zone faceoff. Since you're killing a penalty, presumably you have your best defensive group out for that faceoff, and you can put your players in optimal positions to defend. I do not consider an icing call while killing penalties the worst outcome. Frankly I like the change because it means more puck work for the players; if I'm on offense it gives me more of a shot to generate offensive zone time, and if I'm on defense it encourages me to possess the puck and try to make a play. As a bonus, it also encourages players to try to stay out of the box because it makes penalties even more difficult to kill.

I encourage my players to ice the puck if they don't have a skating lane or a clear pass. In the end it isn't as bad as everyone is making it out to be.

There are many who disagree with me. For my part, I think that most people who criticize the change fall into the "don't like change" or "that's not how the NHL plays it" camps. I don't find either of these viewpoints convincing in and of themselves. I am always interested in reasoned criticisms of the rules, though - for me they are educational.

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3 hours ago, Jack Handey said:

Not really a fan of this rule.  All the kids I coach are prepping for the show, so I just tell them to go ahead and ice the puck if they need to.  That's the rule they'll eventually need to follow.  

Its hard to tell fact from parody sometimes in here but luckily your user name checks out.

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In all seriousness - the old icing rule (icing allowed during a PK) is in effect at PIHL JV and PAHL 16u.  Many 14u are already playing JV, so with the new rule, we have kids playing the same game with two different sets of rules.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised - we have many 14u players still playing middle school, where they cannot check in PIHL but can check in PAHL.  I have seen a few MS players "forget" that they cannot check in PIHL.  Bantam is just a tough age and we've made it harder.

Since the rule reverts in PAHL at 16u, most coaches I know aren't bothering to teach the PK any different.  

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I dislike this rule as well as a few other USA Hockey and/or PAHL rules. My son recently played in Minnesota under Minnesota Hockey sanctioning. Slapshots, touch up offsides, and icing on the PK were all allowed. It was like the kids were playing hockey. Most importantly, the kids loved playing by those rules.......but the rules are for the kids......right?

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16 hours ago, What's the Matta said:

I dislike this rule as well as a few other USA Hockey and/or PAHL rules. My son recently played in Minnesota under Minnesota Hockey sanctioning. Slapshots, touch up offsides, and icing on the PK were all allowed. It was like the kids were playing hockey. Most importantly, the kids loved playing by those rules.......but the rules are for the kids......right?

Not allowing touch up offsides bothers me way more than the icing on the PK rule. 

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