Technical foul

A technical foul is less serious than a penalty and results in a change of possession.

• Common technical fouls

  Face-off violation

  Kicking or stepping on an opponent’s stick.

  Crossing the restraining line before the face-off.

  Movement after the referee sets the ball.

  Crease violation

  Entering the opposing team’s crease with the ball.

  Being the next player to touch the ball after entering the crease.

Minor penalty

A minor penalty is a foul that results in the offending player being removed from the floor for two minutes.

The player will sit in the penalty box for two minutes or until the opposing team scores (whichever comes first).

While the offending player is in the penalty box, their team must play one man short.

Before the game, both teams will assign a player as their “in-home” player. The in-home player will serve bench minor penalties or penalties committed by the team’s goalie.

• Common minor penalties

  Boarding

  Checking the opponent in a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently into the boards.

  Cross-checking

  A check on the arms below the shoulders and above the waist rendered with both hands on the stick.

  Elbowing

  Use of an extended elbow, forearm, bicep or shoulder in a manner that makes contact above or below the shoulders.

  High-sticking

  Checking an opponent in a way that results in contact with the neck, face or helmet with the stick.

  Holding

  Using your hands or stick to impede an opponent’s movement

  Hooking

  Using the stick in a manner that restrains the opponent.

  Interference

  Interfering with an opponent’s movement or path

  Roughing

  Any excessively violent holding, pushing or punching motion with or without the glove on.

  Any avoidable deliberate or excessively violent act on the part of a player whether it be with the body or stick.

  Slashing

  Swinging a player’s stick on an opponent. Any forceful or powerful chop with the stick on an opponent’s body or stick shall be penalized as slashing. Non-aggressive stick contact to the stick or hands of a ball carrier should not be penalized as slashing.

  Spearing

  A reckless stabbing motion at an opponent with the head of the stick making contact with the opponent.

  Tripping

  When a player’s stick or body causes the opponent to trip or fall.

  Too many men

  When a team has too many players on the floor. This is a bench minor penalty and is served by the team’s in-home player.

Major penalty

A major penalty is a more serious infraction than a minor penalty, per the referee’s discretion, and results in the offending player being removed from the floor for five minutes.

The player will sit in the penalty box for five minutes or until the opposing team scores twice (whichever comes first).

Any player that commits two major penalties within a game is automatically removed from the game and assessed a game misconduct. The in-home player will serve the penalty on the offending player’s behalf.

• Common major penalties

  Boarding

  Hitting a vulnerable opponent into the boards in a violent manner.

  Cross-checking

  A check on the arms below the shoulders and above the waist rendered with both hands on the stick.

  Elbowing

  Use of an extended elbow, forearm, bicep or shoulder in a manner that makes contact above or below the shoulders.

  Fighting

  Engaging in a fight with an opponent.

  Face-masking

  Grabbing the face mask of an opponent.

  High-sticking

  Checking an opponent in a way that results in contact with the neck, face or helmet with the stick.

  Spearing

  A reckless stabbing motion at an opponent with the head of the stick making contact with the opponent.

Game misconduct

A game misconduct results in the offending player being suspended for the remainder of the game and assigned a 10-minute penalty to be served by a substitute. The in-home player will serve the offender’s minor or major penalty that was assessed prior to the game misconduct.

Match penalty

A match penalty results in the immediate expulsion the offending player from the game.

Depending on the severity of the offence, the player will automatically be suspended for either one or two games.

Further fines and/or suspensions can be handed out by the League Office.

Gross misconduct

A gross misconduct is assessed for infractions such as interfering with or striking a spectator, making racial, gender, religious, sexual orientation taunts and/or slurs, or spitting on or at an opponent, spectator or referee.

10 minutes will be charged in the records of the offending player, with the in-home player serving the match penalty.

Further fines and suspensions can also be assigned.