Off-side: control with the stick before both skates cross
Rule numbers: NCAA 86.1 ACHA Additions 86.1
Skate position alone decides off-side. A player is off-side once both skates are entirely past the leading edge of the blue line when the whole puck crosses that edge; a skate still inside the line's vertical plane keeps the player onside. A puck carrier may go in ahead of the puck only if he already had it controlled on his stick before both skates were fully across the leading edge, and the ACHA additions list this for all divisions. During a delayed off-side, a player heading to the bench counts as having cleared the zone once he has both skates off the ice and the linesperson is satisfied he has left the playing surface.
A player must control the puck with their stick prior to their skates going into the offensive zone.
- On the ice
- Off-side: whistle, or a delayed off-side if the defense can play the puck.
Example
A skater crosses the line first while the puck trails just off his stick, not yet under control. He did not have possession and control with his stick before both skates crossed, so it is off-side.
Common mistake: Giving the puck-carrier exception to a player who was only chasing a loose puck.
Sources
- NCAA 2026-27 and 2027-28 Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules and Interpretations (IH28), Rule 86.1, pp. 103-104 (PDF pp. 106-107)
- ACHA: 2026 NCAA Major Ice Hockey Rule Changes and ACHA Additions (updated 8/27/2026), Rule 86.1, p. 5
Verified