Helmets: displaced, removed, and the goalkeeper's mask on a breakaway
Rule numbers: NCAA 9.4
All players must wear HECC-approved helmets and face masks, with the throat strap snug enough to fit only two fingers. Players must also wear them properly to be in the bench area: a warning, then a bench minor if not corrected. When any player's helmet or mask is displaced, there is an immediate whistle. Two 2026-28 provisions matter. A player who intentionally removes his own or an opponent's helmet during play gets a minor for roughing. A goalkeeper who deliberately removes the helmet or mask while the opponent is on a breakaway, a penalty shot or a shootout attempt gives up an awarded goal. The referee may treat play as stopped slightly before the whistle sounds.
A player shall not intentionally remove their own nor an opponent's helmet during play.
- Clock
- Intentional helmet removal: 2:00 roughing minor.
- Scoresheet
- Record it as roughing; an awarded goal is recorded as awarded.
Example
During a scrum A21 pulls B6's helmet off. A21 receives a roughing minor.
Common mistake: Letting play continue after a helmet comes off, or calling nothing on a deliberate removal because no punch was thrown.
Sources
- NCAA 2026-27 and 2027-28 Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules and Interpretations (IH28), Rule 9.4, pp. 25-26 (PDF pp. 28-29)
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