Hand passes in your own defending zone no longer stop play
Rule numbers: NCAA 84.1 NCAA 84.2
A player may knock the puck down or bat it with an open hand, or move it along the ice with a hand. Play stops only if the officials judge that the player directed the puck to a teammate, or let the team gain an advantage, and the offending team then gets possession and control. A puck that just deflects off a hand with no advantage gained is not a violation. New in the 2026-28 book, a hand pass between teammates inside their own defending zone no longer brings a whistle. The zone is decided by where the puck is when the passer and the receiver each touch it, not by where the players' skates are.
Play will not be stopped for any hand pass by players in their own defending zone.
- On the ice
- Both touches in the passing team's defending zone: play on.
Example
Under pressure behind his net, a Team B defenseman bats the puck to his partner, who picks it up in the corner. Both touches are in Team B's defending zone, so play continues.
Common mistake: Blowing the whistle out of habit on a defending-zone hand pass, or judging the zone by the players' skates instead of the puck.
Sources
- NCAA 2026-27 and 2027-28 Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules and Interpretations (IH28), Rule 84.1-84.2, pp. 100-101 (PDF pp. 103-104)
Verified