By Dave Zednik, IHOA Rules & Ethics Chairman
QUESTION: Immediately following a stoppage of play, the home team makes a player (one to five players) “line change,” following which the visiting team also makes a player change. The Coach of the home team then decides that he wants to put different player(s) on the ice to counter the change made by the visiting team. Should the Referee permit the home team to make this “last change”?
ANSWER: No. Rule Reference 204(a). The home team may elect to wait until the visiting team has changed lines before making its own change of players, therefore giving the home team the “last change” privilege. But, if the home team makes a decision to change any number of players on the ice and does so before the visiting team has had a reasonable amount of time to make a change, no further line change may be made by the home team.
Categories: Ask the Official, IHOA