2nd Period · Lesson 5 of 12 · Rink Pass
Why did play stop?
Hand passes, helmets and a puck on top of the net.
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1/4 In the neutral zone, a home player swats the puck by hand to a teammate. That is a hand pass: whistle.
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2/4 The same hand pass between two players who are both in their own defending zone is allowed. Play on.
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3/4 The puck lands on top of the net and stays there. Since 2025-26 that stops play at once, so sticks are not swung up around the goalie.
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4/4 A player's helmet comes off in a battle. Under the NFHS book the whistle goes right away, and that player has to leave the ice to fix it.
Players may stop the puck with a hand, but they may not hand it to a teammate unless both are in their own defending zone. Batting the puck by hand straight at the goal also brings a whistle. The faceoff then goes to the offending team's end.
Equipment rules are strict at the high-school level. If a helmet or face mask comes off during play, play stops at once and the player must leave the ice until play has restarted. Knocking off an opponent's helmet on purpose is a minor plus a misconduct, and so is taking off your own during play.
Every player and goalkeeper must also wear a neck laceration protector and a colored (not clear) mouthguard. A player without the neck protector is sent to the bench while play goes on.
New in 2025-26: a puck resting on top of the net is dead, and play stops. A puck on the outside of the netting below the crossbar is still in play.