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Hockey Penalties Toughened for 2014-15

December 4, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Seasons are underway for teams participating in 12 winter sports for which the Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsors postseason tournaments, with stronger penalties for excessive contact in ice hockey highlighting rules changes taking effect with the beginning of competition.

Eight sports including ice hockey began play during the final two weeks of November, with the remaining four sports beginning competition over the next 10 days – Lower Peninsula Boys Swimming and Diving on Dec. 6, Boys Basketball on December 8 and Boys and Girls Skiing on Dec. 13. Upper Peninsula Girls and Boys Bowling teams began competition on Nov. 29, and Lower Peninsula teams may begin Dec. 6.

Changes to ice hockey penalties resulting from opponents being forced into the boards continue a focus on improving safety by establishing different levels of severity based on the flagrance and violence of the offending act. 

Any excessive contact – including checking, cross-checking, elbowing, charging or tripping – that causes an opponent to be thrown violently into the boards will receive a 5-minute major penalty; previously this boarding infraction resulted only in a 2-minute minor penalty unless the contact was flagrant. If the flagrant or violent check causes a player to crash headfirst into the boards, a 5-minute major will be assessed as well as either a 10-minute misconduct or game disqualification depending on the severity of the offending check. Players disqualified from ice hockey games are not allowed to play in the next two games as well. 

A 5-minute major penalty also will be assessed to any player who pushes, charges, cross-checks or body-checks an opponent from behind in open ice. Previously, this excessive contact came with a 2-minute minor penalty and 10-minute misconduct. 

A handful of notable rules changes also go into effect for girls and boys basketball:

  • Intentional fouls were redefined to include excessive contact with any opposing player – not just the shooter – while the ball is live or until an airborne shooter returns to the floor. All excessive contact committed by any player will be ruled intentional.

  • Also, additions to the definition of personal foul were added to eliminate excessive contact on ball handlers outside of the lane area. The following additions constitute a foul when committed against the ball handler/dribbler: placing two hands (fronts or backs of hands) on the player, placing an extended arm bar (forearm away from the body) on the player, placing and keeping a hand on the player, and contacting the player more than once with the same hand or alternating hands.

  • The rule for players releasing to the lane on a free throw attempt was changed to its previous version; a player occupying a marked lane space again may enter the lane on the release of the ball by the free throw shooter. Players behind the free throw line extended and 3-point arc behind the free throw line must wait until the free throw attempt touches the ring or backboard or has ended (touches the floor) before entering the lane. This was the rule prior to the 1994-95 season.

  • Players may wear arm sleeves, knee sleeves, lower leg sleeves and tights, but all sleeves and tights must be black, white, beige or the predominant color of the team’s uniform. All team members wearing sleeves or tights must wear the same color. Knee braces do not count as part of this uniform regulation.

    • A significant change for wrestling affects team tournaments stretching multiple days, including the MHSAA Finals, for which weigh-ins are conducted each day. An athlete must weigh in at the same weight both days in order to continue competing after the first day of the tournament. Previously, an athlete could compete at whatever weight he or she weighed in at on the first day and then the new weight, if different, on the second day. Beginning this season, that wrestler may not compete the subsequent days of the team event if he or she weighs in at a different weight after the first day. 

    The 2014-15 Winter campaign culminates with postseason tournaments beginning with the Upper Peninsula Girls and Boys Swimming & Diving Finals on Feb. 21, and wraps up with the Boys Basketball Finals on March 28. Here is a complete list of winter tournament dates: 

    Boys Basketball
    Districts – March 9, 11 & 13
    Regionals – March 16 & 18
    Quarterfinals – March 24
    Semifinals – March 26-27
    Finals – March 28 

    Girls Basketball
    Districts – March 2, 4 & 6
    Regionals – March 10 & 12
    Quarterfinals – March 17
    Semifinals – March 19-20
    Finals – March 21

    Bowling
    Team Regionals – Feb. 27
    Singles Regionals – Feb. 28
    Team Finals – March 6
    Singles Finals – March 7 

    Girls Competitive Cheer
    Districts – Feb. 20-21
    Regionals – Feb. 28
    Finals: March 6-7 

    Girls Gymnastics
    Regionals – March 7
    Team Finals – March 13
    Individual Finals – March 14 

    Ice Hockey
    Pre-Regionals – March 2-6
    Regional Finals – March 7
    Quarterfinals – March 10-11
    Semifinals – March 12-13
    Finals – March 14 

    Skiing
    Regionals – Feb. 9-13
    Finals – Feb. 23 

    Swimming & Diving
    U.P. Girls & Boys Finals – Feb. 21
    L.P. Boys Diving Regionals – March 5
    L.P. Boys Finals – March 13-14 

    Wrestling
    Team Districts – Feb. 11-12
    Individual Districts – Feb. 14
    Team Regionals – Feb. 18
    Individual Regionals – Feb. 21
    Team Quarterfinals – Feb. 27
    Team Semifinals & Finals – Feb. 28
    Individual Finals – March 5-7

    2017 Scholar-Athlete Finalists Announced

    By Geoff Kimmerly
    MHSAA.com senior editor

    January 20, 2017

    By Geoff Kimmerly
    Second Half editor

    The 120 finalists for the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete Awards for the 2016-17 school year, presented by Farm Bureau Insurance, have been announced.

    The program, celebrating its 28th anniversary, has recognized student-athletes since the 1989-90 school year and again this winter will honor 32 individuals from MHSAA member schools who participate in at least one sport in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament.

    Farm Bureau Insurance underwrites the Scholar-Athlete Awards and will present a $1,000 scholarship to each recipient. Since the beginning of the program, 704 scholarships have been awarded.

    Scholarships will be presented proportionately by school classification, with 12 scholarships to be awarded to Class A student-athletes, six female and six male; eight scholarships will be awarded to Class B student-athletes, four female and four male; six scholarships will be awarded to Class C student-athletes, three female and three male; and four scholarships will be awarded to Class D student-athletes, two female and two male. In addition, two scholarships will be awarded at-large to minority recipients, regardless of school size.

    Every MHSAA member high school could submit as many applications as there are scholarships available in its classification, and could have more than one finalist. New Boston Huron has three finalists this year. Seventeen schools each have two finalists: Blissfield, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Coldwater, Dearborn Divine Child, Detroit Catholic Central, Edwardsburg, Gladwin, Greenville, Ishpeming, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, Midland Dow, Pewamo-Westphalia, Saline, Sault Ste. Marie, Sturgis, Watervliet and Yale.

    Multiple-sport participation remains the norm among applicants. The average sport participation rate of the finalists is 2.63, while the average of the application pool was 2.18. There are 72 three-plus sport participants in the finalists field, and all but one of the 28 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments are represented.

    Of 409 schools which submitted applicants, 52 submitted the maximum allowed. This year, 1,515 applications were received. All applicants will be presented with certificates commemorating their achievement. Additional Scholar-Athlete information, including a complete list of scholarship nominees, can be found on the Scholar-Athlete page of the MHSAA Website.

    The applications were judged by a 70-member committee of school coaches, counselors, faculty members, administrators and board members from MHSAA member schools. Selection of the 32 scholarship recipients will take place in early February. Class C and D scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 7, Class B scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 14 and Class A scholarship recipients will be announced Feb. 21. All announcements will be made on the MHSAA Website.

    To honor the 32 Scholar-Athlete Award recipients, a ceremony will take place during halftime of the Class C Boys Basketball Final, March 25, at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing.

    To be eligible for the award, students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) and previously have won a varsity letter in at least one sport in which the MHSAA sponsors a postseason tournament. Students also were asked to respond to a series of short essay questions, submit two letters of recommendation and a 500-word essay on the importance of sportsmanship in educational athletics.

    Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan was founded in 1949 by Michigan farmers who wanted an insurance company that worked as hard as they did. Those values still guide the company today and are a big reason why it is known as Michigan’s Insurance Company, dedicated to protecting the farms, families, and businesses of this great state. Farm Bureau Insurance agents across Michigan provide a full range of insurance services—life, home, auto, farm, business, retirement, Lake Estate®, and more—protecting nearly 500,000 Michigan policyholders.

    The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,400 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.

    2016-17 Scholar-Athlete Award Finalists

    BOYS CLASS A

    Trevor Roznowski, Alpena
    Jordan George-Nwogu, Ann Arbor Pioneer
    Nathan Jones, Battle Creek Lakeview
    Jonah Kamoo, Birmingham Groves
    Ben Williams, Birmingham Seaholm
    Andrew R Twiford, Byron Center
    Eric Bach, Coldwater
    Kameron Miller, Coldwater
    CJ Baird, Detroit Catholic Central
    Jackson Ross, Detroit Catholic Central
    Justin Beemer, Fenton
    Steven Stine, Fraser
    Dominic LaJoie, Gaylord
    Drew VanAndel, Grand Haven
    Michael Gumbko, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern
    Connor K Fischer, Grandville
    Michael Visscher, Holland
    Tyler Opdycke, Livonia Churchill
    Varun R Shanker, Midland Dow
    Gary R O'Brien III, Riverview
    Aidan Carichner, Saline
    Connor Bryant Meehan, Saline
    Matthew J Polzin, Sturgis
    Andrew Long, White Lake Lakeland 

    GIRLS CLASS A

    Kaitlyn Coons, Cedar Springs
    Lindsay Duca, East Grand Rapids
    Sarah Kurpiers, Farmington Hills Mercy
    Jocelyn Prinz, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central
    Paige Hallock, Greenville
    Landon Kemp, Greenville
    Amber Nicole Manitowabi-Huebner, Marquette
    Alex Wilkinson, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg
    Caroline Szabo, Midland Dow
    Jordan Walker, Muskegon Mona Shores
    Emma Streveler, New Baltimore Anchor Bay
    Alexa Scroggie, New Boston Huron
    Elizabeth Stockert, New Boston Huron
    Allissa Wight, New Boston Huron
    Katelyn Jones, Owosso
    Jalynn Byers, Petoskey
    Mackenzie Carano, Pinckney
    Sydney Asuncion, Rochester
    Allyson Faulkner, Rockford
    Harmony Groves, Sturgis
    Maggie Dutmers, Traverse City Central
    Hunter Kehoe, Traverse City West
    Nikki Sorgi, Utica Ford
    Aubrey Fetzer, Warren Cousino 

    BOYS CLASS B

    Brayden Huddleston, Benzie Central
    Tait Morrissey, Big Rapids
    Michael Bian, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
    Michael J Gussert, Cadillac
    Christopher A Roush, Chelsea
    Collin Lieber, Croswell-Lexington
    Evan Latham, Dearborn Divine Child
    Adam Kozinski, Edwardsburg
    Patrick Johns, Marine City
    Richard Dominick Reo III, Paw Paw
    Brendan Gered Fraser, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
    Ryley Alaspa, Sault Ste. Marie
    Ryan Sanderson, Sault Ste. Marie
    Josef Hissom, Spring Lake
    Andrew D Marten, Tecumseh
    Cade Smeznik, Yale 

    GIRLS CLASS B

    Emma Nowak, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
    Michel Faliski, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
    Jasmine Harper, Clare
    Madeline Filiatraut, Dearborn Divine Child
    Sasha Hartje, Detroit Country Day
    Noelle Kraus, Edwardsburg
    Peyton Rellinger, Gladwin
    Lindsey Shearer, Gladwin
    Erika Freyhof, Hamilton
    Morgan Colling, Houghton
    Haley Heldt, Midland Bullock Creek
    Megan Aalberts, Otsego
    Raechel K McKiernan, Richmond
    Kylie Hutchinson, Shepherd
    Kim Anh Nguyen, Wyoming Kelloggsville
    Gabrielle Smith, Yale 

    BOYS CLASS C

    Clark Brady, Bad Axe
    Spencer Fisher, Blissfield
    Jonathan Lutchka, Grass Lake
    Sam Bailey, Harbor Springs
    Ashok Ravindran, Ishpeming
    Joe Rigling, Leroy Pine River
    Alexander Dixon, Madison Heights Bishop Foley Catholic
    Jacob Shoop, Mason County Central
    Bryce J Thelen, Pewamo-Westphalia
    Nicholas Hammond, Riverview Gabriel Richard
    Tyler Brant, Watervliet
    Cameron Rendo, Watervliet 

    GIRLS CLASS C

    Kelsey Wyman, Blissfield
    Madeline Wu, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett
    Khora Swanson, Ishpeming
    Hope Baldwin, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep
    Quinn Epkey, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep
    Keilene Renae Elmer, Lincoln Alcona
    Bailey Downs, Munising
    Maysa Sitar, Newberry
    Mary Hoopes, North Muskegon
    Brenna Wirth, Pewamo-Westphalia
    Sidney Linck, Ravenna
    Madison Bryce, St. Charles 

    BOYS CLASS D

    Jacob Single, Adrian Lenawee Christian
    Jacob Martin, Athens
    Richard Steffan, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian
    Elijah Newton, Central Lake
    Jace Feldpausch, Fowler
    Brian A Price, Mio
    Nicholas Morgenstern, Muskegon Catholic Central
    Seth Polfus, Powers North Central 

    GIRLS CLASS D

    Rachel Hiveley, Au Gres-Sims
    Allyson Richards, Fruitport Calvary Christian
    Alexa Destrampe, Lake Linden-Hubbell
    Jade Sibley, Marcellus
    Mary Leighton, Mendon
    Alexis McConnell, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart
    Grace Alvesteffer, Pentwater
    Rhiley Hubert, Rapid River