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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

    2014 Week 5 Football Playoff Listing

    September 23, 2014

    By Geoff Kimmerly
    Second Half editor

    Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the fourth week of the season.

    Schools on this list are in enrollment order for 11-player teams, with 8-player teams ordered by playoff average. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A caret (^) beside a school’s name indicates a team is one win away from playoff qualification.
     
    Those schools with 11-player teams with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules, or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer, will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Oct. 31. Schools with 5-4, 4-3 or 4-4 records may qualify if the number of potential qualifiers by win total does not reach the 256 mark. Schools with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer may be subtracted from the field based on playoff average if the number of potential qualifiers exceeds the 256 mark.
     
    Once the 256 qualifying schools are determined, they will be divided by enrollment groups into eight equal divisions of 32 schools, and then drawn into regions of eight teams each and districts of four teams each.
     
    Those schools with 8-player teams will be ranked by playoff average at season’s end, and the top 16 programs will be drawn into regions of eight teams each for the playoff in that division, which also begins Oct. 31.
     
    To review a list of all football playoff schools, individual school playoff point details and to report errors, visit the Football page of the MHSAA Website.
     
    The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place on Oct. 26 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.
     
    11-Player Playoff Listing
     
    1. Macomb Dakota, 2814, 3-1, 72.750
    2. Sterling Heights Stevenson, 2767, 3-1, 66.250
    3. Clarkston, 2742, 4-0, 98.000
    4. Grand Blanc, 2668, 3-1, 66.500
    5. East Kentwood, 2592, 4-0, 90.000
    6. Rockford, 2555, 4-0, 98.000
    7. Dearborn Fordson, 2411, 4-0, 88.000
    8. Northville, 2298, 3-1, 64.750
    9. Holland West Ottawa, 2293, 3-1, 74.500
    10. Canton, 2289, 3-1, 66.500
    11. Detroit Cass Tech, 2277, 4-0, 86.000
    12. Plymouth, 2116, 3-1, 62.750
    13. Lapeer, 2112, 4-0, 82.000
    14. Hartland, 2007, 3-1, 72.000
    15. Monroe, 1992, 3-1, 66.750
    16. Grand Haven, 1960, 3-1, 70.500
    17. West Bloomfield, 1929, 3-1, 66.750
    18. Westland John Glenn, 1872, 3-1, 62.750
    19. Warren Mott, 1870, 3-1, 70.500
    20. Oxford, 1864, 4-0, 94.000
    21. Livonia Stevenson, 1848, 3-1, 58.250
    22. Saline, 1844, 3-1, 68.500
    23. Walled Lake Central, 1815, 3-1, 68.500
    24. Hudsonville, 1759, 3-1, 64.750
    25. Waterford Mott, 1738, 3-1, 66.750
    26. Livonia Churchill, 1696, 4-0, 98.000
    27. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1568, 3-1, 64.500
    28. Warren DeLaSalle, 1562, 3-1, 52.750
    29. Detroit Western International, 1521, 3-1, 54.500
    30. Detroit Martin Luther King, 1507, 4-0, 88.000
    31. Walled Lake Western, 1502, 4-0, 88.000
    32. Traverse City Central, 1490, 3-1, 66.250
    33. Oak Park, 1486, 3-1, 66.750
    34. Brownstown Woodhaven, 1484, 4-0, 92.000
    35. Southgate Anderson, 1374, 3-1, 60.750
    36. Dearborn Edsel Ford, 1356, 3-1, 66.250
    37. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1351, 3-1, 72.500
    38. Detroit East English, 1345, 3-1, 66.750
    39. Portage Northern, 1345, 3-1, 71.833
    40. Port Huron, 1336, 3-1, 72.750
    41. Ypsilanti Community, 1300, 3-1, 66.250
    42. Birmingham Brother Rice, 1298, 4-0, 96.000
    43. Garden City, 1290, 3-1, 50.750
    44. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1274, 3-1, 74.750
    45. Birmingham Groves, 1270, 4-0, 84.000
    46. Berkley, 1265, 4-0, 80.000
    47. Flushing, 1260, 3-1, 70.250
    48. Midland Dow, 1255, 4-0, 90.000
    49. South Lyon, 1254, 4-0, 94.000
    50. Southfield, 1239, 3-1, 68.750
    51. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1212, 3-1, 68.500
    52. Fenton, 1181, 4-0, 92.000
    53. Farmington, 1178, 3-1, 66.500
    54. Grand Rapids Northview, 1177, 3-1, 62.500
    55. Warren Woods Tower, 1175, 4-0, 86.000
    56. Muskegon, 1157, 4-0, 98.000
    57. Lowell, 1145, 4-0, 78.000
    58. Greenville, 1130, 3-1, 52.250
    59. Gibraltar Carlson, 1129, 3-1, 62.500
    60. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 1113, 4-0, 86.000
    61. Holland, 1109, 3-1, 60.250
    62. Marquette, 1090, 3-1, 58.100
    63. St. Johns, 1088, 4-0, 88.000
    64. Byron Center, 1085, 3-1, 62.750
    65. Allen Park, 1069, 3-1, 68.750
    66. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1056, 3-1, 58.500
    67. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 1054, 4-0, 88.000
    68. Mt. Pleasant, 1050, 3-1, 70.750
    69. St. Joseph, 1028, 3-1, 70.750
    70. Petoskey, 965, 3-1, 60.750
    71. Romulus, 950, 3-1, 50.500
    72. Riverview, 935, 4-0, 84.000
    73. DeWitt, 930, 4-0, 92.000
    74. Gaylord, 927, 4-0, 74.000
    75. Linden, 921, 3-1, 60.750
    76. Detroit Mumford, 919, 3-1, 56.250
    77. Cedar Springs, 910, 3-1, 52.250
    78. Grand Rapids Christian, 895, 3-1, 62.750
    79. Stevensville Lakeshore, 887, 4-0, 97.333
    80. Niles, 885, 3-1, 60.500
    81. Carleton Airport, 879, 3-1, 52.750
    82. Coldwater, 876, 4-0, 72.000
    83. New Boston Huron, 867, 3-1, 58.750
    84. Warren Fitzgerald, 857, 3-1, 60.750
    85. Zeeland West, 850, 4-0, 74.000
    86. Dearborn Divine Child, 848, 3-1, 57.583
    87. St. Clair, 844, 3-1, 60.750
    88. Edwardsburg, 839, 3-1, 58.750
    89. Chelsea, 838, 3-1, 70.500
    90. Plainwell, 812, 3-1, 56.500
    91. Detroit Denby, 800, 3-1, 68.500
    92. Vicksburg, 794, 4-0, 80.000
    93. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, 790, 3-1, 50.500
    94. Cadillac, 747, 4-0, 88.000
    95. Goodrich, 737, 3-1, 64.750
    96. Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 717, 4-0, 64.667
    97. Yale, 716, 3-1, 50.750
    98. Muskegon Orchard View, 662, 3-1, 52.250
    99. Williamston, 659, 4-0, 80.000
    100. Paw Paw, 657, 3-1, 56.750
    101. Lansing Sexton, 652, 4-0, 98.000
    102. Whitehall, 644, 4-0, 72.000
    103. Kalamazoo Hackett, 635, 4-0, 64.000
    104. Richmond, 630, 4-0, 80.000
    105. Wyoming Kelloggsville, 610, 3-1, 50.750
    106. Wyoming Godwin Heights, 609, 4-0, 58.000
    107. Saginaw Swan Valley, 602, 4-0, 64.000
    108. Birch Run, 575, 4-0, 72.000
    109. Remus Chippewa Hills, 567, 4-0, 80.000
    110. Marine City, 553, 4-0, 74.000
    111. Flint Powers Catholic, 553, 3-1, 66.500
    112. Freeland, 549, 4-0, 80.000
    113. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, 545, 3-1, 46.750
    114. Stanton Central Montcalm, 539, 3-1, 54.250
    115. Portland, 538, 3-1, 62.750
    116. Menominee, 532, 4-0, 81.467
    117. Detroit University Prep, 530, 3-1, 52.750
    118. River Rouge, 530, 3-1, 62.000
    119. Frankenmuth, 528, 3-1, 54.750
    120. Gladwin, 528, 3-1, 48.750
    121. Ida, 527, 4-0, 66.000
    122. Hopkins, 522, 3-1, 52.250
    123. Lansing Catholic, 515, 4-0, 78.000
    124. Almont, 512, 4-0, 64.000
    125. Newaygo, 506, 3-1, 52.750
    126. Olivet, 505, 3-1, 48.000
    127. Muskegon Oakridge, 501, 3-1, 46.750
    128. Onsted, 499, 3-1, 40.750
    129. Chesaning, 480, 3-1, 52.750
    130. Manistee, 479, 3-1, 50.500
    131. Gladstone, 473, 3-1, 40.750
    132. Stockbridge, 462, 3-1, 52.500
    133. Reed City, 461, 3-1, 46.500
    134. Harrison, 444, 4-0, 62.000
    135. Kingsley, 439, 3-1, 48.750
    136. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 438, 4-0, 82.000
    137. Lakeview, 426, 3-1, 42.000
    138. Beaverton, 422, 3-1, 42.250
    139. Jonesville, 419, 3-1, 46.500
    140. Jackson Lumen Christi, 417, 4-0, 72.000
    141. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 417, 4-0, 78.000
    142. Millington, 414, 4-0, 74.000
    143. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 414, 4-0, 66.000
    144. Ithaca, 405, 4-0, 66.000
    145. Sanford Meridian Early College, 404, 3-1, 44.250
    146. Hillsdale, 401, 3-1, 50.750
    147. Hanover-Horton, 399, 4-0, 48.000
    148. Boyne City, 395, 4-0, 64.000
    149. Grass Lake, 395, 4-0, 48.378
    150. Madison Heights Madison, 393, 4-0, 86.000
    151. Montrose, 392, 4-0, 66.000
    152. Tawas, 385, 3-1, 52.500
    153. Niles Brandywine, 383, 3-1, 47.833
    154. Manchester, 379, 3-1, 46.750
    155. Watervliet, 378, 3-1, 40.500
    156. Quincy, 375, 3-1, 32.500
    157. Vassar, 375, 3-1, 44.750
    158. St. Charles, 373, 3-1, 54.500
    159. Constantine, 371, 4-0, 70.000
    160. Clinton, 367, 4-0, 62.000
    161. Vandercook Lake, 366, 3-1, 36.500
    162. Laingsburg, 361, 3-1, 42.750
    163. Flint Beecher, 350, 4-0, 72.000
    164. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 347, 3-1, 46.500
    165. Ravenna, 342, 4-0, 58.000
    166. Carson City-Crystal, 330, 3-1, 42.500
    167. Ishpeming Westwood, 318, 3-1, 38.750
    168. Marlette, 316, 3-1, 44.250
    169. Homer, 312, 4-0, 50.000
    170. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 308, 4-0, 60.000
    171. Ishpeming *^, 307, 4-0, 64.000
    172. Traverse City St. Francis, 305, 3-1, 48.750
    173. Burton Atherton, 304, 3-1, 44.750
    174. Pewamo-Westphalia, 302, 3-1, 42.750
    175. Dansville, 301, 3-1, 48.500
    176. Gobles, 301, 3-1, 48.750
    177. Flint Hamady, 295, 4-0, 50.000
    178. Union City, 294, 4-0, 48.000
    179. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 289, 3-1, 42.500
    180. Whittemore-Prescott, 283, 4-0, 64.000
    181. Mancelona, 282, 3-1, 30.750
    182. Detroit Loyola, 278, 4-0, 80.000
    183. Manton, 276, 3-1, 38.250
    184. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic, 273, 4-0, 58.000
    185. Hudson, 271, 3-1, 40.750
    186. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 270, 3-1, 46.750
    187. Decatur, 262, 4-0, 66.000
    188. Lincoln Alcona, 260, 3-1, 38.500
    189. Iron River West Iron County, 259, 4-0, 60.000
    190. New Lothrop, 259, 4-0, 66.000
    191. Blanchard Montabella, 256, 3-1, 40.000
    192. Norway, 244, 3-1, 37.933
    193. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary, 243, 3-1, 46.750
    194. Suttons Bay, 243, 3-1, 43.667
    195. Indian River Inland Lakes, 242, 3-1, 30.750
    196. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 238, 3-1, 42.750
    197. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 237, 4-0, 52.000
    198. Harbor Beach, 232, 4-0, 64.000
    199. Bessemer *, 231, 3-1, 34.500
    200. Beal City, 222, 4-0, 60.000
    201. Lutheran Westland, 221, 3-1, 42.500
    202. Coleman, 217, 3-1, 44.250
    203. Mendon, 214, 3-1, 50.500
    204. St. Ignace, 211, 4-0, 48.000
    205. Pittsford, 205, 3-1, 30.750
    206. Bark River-Harris, 194, 3-1, 30.333
    207. Munising, 194, 3-1, 35.417
    208. Fowler, 189, 4-0, 58.000
    209. Morenci, 184, 4-0, 62.000
    210. Muskegon Catholic Central, 183, 4-0, 72.000
    211. Climax-Scotts, 169, 4-0, 44.000
    212. Waterford Our Lady, 169, 3-1, 56.750
    213. Lake Linden-Hubbell, 163, 3-1, 42.600
    214. Hillman, 139, 4-0, 50.000
    215. Baldwin, 137, 3-1, 36.500
    216. Bay City All Saints, 133, 3-1, 40.500
    217. Felch North Dickinson *, 113, 3-1, 30.500
    218. Clarkston Everest Collegiate *, 105, 3-0, 59.333
     
    8-Player Playoff Listing
     
    1. Deckerville, 183, 4-0, 42.000
    2. Cedarville, 158, 4-0, 42.000
    3. Peck, 158, 4-0, 42.000
    4. Portland St. Patrick, 96, 4-0, 42.000
    5. Rapid River, 108, 4-0, 40.667
    6. Battle Creek St. Philip, 157, 4-0, 40.000
    7. Owendale-Gagetown, 49, 4-0, 40.000
    8. Bellaire, 151, 4-0, 38.667
    9. Lawrence, 191, 4-0, 32.000
    10. Waldron, 89, 3-1, 28.750
    11. New Haven Merritt Academy, 145, 3-1, 26.750
    12. Webberville, 189, 3-1, 24.500
    13. Posen, 90, 2-2, 21.500
    14. Eben Junction Superior Central, 126, 2-2, 19.000
    15. Kingston, 191, 2-2, 17.500
    16. Engadine, 85, 2-2, 17.500
    17. Burr Oak, 69, 2-2, 17.250
    18. Morrice, 196, 2-2, 16.750
    19. Ontonagon *, 138, 1-2, 12.167
    20. Kinde-North Huron, 172, 1-3, 12.000
    21. Caseville, 81, 1-3, 11.250
    22. Brimley, 144, 1-3, 9.750
    23. Akron-Fairgrove, 99, 1-3, 9.250
    24. Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 188, 0-4, 3.000
    25. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran *, 101, 0-4, 2.500
    26. Tekonsha, 146, 0-4, 2.250
    27. Carsonville-Port Sanilac, 147, 0-4, 2.000
    28. Ewen-Trout Creek, 135, 0-4, 2.000
    29. Litchfield, 106, 0-4, 2.000
    30. Flint Michigan School For The Deaf, 56, 0-4, 2.000
    31. Charlton Heston Academy, 54, 0-4, 0.750