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

    Week 5 Football Playoff Listing

    September 18, 2012

    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. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates that a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A carrot (^) beside a school’s name indicates that 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. 26-27. 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. 26-27.

    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. 21 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit at 7 p.m. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.

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    11-Player Playoff Listing

    1. Utica Eisenhower, 2772, 3-1, 72.500

    2. Sterling Heights Stevenson, 2766, 3-1, 68.500

    3. Clarkston, 2721, 4-0, 90.000

    4. Macomb Dakota, 2608, 3-1, 72.500

    5. Lake Orion, 2565, 4-0, 90.000

    6. Troy, 2502, 3-1, 70.500

    7. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2462, 3-1, 74.250

    8. Dearborn Fordson, 2442, 3-1, 76.250

    9. Holland West Ottawa, 2262, 3-1, 66.500

    10. Detroit Cass Tech, 2200, 4-0, 92.000

    11. Canton, 2166, 3-1, 62.750

    12. Monroe, 2154, 4-0, 82.000

    13. Plymouth, 2050, 3-1, 62.750

    14. Salem, 2039, 4-0, 88.000

    15. Livonia Stevenson, 2005, 4-0, 92.000

    16. Hartland, 1932, 4-0, 88.000

    17. Warren Mott, 1879, 4-0, 84.000

    18. Livonia Churchill, 1877, 4-0, 94.000

    19. Walled Lake Central, 1857, 3-1, 64.750

    20. Saline, 1849, 3-1, 62.250

    21. Grandville, 1846, 3-1, 64.750

    22. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1772, 4-0, 82.000

    23. Grand Ledge, 1743, 3-1, 64.250

    24. Rochester, 1725, 3-1, 68.750

    25. Traverse City West, 1720, 3-1, 62.250

    26. White Lake Lakeland, 1700, 3-1, 64.250

    27. Davison, 1664, 3-1, 64.750

    28. Grosse Pointe South, 1648, 3-1, 70.500

    29. Temperance Bedford, 1581, 3-1, 58.750

    30. Brownstown Woodhaven, 1520, 3-1, 64.750

    31. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1520, 3-1, 66.750

    32. Midland, 1485, 4-0, 94.000

    33. Port Huron, 1473, 3-1, 66.500

    34. Traverse City Central, 1429, 3-1, 64.000

    35. Oak Park, 1391, 4-0, 94.000

    36. Lansing Everett, 1359, 4-0, 96.000

    37. Birmingham Seaholm, 1349, 3-1, 62.500

    38. Garden City, 1344, 3-1, 64.250

    39. Portage Central, 1340, 3-1, 66.750

    40. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1337, 3-1, 52.750

    41. Birmingham Brother Rice, 1336, 3-1, 70.750

    42. Portage Northern, 1328, 3-1, 70.750

    43. Caledonia, 1308, 4-0, 90.000

    44. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1304, 4-0, 78.000

    45. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1302, 3-1, 68.250

    46. Farmington, 1278, 4-0, 90.000

    47. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 1278, 3-1, 64.750

    48. Taylor Truman, 1253, 4-0, 88.000

    49. Swartz Creek, 1223, 4-0, 90.000

    50. Fenton, 1202, 3-1, 60.750

    51. Grand Rapids Northview, 1180, 3-1, 62.000

    52. Lowell, 1177, 3-1, 66.750

    53. Bay City Western, 1171, 4-0, 72.000

    54. Gibraltar Carlson, 1160, 4-0, 78.000

    55. Muskegon, 1144, 4-0, 98.000

    56. East Lansing, 1142, 4-0, 76.000

    57. Mattawan, 1124, 4-0, 82.000

    58. Marquette*, 1112, 3-1, 68.250

    59. Redford Thurston, 1088, 3-1, 52.500

    60. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1080, 4-0, 82.000

    61. St. Johns, 1068, 4-0, 82.000

    62. Zeeland East, 1067, 4-0, 88.000

    63. Detroit East English, 1030, 3-1, 60.750

    64. Lansing Waverly, 1011, 3-1, 54.750

    65. St. Joseph, 974, 3-1, 58.500

    66. Mason, 969, 4-0, 76.000

    67. Milan, 959, 4-0, 78.000

    68. Grand Rapids Christian, 954, 3-1, 68.750

    69. Cedar Springs, 950, 3-1, 50.250

    70. DeWitt, 931, 3-1, 62.750

    71. Fruitport, 929, 4-0, 76.000

    72. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 926, 3-1, 66.750

    73. Bloomfield Hills Lahser, 925, 4-0, 78.000

    74. Linden, 923, 4-0, 92.000

    75. Niles, 920, 3-1, 66.750

    76. Hazel Park, 909, 3-1, 58.750

    77. Stevensville Lakeshore, 906, 4-0, 94.000

    78. St. Clair, 901, 4-0, 74.000

    79. Tecumseh, 887, 4-0, 82.000

    80. Carleton Airport, 868, 3-1, 60.500

    81. Detroit Central Collegiate, 868, 3-1, 60.250

    82. Hastings, 850, 3-1, 54.750

    83. Plainwell, 832, 3-1, 62.750

    84. Cadillac, 820, 4-0, 80.000

    85. Madison Heights Lamphere, 814, 3-1, 60.750

    86. Edwardsburg, 805, 3-1, 52.500

    87. North Branch, 803, 3-1, 56.500

    88. Hamilton, 801, 4-0, 80.000

    89. Marysville, 794, 4-0, 84.000

    90. Three Rivers, 760, 3-1, 52.500

    91. Goodrich, 748, 3-1, 56.500

    92. Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 720, 4-0, 82.000

    93. Big Rapids, 706, 3-1, 48.750

    94. Croswell-Lexington, 704, 4-0, 82.000

    95. St. Clair Shores South Lake, 704, 3-1, 62.500

    96. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 701, 4-0, 78.000

    97. Otsego, 698, 3-1, 54.500

    98. Detroit Country Day, 685, 3-1, 66.250

    99. Comstock Park, 678, 3-1, 60.000

    100. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 674, 4-0, 76.000

    101. Grand Rapids South Christian, 660, 3-1, 56.500

    102. Battle Creek Pennfield, 656, 4-0, 56.000

    103. Grosse Ile, 649, 3-1, 52.750

    104. Saginaw Swan Valley, 642, 4-0, 72.000

    105. Paw Paw, 639, 4-0, 68.000

    106. Allendale, 636, 3-1, 66.500

    107. Williamston, 636, 3-1, 56.750

    108. Cheboygan, 631, 3-1, 58.500

    109. Marine City, 629, 3-1, 66.250

    110. Alma, 614, 3-1, 60.750

    111. Saginaw Valley Lutheran, 608, 3-1, 36.750

    112. Dowagiac, 605, 4-0, 74.000

    113. Livonia Clarenceville, 597, 3-1, 57.417

    114. Clawson, 582, 3-1, 46.500

    115. Remus Chippewa Hills, 581, 3-1, 50.500

    116. Essexville Garber, 572, 3-1, 54.500

    117. Clinton Township Clintondale, 570, 4-0, 78.000

    118. Lake Fenton, 564, 3-1, 54.500

    119. Freeland, 561, 3-1, 54.500

    120. Kingsford, 559, 3-1, 50.750

    121. Portland, 555, 4-0, 72.000

    122. Flint Powers Catholic, 542, 4-0, 78.000

    123. Menominee, 539, 4-0, 82.000

    124. Macomb Lutheran North, 537, 4-0, 74.000

    125. Hopkins, 531, 4-0, 64.000

    126. Detroit University Prep, 528, 4-0, 72.667

    127. Grayling, 516, 4-0, 66.000

    128. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, 515, 3-1, 48.750

    129. Allen Park Cabrini, 512, 3-1, 42.750

    130. Olivet, 509, 3-1, 48.750

    131. Frankenmuth, 507, 4-0, 72.000

    132. Newaygo, 507, 3-1, 54.750

    133. Ida, 503, 4-0, 64.000

    134. River Rouge, 495, 4-0, 66.667

    135. Carrollton, 492, 4-0, 56.000

    136. Lansing Catholic, 487, 3-1, 52.500

    137. Reed City, 480, 4-0, 70.000

    138. Muskegon Oakridge, 474, 4-0, 68.000

    139. Kingsley, 473, 3-1, 40.250

    140. Jackson Lumen Christi, 472, 4-0, 74.000

    141. Buchanan, 467, 3-1, 50.500

    142. Leslie, 467, 4-0, 66.000

    143. Roscommon, 461, 3-1, 46.750

    144. Kalkaska, 459, 3-1, 38.750

    145. Millington*, 459, 3-1, 58.750

    146. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 446, 4-0, 66.000

    147. Boyne City, 437, 4-0, 66.000

    148. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 437, 3-1, 52.500

    149. Negaunee, 433, 4-0, 66.000

    150. Beaverton, 422, 3-1, 40.250

    151. Hemlock, 421, 3-1, 56.750

    152. Shelby, 417, 4-0, 78.000

    153. Vassar, 416, 4-0, 50.000

    154. Clinton, 413, 4-0, 68.000

    155. Maple City Glen Lake, 409, 4-0, 54.000

    156. Michigan Center, 406, 4-0, 64.000

    157. Manchester, 404, 3-1, 44.750

    158. Ithaca, 402, 4-0, 76.000

    159. Montrose Hill-McCloy, 400, 3-1, 58.750

    160. Niles Brandywine, 396, 3-1, 38.917

    161. Grass Lake, 395, 3-1, 48.750

    162. Hillsdale, 391, 4-0, 70.000

    163. Madison Heights Madison, 391, 3-1, 58.000

    164. Ecorse, 390, 3-1, 42.500

    165. Montague, 390, 3-1, 50.750

    166. Sanford Meridian, 388, 3-1, 48.250

    167. Saranac, 383, 3-1, 50.250

    168. Constantine, 371, 3-1, 44.750

    169. Grandville Calvin Christian, 371, 3-1, 46.750

    170. Watervliet, 369, 4-0, 48.000

    171. Schoolcraft, 366, 4-0, 68.000

    172. Byron Area, 364, 3-1, 40.750

    173. Reese, 350, 4-0, 54.000

    174. Union City, 350, 4-0, 54.000

    175. Burton Bendle, 348, 3-1, 40.750

    176. Pellston, 347, 4-0, 32.000

    177. Saginaw Nouvel, 344, 3-1, 64.750

    178. Carson City-Crystal, 337, 3-1, 34.250

    179. Hartford, 337, 4-0, 62.667

    180. Marlette, 336, 4-0, 56.000

    181. Whittemore-Prescott, 328, 3-1, 40.750

    182. Lawton, 317, 4-0, 60.000

    183. Lake City, 316, 4-0, 48.000

    184. Pewamo-Westphalia, 316, 3-1, 46.500

    185. Hesperia, 309, 3-1, 38.500

    186. Ishpeming, 307, 4-0, 62.000

    187. Unionville-Sebewaing, 303, 3-1, 38.500

    188. Evart, 302, 3-1, 34.750

    189. Homer, 302, 3-1, 36.750

    190. Detroit Loyola, 298, 4-0, 76.000

    191. Lincoln Alcona, 292, 3-1, 30.500

    192. Genesee, 288, 3-1, 34.000

    193. Mancelona, 288, 4-0, 50.000

    194. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic, 284, 3-1, 56.750

    195. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 283, 3-1, 36.500

    196. Reading, 283, 3-1, 38.500

    197. Decatur, 277, 4-0, 50.000

    198. Gobles, 271, 3-1, 38.750

    199. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 268, 3-1, 40.750

    200. Waterford Our Lady, 263, 4-0, 64.000

    201. Newberry, 260, 3-1, 26.750

    202. Mayville, 258, 3-1, 50.500

    203. Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech, 254, 3-1, 52.500

    204. Marcellus, 249, 4-0, 44.000

    205. Harbor Beach, 245, 3-1, 38.750

    206. Vestaburg, 242, 3-1, 36.500

    207. Coleman, 239, 3-1, 38.250

    208. New Lothrop, 237, 4-0, 64.000

    209. Bessemer*, 233, 3-1, 38.750

    210. L'Anse, 233, 4-0, 54.000

    211. Petersburg-Summerfield, 232, 3-1, 40.750

    212. Atlanta, 224, 3-1, 30.917

    213. Mendon, 216, 4-0, 50.000

    214. Beal City, 213, 4-0, 68.000

    215. Pittsford, 213, 3-1, 36.250

    216. Morenci, 207, 3-1, 40.000

    217. St. Ignace La Salle, 207, 4-0, 46.000

    218. Pickford, 197, 4-0, 48.000

    219. Onaway, 194, 4-0, 38.000

    220. Powers North Central, 194, 3-1, 26.250

    221. Fowler, 186, 3-1, 48.750

    222. Climax-Scotts, 183, 4-0, 44.000

    223. Morrice, 171, 4-0, 48.000

    224. St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic*, 171, 3-0, 46.667

    225. Colon, 164, 3-1, 30.750

    226. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 164, 4-0, 48.000

    227. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart, 121, 3-1, 42.750

    228. Iron Mountain North Dickinson*^, 112, 4-0, 54.000

    229. Ashley, 99, 3-1, 28.500

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    8-Player Playoff Listing

    1. Deckerville, 194, 3-1, 36.750

    2. Battle Creek St. Philip, 182, 3-1, 34.750

    3. Kingston, 175, 3-1, 30.500

    4. Cedarville, 169, 4-0, 45.333

    5. Peck, 156, 4-0, 40.000

    6. Eben Junction Superior Central, 132, 4-0, 42.000

    7. Rapid River, 115, 4-0, 34.000

    8. Portland St. Patrick, 104, 4-0, 46.000

    9. Owendale-Gagetown, 60, 3-1, 32.250