Be the Referee: Hockey Officials' Options

January 21, 2016

This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains how changes to hockey penalties are helping to keep athletes safe.

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment - Hockey Officials' Options - Listen

Like all contact and collision sports, ice hockey is reviewing all playing rules with an emphasis and focus on increased player safety.

In the past, cross-checking, elbowing, goalkeeper contact, kneeing, slashing, tripping and roughing had options for a 2-minute minor or 5-minute major penalties. These violations now will include an option for game disqualification. 

Fouls for grabbing the facemask and head butting had options for a 5-minute major penalty or game disqualification. These violations now include an option for a 5-minute major plus a 10-minute misconduct. 

In addition, holding, hooking, interference/obstruction and bodychecking (girls teams) had the option of a 2-minute minor penalty. These fouls now will include the option for a 5-minute major penalty or game disqualification. 

These changes are all ways to keep the game hockey as safe as possible for all high school athletes.

Past editions:
Jan. 14: Recruiting Officials - Listen
Jan. 7: Wrestling Weight Monitoring - Listen
Dec. 31: Respect for Referees - Listen
Dec. 24: Basketball Instant Replay - Listen
Dec. 17: Basketball Communication - Listen
Dec. 10: Basketball Excessive Contact - Listen
Nov. 26: Pregame Communication - Listen
Nov. 19: Trick Plays - Listen
Nov. 12: 7-Person Football Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 5: Make the Call: Personal Fouls - Listen
Oct. 29: Officials Demographics - Listen
Oct. 15: Make the Call: Intentional Grounding - Listen
Oct. 8: Playoff Selection - Listen
Oct. 1: Kick Returns - Listen
Sept. 24: Concussions - Listen
Sept. 17: Automatic First Downs - Listen
Sept. 10: Correcting a Down - Listen
Sept 3:
Spearing - Listen
Aug. 27: Missed Field Goal - Listen

Be the Referee: Automatic 1st Downs

October 29, 2020

This week, MHSAA assistant director Brent Rice explains how high school football rules differ from those at the collegiate and professional levels when it comes to awarding automatic first downs. 

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment - Automatic 1st Downs - Listen

Today we are going to talk about one of the biggest rule difference areas in high school football from those rules used in college and pro games, and that deals with automatic first downs.

When watching that college game on Saturday or the pro game on Sunday, all of us know there are several defensive fouls that give the offense an automatic first down. However, under high school rules, the opposite is true most of the time.

The only high school fouls that result in an automatic first down for the offense are the roughing fouls – roughing the passer, the kicker, the holder and the long snapper. Fouls such as defensive pass interference or any other personal foul do not bring an automatic first down under high school rules.

Past editions

10/22: You Make the Call: Illegal Kick - Listen
10/15: Toe the Line on Penalty Kicks - Listen
10/8: Disconcerting Acts - Listen
10/1: Ball Hits Soccer Referee - Listen
9/24: Clocking the Ball from the Shotgun - Listen