Re: Alaska Anchorage at Maine Oct. 24 and 25: Because Airline Miles are a thing
Below are quotes from Coach Thomas on Cameron intentionally dislodging the net in OT reported on the Maine Hockey Journal website -
http://mainehockeyjournal.com/?p=21323 :
“It’s a veteran play by our guy,” Alaska-Anchorage head coach Matt Thompson said of Cameron’s penalty.
“The call’s the call. I think it was the right call. Our guy intentionally knocked the net off its moorings. It’s good we were able to escape that.”
Just curious of any thoughts on this.
I'll admit to not knowing all of the rules set by the NCAA, of which some are different than in the NHL (which I do have more knowledge of), but here's my take on last night's OT penalty shot for knocking the net off of it's moorings.
If the correct call was made by Quinn/Millea (not sure who made the call), then the quote from the Anchorage coach above would be reasonable thinking from my point of view. As a defending player, if I saw that (in my opinion, at game-speed, with only a split-second to make a decision) a goal would be scored (in OT) because my goaltender was out of position to make a save on an opponent that had a slam-dunk goal on or near his stick, I would knock the net off also. I would rather take the penalty shot call and allow my goaltender the chance to make the save and extend the game, rather than watch an open-net goal (again, in my opinion - deciding at game-speed with little time to mull it over) win the game for the opposition. I would make that decision every time. I know it's not the "right thing to do" in terms of playing honestly and with integrity, but this sort of thing happens often in sport. The Anchorage coach understood the decision of his player, and said so, and he also agreed with the call on the ice. BUT - if Maine had scored on the penalty shot to win the game, his reaction and quote after the game may have been different. As a player (and I've played for 40 years), I say the defender did the right thing for his team and was rewarded by the resulting missed penalty shot.
In the NHL, a goal can be awarded or a minor penalty given in this type of situation (see NHL rules below), but as I said, maybe the NCAA rules for this kind of infraction are different.
NHL Rule 63 – Delaying the Game
63.2 Minor Penalty
In the event that a goalpost is deliberately displaced by a
defending player, prior to the puck crossing the goal line between the
normal position of the goalposts, the Referee shall assess a minor
penalty for delaying the game if the attacking player has not yet taken
the shot or in the act of taking the shot at the open net (see 63.6).
63.6 Awarded Goal - In the event that the goal post is displaced, either
deliberately or accidentally, by a defending player, prior to the puck
crossing the goal line between the normal position of the goalposts,
the Referee may award a goal.
In order to award a goal in this situation, the goal post must have
been displaced by the actions of a defending player, the puck must
have been shot (or the player must be in the act of shooting) at the
goal prior to the goal post being displaced, and it must be determined
that the puck would have entered the net between the normal position
of the goal posts.
All I've said above is from what I heard listening to the game - I didn't see it - so if there's something I missed about this situation someone can (and I'm sure will) correct me on my understanding of what happened. I won't be offended if someone who was there can say more about it than I learned from listening...