Each year, we hear what the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee wants the on-ice officials to focus on. This year is no different. This season, the NCAA wants the officials to project the puck carrier and focus on checking from behind penalties. During the WCHA preseason teleconference, Greg Shepherd, the Head of Officials for the WCHA talked about this.
This is what Greg Shepherd had to say during the WCHA preseason media teleconference on the checking from behind calls.
"Last year in the WCHA we had 47 majors and games for checking from behind," Greg Shepherd said. "If you see a player, his numbers and you hit him from behind into the boards, I don't care if the player gets up or not, thank God that he does. It's going to be five and a game. There's no gray area. The officials will be held accountable to make that call. "
So, my question is, how long will the refs call the checking from behind calls tight before they back off? Thoughts?
