Rule 61. Handling the Ball

(a) If any player closes their hand on the ball and gains an advantage, play shall immediately be stopped. When a player simply closes their hand on the ball and immediately drops it to the floor, without gaining or attempting to gain an advantage by this action, play shall be allowed to continue.

(b) A Minor penalty shall be assessed a goaltender who deliberately holds the ball and in the opinion of the Referee, is causing an unnecessary stoppage in play.

Note: Where the ball is thrown towards an opponent’s goal by the goaltender and it is received by an opponent, the Referee shall allow play to continue. However if a teammate receives the ball, play shall be stopped.

(c) A Minor penalty shall be assessed any player (except the goaltender) who, while play is in progress, picks up the ball with their hand. If a player of the defending team (except the goaltender) picks up the ball from the floor while it is in their team’s goal crease, the play shall be stopped and a Penalty Shot shall be awarded to the non-offending team.

(d) A player shall be permitted to stop or “bat” a ball in the air with theiropen hand, or to push it along the floor with their hand and play shall not be stopped, unless the player has directed the ball to a teammate in the neutral or attacking zone. When this occurs play shall be stopped and the ball faced-off at the face-off spot that penalizes the offending team more nearest to the location that the hand pass occurred in accordance to Rule 57. Where an attacking player in the attacking zone, makes a hand pass and the defending team refrains from playing the ball, stop play and conduct the face-off at the nearest face-off spot.

(e) A goal shall not be allowed if the ball has been batted with the hand or any part of the body by the attacking player into the net or, after being batted, the ball deflects off any player or stick into the net.

SITUATION 1 Rule 61 (c)
The ball is in the goal crease. A player who is outside the crease, bats or scoops the ball out of the crease and into their body. They do not cover or grab the ball while the ball is still in the crease, just scoops it out and then grabs it or falls on it.
RULING: Assess a Minor penalty under Rule 58 (a) – Falling on the Ball.

SITUATION 2 Rule 61 (d)
QUESTION: The ball is batted with the hand, hits the opposing goaltender, rebounds back out and is picked up by another player of the same team batting the ball. Does play continue or is play stopped?
ANSWER: Play is stopped. Play can only continue if the non-offending team gains “possession and control” of the ball. Since the ball only hit the goaltender (possession, but not control), play would be stopped.

SITUATION 3 Rule 61 (d)
A situation similar to Situation 2, except that the ball, after deflecting off the goaltender, then deflects off another defending player to an attacking player.
RULING: Stop play. Play can only continue if the non-offending team gains “possession and control” of the ball. A deflection does not constitute “control”.

SITUATION 4 Rule 61 (d)
QUESTION: The ball is batted with the hand, hits the body of a teammate, then is picked up by an opposing player. Should the play continue?
ANSWER: Yes, do not stop play, unless that teammate gains possession and control of the ball.

SITUATION 5 Rule 61 (e)
If an attacking player bats the ball and it is deflected into the goal by any player (attacking or defending) or goalkeeper the goal shall NOT be allowed. The key principle of this rule is that no goal can be scored when an attacking player bats the ball unless the ball is subsequently clearly “shot” into the goal. After any batted ball, the official should watch closely for a clear shooting action. If the ball enters the goal and no clear shooting action was observed, disallow the goal. The subsequent face-off after the above stoppage of play shall be in the neutral zone. To further clarify:

Any attacking player that bats a ball to a teammate and:
– it deflects off the teammate’s foot, body or stick – no goal.
– if it is deliberately directed into the goal by a teammate’s stick, but not clearly shot – no goal. Stoppage of play should be called. Rule 61 (d).
– if it is deflected or deliberately directed (but not batted) into the net by a teammate – no goal.
– if it is batted by an attacking player and then deflects off their own stick into the net – no goal.

SITUATION 6 Rule 61 (d)
The face-off for an infraction of a hand pass should take place at the face-off dot nearest to where the hand pass was made, in accordance with Rule 57, or face-off dot nearest to where the stoppage occurred if that penalizes the offending team more.
EXAMPLE:
The ball is hand passed by “A” in their defending end. The ball rolls down the floor and is played by “A” near the centre red line. The face-off will take place at the nearest face-off dot to where the ball was hand passed, as it penalizes “A” more than if the face-off took place at the nearest face-off dot to where the ball was played. In accordance with Rule 57.

SITUATION 7
Where a player in the neutral or attacking zone hand passes the ball back into their defending zone and a teammate gains possession and control of the ball, play would continue.
Note: For the purpose of this rule, the position of the ball and not that of the player’s feet determines which zone the player is in when the hand pass is completed.

SITUATION 8 Rule 61 (a)

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR CLOSING YOUR HAND ON THE BALL.

1. A player closes her hand on the ball and then throws the ball – stop play immediately. A Minor penalty for Handling the Ball must be
assessed.
2. When a player closes her hand on the ball, then tries to maneuver around another player while holding the ball or where a player is prevented from playing the ball by the player changing the general location of the ball while holding it – A Minor penalty for Handling the Ball must be assessed.
3. If a player takes a stride while holding the ball in her hand – Faceoff.