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After the rules changed mid-season many of the referees were a much bigger factor in the outcome of games. In the tourney questionable 5 minute majors were reduced to elbows, slashing, interference calls. Is this how things will go forward? IMO I would rather see things called the way they were in the tourney, but you can't have those experienced refs in every league game. FWIW Ive seen the same thing in bantams/pee-wee for the playoffs.

edgeless2 wrote:After the rules changed mid-season many of the referees were a much bigger factor in the outcome of games. In the tourney questionable 5 minute majors were reduced to elbows, slashing, interference calls. Is this how things will go forward? IMO I would rather see things called the way they were in the tourney, but you can't have those experienced refs in every league game. FWIW Ive seen the same thing in bantams/pee-wee for the playoffs.

I was actually quite disappointed in this. While I think the refs did a very good job calling many things that wouldn't have been called during the regular season, I was not happy to see interference called for a hit to the head.

Overall the play in the state tournament was much improved; many huge legal hits that were awesome; the commentators commented on it regularly. It was great to see and overall a much improved game.

But I was disappointed to see the refs deciding how to make calls. The MSHSL has said they want things called 5 minute majors so that's how they should be called.

First, I think that the officiating was excellent for the most part in the tournament. I think that is how games are supposed to be officiated..

However, if they are going to crack down on the head contact, from behind, and board calls then the officials are going to have to stop reducing things down to elbows. It seemed that this weekend officials were consistent across the board in reducing these infractions to minor penalties someway, somehow.

It was night and day from the regular season and section games that I watched. That's the problem to me...lack of consistency in rule interpretation from game to game.

How many 5 min majors were called in both tournaments using for hits to head, checking from behind? My guess the officals were told what should be a 5 min by MNSHL.

BobSaget wrote:First, I think that the officiating was excellent for the most part in the tournament. I think that is how games are supposed to be officiated..

However, if they are going to crack down on the head contact, from behind, and board calls then the officials are going to have to stop reducing things down to elbows. It seemed that this weekend officials were consistent across the board in reducing these infractions to minor penalties someway, somehow.

It was night and day from the regular season and section games that I watched. That's the problem to me...lack of consistency in rule interpretation from game to game.

Agreed on the consistency, the problem is the rule though not the officiating. They need to give officials a choice between a 2 and a 5 on head contact. You would have seen a lot more complaining if they would have called a major on that check by HM in the first (good clean check where the player's shoulder incidentally hit the BSM player's head, it was called an elbow I think).

mn man wrote:

BobSaget wrote:First, I think that the officiating was excellent for the most part in the tournament. I think that is how games are supposed to be officiated..

However, if they are going to crack down on the head contact, from behind, and board calls then the officials are going to have to stop reducing things down to elbows. It seemed that this weekend officials were consistent across the board in reducing these infractions to minor penalties someway, somehow.

It was night and day from the regular season and section games that I watched. That's the problem to me...lack of consistency in rule interpretation from game to game.

Agreed on the consistency, the problem is the rule though not the officiating.

They need to give officials a choice between a 2 and a 5 on head contact. You would have seen a lot more complaining if they would have called a major on that check by HM in the first (good clean check where the player's shoulder incidentally hit the BSM player's head, it was called an elbow I think).

Overall I thought the officiating was very good. My only complaint would be the non calls for head contact. i did see quite a few hits to the head but nothing I would consider a blatant violent head contact.
i agree that there should be an option for a 2 or 5 min head contact penalty.