I called a penalty on a guy last Monday night who was holding a guy against the boards. It was a USA Hockey non-checking league, and when I called the penalty, the guy said "You can hold somebody on the boards! That's legal."
I promptly replied "No it's not. You have to play the puck, not the player. You wouldn't be able to get away with a cheap hold like that in a checking game with good officials. You were taking away his ability to make a play and you weren't playing the puck."
However, I wasn't sure if the call should have been interference or holding. I think I had the scorekeeper put interference on the score sheet, but holding may have been more apt. Any thoughts or opinions?
As a side note, as soon as the puck was dropped his partner's penalty expired. He stepped on the ice and a goal was scored, effectively emptying the box and returning the game to 5 on 5. LOL!
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