I.C.E. Program Gets Pittsburgh Kids on the Ice

2022-23 ATO | WEEK 24

By USA Hockey Officiating Program 02/10/2023, 6:15am MST

QUESTION: As a linesman who works higher levels of youth hockey, I see a lot of aftermath pushing and shoving. I believe that older players are inevitably going to get shoved or pushed in front of the net, but what subsides a Roughing from Fighting?

ANSWER: There's no easy answer or simple math equation that determines when an altercation escalates from Roughing to Fighting. The officials must use good judgement to determine when the players cross the line from pushing/grabbing to actually engaging in a fight.

First and foremost, the best way to manage this issue is to immediately penalize after-the-whistle infractions fairly and consistently. If two opponents equally engage in roughing after the whistle, then they should be penalized equally with coincidental minors. However, if one player is an instigator or aggressor, then he/she should earn the extra or isolated penalty.

Secondly, good communication and a strong presence at the net or near gatherings will let the players know you're nearby and watching. Good management of players sets a strong tone for a fun, positive and competitive game, and good penalty application will let players know where the line is.

QUESTION: A team intentionally only sends four players out on a defensive zone face-off. As soon as the puck is dropped, the fifth player enters play and receives a pass after his team wins the face-off. Rules in either face-off procedure or team player change do not seem to validate or invalidate this “trick” play.

ANSWER: Rule 204.a in the USA Hockey Playing Rules states:

"Both teams must place the full number of players on the ice to which they are entitled to prior to the face-off."

Furthermore, Rule 629.e in the USA Hockey Playing Rules states:

“Play shall be stopped and the face-off conducted at the last play face-off location anytime a team starts play with fewer players than entitled to and the additional entering player is the first to play any puck coming from his defending zone, unless he has first made skate contact with his defending zone.”

QUESTION: What is the penalty for spraying the goalie with snow after the goalie has tied up the puck?

ANSWER: This act of “taunting an opponent” should be penalized with a minor penalty for Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Rule 601.a).

QUESTION: Is there any rule regarding playing music over the rink speakers during stoppages and goals of a youth game, or is it up to the rink management to decide?

ANSWER: The use of music during stoppages is not covered by the USA Hockey Playing Rules. This question should be directed to your local hockey association, league or rink staff.

QUESTION: We were told by an on-ice official that USA Hockey has rules limiting players to only score three goals in a game for Rec. Level league or tournaments. In four years of coaching I have never heard of such a rule, and after reading the entire rulebook I cannot find even a reference of such a rule. I also checked our district rulebook and cannot find this rule.”

ANSWER: There are no rules in the USA Hockey Playing Rules that limit how many goals a team or player may score. However, local hockey leagues, associations and tournaments are entitled to created rules with the approval of the local USA Hockey Affiliate. Therefore, you may check with them if these rules exist.

The USA Hockey Playing Rules are now available as a mobile device app! Check your Apple, Android, or Windows app store to download this playing rule app free of charge.

Check out the USA Hockey mobile-friendly online rulebook application! Enter usahockeyrulebook.com into your mobile device’s web browser to gain instant access to the USA Hockey Playing Rules (must have mobile or internet service).

The USA Hockey Playing Rules Casebook and other educational material can be found under the OFFICIALS tab at USAHockey.com.

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It was a productive hockey season for Pittsburgh I.C.E.

Forty-five kids participated in the program a year ago, and that number ballooned to 117 in mid-February.

A big reason for the rapid growth was the association revamping its goals, changing out its board of directors, bringing in a new executive director and providing transportation for its youth players to and from the rink.

“We hit a lull, but we’re back on pace now,” said Carol Murray, who took over as executive director in September.

Pittsburgh I.C.E. (Inclusion Creates Equality) — formerly known as Hockey in the Hood — was established in 2000 to provide socially and economically disadvantaged boys and girls in the greater Pittsburgh area the opportunity to learn to play hockey. That mission hasn’t wavered.

“I.C.E. is back to where it needs to be,” said Michele Humphreys, the executive director of the Hockey Sticks Together Foundation, the umbrella organization for Pittsburgh I.C.E.

Most of the participants in the program are pulled from Imani Christian Academy. However, Pittsburgh I.C.E. is reaching out to after-school programs and other schools to try and attract more kids who want to play the game.

The program skates at the Island Sports Center at Robert Morris University in Moon, Pennsylvania. Since the rink is just outside of Pittsburgh, transportation has always been a big obstacle. This year, the association provided two buses for the kids.

“The truth is, we don’t have rinks where the underserved are,” Murray said. “Transportation is a huge part of the issue. … We are now getting enough funding so we’re renting buses to go to different locations.”

Along with offering transportation, Pittsburgh I.C.E. has instituted a lunch program for the kids.

“A lot of our kids come from backgrounds where they qualify for free school lunches,” Humphreys said. “They’re at-risk youth, and we give them a lunch on their way back home.”

Pittsburgh I.C.E. is also looking to add an educational component. Teaching the kids life skills lessons would add another valuable aspect to the program.

The participants, who range in age from 6-18, have ice time on Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The program, which runs from October to March at the outdoor covered rink, generally has two sessions and segments the players by age and skill level. There are 12 coaches who work with the players along with 10 high school on-ice volunteers.

Pittsburgh I.C.E. is strictly a learn-to-skate program, but Murray and the board members want to give the participants a chance to play games.

“Once you watch what happens in hockey, you’re going to have those kids that want to do more than [learn to play],” Murray said. “That’s going to be part of our board’s mission. We want to start migrating toward hosting a tournament; if not this year, we want to do one next year.”

It’s crucial for the young players to learn the basic skills of hockey, but moving to the next step is critical for their development.

“These kids want to play,” Humphreys said. “They don’t just want to go out and do skills, they want to go out and compete. We’re doing little 3-on-3 scrimmages during practice, but next year we are having a big push on having our own little tournaments.”

Pittsburgh I.C.E. is also looking at getting inner-city kids involved in a variation of street hockey called dek hockey. The Pittsburgh Penguins built 12 dek hockey rinks around the Pittsburgh area to get people more active. Dek hockey is a good alternative for kids because they can play during the summer when ice isn’t as readily available.

Pittsburgh I.C.E. has lofty goals for the future, which include getting its numbers up to 250 kids by the end of this year.

There has been plenty of positive feedback already shared by parents and kids about how the program has gotten better in less than one year. Pittsburgh I.C.E. is just scratching the surface.

“When you go and you see these kids and you watch them one week and they can’t even stand up and the next week there is joy and the excitement, it’s awesome,” Murray said. “Our goal is to say, ‘Hey, you want to keep going. We’re going to try to figure out a way to make that happen.’”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

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