2025-26 SSNL JUNIOR VARSITY Ball Hockey Penalities

SSNL Ball Hockey Condensed Penalty Guide for Officials

IMPORTANT: This document does not replace the official rulebook. It is meant to help make the training of referees more convenient. The full rulebook and SSNL technical standards contain other information that referees need to be aware of before officiating at SSNL events.

All convenors are responsible for preparing officials prior to each event.

• Minor: 2 minutes or 4 minutes, depending on the infraction.

* A 4-minute minor is counted as one minor towards the 3 needed for an ejection from the game.

If a 4-minute penalty is assessed in SSNL ball hockey, the offending team will be shorthanded for 4 minutes, or until a goal is scored.
If a power play goal is scored, the penalty is over, but the offending player will remain in the penalty box for the 4-minute duration and will be replaced by a player from their team’s bench.
The penalized player can return after the next whistle/stoppage of play after the 4 minutes are served.
A 4-minute minor penalty counts as 1 towards the 3 needed for game ejection.

•Major: All 5 minute majors receive a Game Misconduct.

• Misconduct: 10 minutes

• All Match penalties are treated as an automatic 5-minute Major and Game Misconduct.

** The Match designation signifies that further action may be taken because deliberate intent to injure was determined.

Offense	Penalty Option #1	Penalty Option #2	Penalty Option #3	Other notes
Boarding	Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure)
Body Checking	Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure)
Butt-ending	Match (intent to injure)
Charging	Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure)
Cross Checking	4-minute Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure and/or head/neck contact)
Delay of Game	Bottom of Document
Fighting	Major + tournament expulsion	Additional Minor for identified instigator	3rd player in: Game misconduct
Offense	Penalty Option #1	Penalty Option #2	Penalty Option #3	Other notes
Goaltender Interference	Minor	In the case of injury, look at other infractions (e.g.: charging) and judge
Hands on the Back	Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure)
High-sticking the ball (over the waist)	Play blown dead, faceoff in the offending team’s end.	Disallowed goal, if high stick results in a goal, and a faceoff in the offending team’s end.
High-sticking opponents	4-minute Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure and/or head/neck contact)	** A discretionary Double Minor may be assessed instead of a Major if a high stick that causes an injury is deemed accidental.
Holding	Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure, including grabbing any part of the helmet and/or injury to head or neck area)
Hooking	Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure)
Interference	Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure)
Kicking/Stomping Opponent	Match (intent to injure)
Leaving Bench/Penalty Box	Minor for Delay of Game Player leaves penalty box early and joins play	Game Misconduct + tournament expulsion Player leaves bench or penalty box to become involved in a fight:
Playing With a Broken Stick	Minor	Throwing replacement stick from bench to player on the floor: Minor
Roughing	Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure)
Offense	Penalty Option #1	Penalty Option #2	Penalty Option #3	Other notes
Slashing	Minor Slashing motion towards opponent or wild swing at the ball near an opponent	Double Minor Contact with no injury	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match Intent to injure and/or head/neck contact
Slew Footing	Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure)
Spearing	4-minute Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct	Match (intent to injure)
Spitting on/at Opponent	Match penalty + tournament expulsion
Throwing Stick/Object At Opponent (Particularly at the ball carrier)	Defending zone: Penalty shot unless a goal is scored on the play	Ball carrier’s own zone: Minor penalty
Tripping	Minor	Major (injury caused) + Game Misconduct at referee discretion
Unsportsmanlike Conduct	1st Offense: Minor + 10-minute Misconduct	2nd Offense: tournament expulsion

This table continues on the next page

Delay of Game Scenarios	Appropriate Call
Holding up play past 10 seconds to adjust equipment	Minor
Defenders (other than goalie) deliberately covering ball in the crease	Minor
Done while the defending team’s goalie has been removed for an extra attacker	Automatic goal to the other team
Deliberately covering the ball outside the crease	Minor
Intentionally putting the ball out of play at any time	Minor
Intentionally dislodging the net	Minor
Done in last 2 minutes or OT	Penalty shot
Done while defending team’s goalie has been removed for an extra attacker	Automatic goal to the offended team
Goalie deliberately holding ball with no pressure from attacking team	Minor
Player deliberately picks the ball up from the floor during play	Minor
Player catches the ball in the air, grips it and attempts to avoid an attacker by moving the ball away from them	Play blown dead, faceoff at the spot of the stoppage or, if the ball is between a faceoff marker (ones in each zone) and the goal line, at that faceoff marker.
Player deliberately holds ball against wall to draw a whistle unchallenged by an opponent	Minor
Objects on Net (such as water bottles)	Minor
Deliberately stalling the beginning of play: For the actual act of taking faceoffs, teams will have 10 seconds from the whistle to set up for the next face-off and if not, the ball can be dropped by the official. If the 10 seconds are up and the offending team is present but not set up properly, the offending team’s player taking the faceoff will be kicked out of the faceoff and replaced by a teammate. Any consequent deliberate beginning of play stalling will result in a Minor penalty.