What if we don’t have a goalie? Here is what our League policies state regarding having only one goalie (or unfortunately no goalies) in a game.

Play with 6 skaters

  • The team with no goalie can place an extra player on the ice in lieu of the goalie. However she will not have any goalie privileges, she will just be a 6th player on the ice. This means she (or anyone else on her team) cannot purposefully cover the puck. If she does this inside the crease area, it is penalty shot (or optional minor). If the puck was covered to prevent an obvious and imminent goal, a goal is awarded. If outside the crease, a delay of game penalty is called.
  • This also means that more than likely there will not be any icings against the team with 6 skaters. This is because in any game, icing is waived off if a player from the team not shooting the puck could have played it before crossing the goal line. With a 6th skater, most of the time she probably could have played it. Does this mean there are definitely no icings against the team with no goalie? (nope)
  • Refs can ask the one goalie if she wants to switch halfway through the game. If the goalie wants to, the refs will ask the captains. If the captains both agree, then the goalie will play half of the game for one team, and half for the other. The team that has the assigned goalie gets to choose which half they want the goalie. Once this format is decided on, at no time will it revert back to playing for just the one team.

Shooter Tutor

  • When the rink has a shooter tutor available, and both captains agree, the shooter tutor shall be placed on the goal frame of the team with no goalie. The tutor will not move when the teams switch ends, so one team has the tutor for 2 periods and the other has it for 1 period.
  • Same rules for covering the puck (see above) apply when the shooter tutor is on the net.

No goalies at all?

  • See six skaters, playing 6 a side for both teams, or
  • We could play pond hockey style. In some cases that is putting the net on the front of its frame and then shooting at what was the top of the net. In other cases, you can play ‘posts’ where a goal only counts if it hits a post or crossbar.
  • In either case, captains must agree.