Conversely, when a player lying in the goal crease pulls a puck into the body from outside of the goal crease, the player shall receive a minor penalty for delaying the game and no penalty shall be awarded. Protecting the goalkeeper As in all inline hockey, the goalkeeper may never be bodychecked, regardless of whether he or she is in the goal crease. Once the goal keeper has the puck under the glove or covered under the pads, no attacking player is allowed to continue digging for the puck, even if the referee hasn t stopped play. Referees must take special care to enforce this rule strictly. Likewise, players must learn to lighten up on the puck whenever the goalkeeper has it in his or her possession.
Illegal clearing Let s review how the goal crease comes into play during a clearing situation.
Clearing is always nullified when the puck enters or passes through the goal crease before it crosses the goal line. Because the goal crease only extends vertically to the top of the crossbar, anytime a puck is illegally cleared and is shot over the goal, illegal clearing shall be called. Anytime that the goalkeeper is removed from the playing surface for an additional player, the crease rules that apply during illegal clearing do not apply. There are many situations that occur in the goal crease. During scrambles in front of the goal, roller hockey quickly becomes a game of inches.