Five skaters and a goalie are on the ice for each team, unless of course there are penalties being served. The object is to score goals on the net of your opponent. The weapon of choice for a Ringette player is a specially designed straight stick. Play is started by a Free Pass, similar to the start of a soccer game. On the referee's whistle, the player taking the free pass has 5 seconds to pass the ring to a teammate.
Rules restrict any one player from carrying the ring from one end of the rink to the other.
The ring must be passed over each blue line to another teammate. Teamwork is essential for the ring to progress up the ice. Don't let the short time of Ringette fool you. Because of it's fast skating and minimal stoppages in play, Ringette is a VERY fast game.