Stick infringement is any improper use of the stick. This includes any contact with opponent's bodies, gloves, or sticks. If a player is attempting to steal the puck from an opponent, but hits their glove before making contact with the puck, they will be called for stick infringement.
This foul often occurs when a player reaches underneath an opponent's had and swipes their stick under the glove. Here the player hit the opponents glove and stick before coming into contact with the puck. To avoid this, players should tackle the puck from above, going straight for the puck.
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The signal for calling a stick infringement is a vertical chopping motion with one hand on the forearm of the other hand.
Stick infringements are one of the most common fouls to occur in a game. As with most fouls, the advantage rule should be played out and the foul should only be called if it alters the outcome of the play. Some instances of stick foul can result in injury and should be called regardless of the outcome. This could be something such as a player hitting an opponents forearm painfully hard on the way to the puck, or hitting another players head with their stick while taking a stroke on the surface. It is up the the referee to decide if the fouls was severe enough to call immediately or if they should play out the advantage rule.
In this example the white player has the puck, and the black player comes from behind the stick of the white player and lifts the white stick off the bottom while going for the puck. This is a stick infringement because the black stick hit the white stick and glove before hitting the puck.
In this case, white #9 starts with the puck and black #9 tries to reach over the white stick to get the puck. The black team player ends up hooking their stick over the glove and stick of the white player with little contact with the puck, hindering the white player's movement.
STICK INFRINGEMENT