How is hockey scored

Each goal is worth one point. The ball can only be touched with the flat side of the curved, hardwood stick. Unique to field hockey is the obstruction rule. In virtually every other sport, shielding the ball with one's body is an integral part of game strategy. However, this is not allowed in field hockey. All players have an equal chance to gain control of the ball as it is dribbled or passed down the field.

Other infractions include advancing other than the goalkeeper, no player may play the ball with any part of the body , dangerous use of the stick and hitting the ball in a manner that could lead to dangerous play. For a breach of rules, an umpire may award a free hit, penalty corner or penalty stroke.

A majority of scoring opportunities in each match comes from penalty corners. Two umpires on the field officiate the match. An additional umpire may sit at the scorer's table. Players may not shield the ball using their body or stick.

All players must have an equal chance to play the ball. In high school federation play, if the score is tied after regulation time has expired, an overtime period of two, minute halves is played with each team reducing the number of players to 7 per side.

If the score remains tied after overtime, penalty strokes may be used to determine the winner. One rule states that a goal is not legal if a player kicks or throws the puck into the net. If a player is stationary when the puck hits off of a skate, the goal still counts, and it is the presence of a distinct kicking motion that forces a non-goal call. A goal can not hit an official and go into the net. Also, the scoring team cannot interfere with the goalkeeper unless the infraction comes as a result of the other team's players.

The puck must also cross the goal line before the period expires regardless of when the shot was taken. A goal cannot be scored if the goal has moved at all during the play. Finally, the scoring player must not commit a high stick infraction while hitting the puck into the net with their stick.

This rule means that a player cannot score a goal if their stick hits the puck into the goal if it is above the crossbar. Video replay has made goal-scoring more exact. This technological advancement has allowed referees to change calls they may have missed including, high sticking, offsides , kicking, and goalie interference. Some fans prefer the traditional method of keeping the call on the ice and hoping that the referees make the correct call, but there have been many great moments throughout the history of hockey tainted by bad rulings by the officials.

Statistically, an assist in hockey is worth the same amount to a player's point total as a goal. It is also the only way to score a point on the stat sheet in hockey other than a goal. An assist is counted to the maximum of two players who touched the puck before the goal scorer. It does not matter how long the play progressed after the first pass.

Because of this rule, assists are the primary way that goalies are able to get onto the score sheet, as goalies scoring a goal is an extremely rare occurrence. Even if a third player passed the scoring player the puck, the assist is not recorded for them. All assists come as the result of a goal, but a goal does not necessarily have to have an assist.

While there is no difference in the assist column of the box score, there is a technical difference between the first and second player to pass the goal scorer the puck.

The player that most recently passed the puck gets the primary assist and is listed first after the goal scorer in the description of the box score. The ball can only be passed or dribbled using the stick. A hockey player goalkeeper excluded cannot intentionally play the ball with other body parts. A foul is awarded to the opposition if a player purposely tries to hit the ball off another player with the intent of causing harm.

Players are not permitted to hit the ball with the rounded side of their hockey stick. Players must not raise the hockey stick above waist height.