16.1 Minor Penalty - For a minor penalty, any player, other than a goalkeeper, shall be ruled off the ice for two (2) minutes during which time no substitute shall be permitted.
16.2 Short-handed - “Short-handed” means that the team must be below the numerical strength of its opponent on the ice at the time the goal is scored. The minor or bench minor penalty which terminates automatically is the one with the least amount of time on the clock. Thus coincident minor penalties to both Teams do not cause either side to be “short-handed” (see Rule 19).
If while a team is “short-handed” by one or more minor or bench minor penalties, the opposing team scores a goal, the first of such penalties shall automatically terminate.
This rule shall also apply when a goal is awarded.
This rule does not apply when a goal is scored on a penalty shot (i.e. offending team’s penalized player(s) do not get released on the scoring of a goal on a penalty shot).
Minor penalty expiration criteria:
(i) Is the team scored against short-handed?
(ii) Is the team scored against serving a minor penalty on the clock?
If both criteria are satisfied, the minor penalty with the least amount of time on the clock shall terminate except when coincidental penalties are being served. Refer to Reference Tables – Table 16 – Goals Scored Against a Short-handed Team.
No penalty shall expire when a goal is scored against a team on a penalty shot.
When the minor penalties of two players of the same team terminate at the same time, the Captain of that team shall designate to the Referee which of such players will return to the ice first and the Referee will instruct the Penalty Timekeeper accordingly.
16.3 Infractions – Refer to Reference Tables – Table 2 – Summary of Minor Penalties, for a list of infractions that can result in a minor penalty being assessed (see specific rule numbers for complete descriptions).
