Ringette is played with a ring and a straight stick.
The ring is hollow and made of rubber. Sticks are not recycled hockey sticks. Companies produce sticks with tapered ends with steel, aluminum, or plastic tips. Different styles, flex and weight are available.
Ringette is played 5 on 5 plus goalkeepers.
Teams are usually made up of 11 to 17 players; with six skaters on the ice at the same time (a goalie, two defense, a centre, and two forwards).
The ring is passed at every blue line.
A player cannot carry the ring over a blue line in either direction. The ring must be passed over the blue line to another teammate. That teammate is permitted to skate ahead of the ring carrier and already be across the blue line before the ring crosses it.
Players never enter the goalkeeper’s crease.
If the ring lands in or on the crease, the only player who can touch it is the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper usually picks up the ring and throws it to a teammate. The goalie has five seconds to pass it out of her crease.
Players have 30 seconds to take a shot on net.
Teams have 30 seconds to take a shot on goal after they gain possession of the ring. If time runs out on the shot clock, a buzzer sounds, and the other team is awarded the ring.
In the offensive zones the game is played 3 on 3.
You will notice the free play lines (small red line at the top of the circles) on the ice. From this line to the end boards, it’s a game of 3 on 3. Players can rotate in and out of the free play zones producing a lot of movement and creativity.
Ringette players wear protective equipment.
Players wear a neck guard, elbow, knee, and shin pads and equipment that provides hip, and tailbone protection. Helmets with a full-face mask are mandatory. The masks must have triangular or tight horizontal bars to prevent the stick from penetrating.
There is no intentional body contact.
Ringette promotes a no-contact policy when it comes to the physical aspect of its game. Penalties are given when a player, makes excessive body contact with another player, checks a player too high on the stick, trips, hits or interferes with another player.
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