League explains incident during Game 3 of the Finals (with video)

A broken stick alone does not constitute a penalty. There is no rule in the IIHF or ICE Hockey League rulebooks that mandates a penalty simply because stick-on-stick contact results in a break.

Officials are instructed to assess slashing based primarily on two factors: force and location. Hockey is a sport where stick contact occurs frequently, and not all contact is illegal. Penalties are typically called when there is excessive force—such as a powerful chop—or when contact is made to vulnerable areas like the hands, upper body, or upper portion of the opponent’s stick.

Conversely, stick contact that occurs on the lower third of the stick, particularly in a legitimate attempt to play the puck, is not automatically penalized—even if it results in a broken stick.

In this instance, the play involving Graz player Holzer showed an attempt to play the puck, with contact occurring on the lower portion of the opponent’s stick and without excessive force or a downward chopping motion. Based on these criteria, the referees judged the action to be legal and allowed play to continue.

The decision reflects the standard applied by officials and aligns with the rules and guidelines governing stick infractions.

Viktor Trilar, Director of Officiating of the win2day ICE Hockey League, explains the scene in the video: