Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry Fraser wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca! Hi Kerry, I am really confused about something that happened in the game between the Flyers and Leafs last night. The Flyers scored a goal that was verified immediately by the ref directly behind the net. He signaled the goal. But the goal was disallowed apparently when the other ref (who was closer to Argentina then he was the play) called it no goal. The replay clearly showed it was a goal, and more importantly, in the net BEFORE the whistle. Now I understand that is not reviewable, but what I dont understand is why the ref behind the net cant just say, "Hey I was right on top of it, its a good goal". The explanation provided by the announcers was something akin to the other ref losing sight of the puck. If that was the case, almost every goal in the NHL could be disallowed by the center ice ref since it is unlikely they would have a very good view of the puck itself from about 100ft away. Thanks. John Berry Hi Kerry, During this game, the Flyers had a goal disallowed when the neutral zone ref blew the play dead on a "hold the post" type play. The question is: why is someone that is about 100 feet away blowing the play dead? The ref that could actually see the play signaled goal. Later in the game, the Leafs scored on a play where the puck was jammed out from underneath the goalies pad, no whistle. There was no way to see the puck from center ice on the Leafs goal, either. Help me understand which game these refs were watching. Brian Mullaney View the play in question here (17:04, 2nd period). John and Brian: While I must admit that we dont often see the back referee kill a play when he deems the goalkeeper has the puck covered, it is well within his authority to do so. Let me explain why I agree with the call made on the ice by referee Dean Morton from his position in the neutral zone. Both of you are only partially correct when you stated that the referee behind the net, Kevin Pollock, was in position to see the play and then signal a goal once the puck entered the net. The overriding fact is that Leafs goalkeeper, Jonathan Bernier, clearly had the puck covered underneath his blocker and held tight against the post a reasonable time for the play to be considered dead. This "reasonable time" frame is demonstrated by the fact that Bernier initially covered the puck when Matt Read, the Flyer who eventually dislodged the puck, was positioned well behind the net near the end boards and had some distance to travel to the post at the side of the net. In fairness to referee Kevin Pollock, he had a considerable distance to travel from the opposite side of the net towards the corner and was unable to see that Bernier had the puck covered. By the time referee Pollock was able to assume a position behind the net, Matt Read had already jammed Berniers blocker with his stick and dislodged the frozen puck. At this point, the referee gained a sightline that allowed him to see the exposed puck which Matt Read knocked into the open corner of the net from the seat of his pants. Even though back referee Dean Morton was a long distance from the net (albeit much closer than Argentina) he had a view from the open side to where Jonathan Bernier froze the puck with his blocker against the post. From this unobstructed view to the goal and with a broad perspective of the play, Morton would have taken a quick look to determine the sightline that his had partner on the other side of the net in that moment. Knowing that Pollock could not possibly see that the puck was covered from his position, referee Mortons radar intensified once he saw an initial attempt by Michael Raffl to jam at Berniers glove with his stick and as Raffl was subsequently knocked to the ice by Leafs defenceman Cody Franson. Knowing that Kevin Pollock had not yet assumed a position to determine the frozen puck, referee Mortons "intent to blow the whistle" would have kicked into high gear once he saw Matt Read jam at Berniers blocker and expose the puck. Mortons whistle to kill the play is audible just as referee Kevin Pollock moves into position behind the net to signal a goal once the puck crossed the line. The correct call was made by back referee Dean Morton to determine that the puck had been frozen by the Leafs goalkeeper prior to Matt Read dislodging it with his stick and then knocking the puck into the net. The correct procedure was also followed to the letter when Morton quickly approached referee Pollock to inform him that the puck had been frozen by Jonathan Bernier. FYI, in an article I wrote on November 28, 2011 I responded to a fan question when Kris Letang of the Penguins dug a frozen puck from underneath the catching glove of Carey Price to score the game winning goal in overtime. The goal line referee was on the opposite side of the net and impossible to detect that Price had the puck covered. My answer in that column was that the back referee near the blue line with an unobstructed view should have blown the play dead prior to or as Kris Letang jammed the puck loose. Click on the link below to see the similarity of these two plays. Fraser: Discussing Letangs goal and Paciorettys hit Chicago Bears Jerseys .Y. -- Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff had an opportunity to experience an entire range of emotions in his first trip back to Buffalo to face his former team. 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After Mariota was pushed around by Stanford on Thursday, finishing 20/34 with 250 yards and two touchdowns in Oregons Title hope-crushing defeat, hes going to need a poor performance or two from the remaining frontrunners to have a shot at the most coveted individual trophy in college sports.Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Behind 21 points and six assists from Michael Carter-Williams, the Philadelphia 76ers started a seven-game road trip with a 96-88 win over the Orlando Magic. Five players reached double figures for Philadelphia as it ended a five-game losing streak. Nerlens Noel posted 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Henry Sims and Robert Covington joined Noel by posting double-doubles as well. Sims had 12 points and 12 boards, with Covington recording 11 points and 10 rebounds. We needed to reclaim our spirit and we didnt have that the last two games, 76ers coach Brett Brown said. Victor Oladipo led all scorers with 23 points for the Magic, who have lost four straight and six of their last seven. There greatest importance is to stay together, Oladipo said of the losing streak. Despite getting 19 points and 17 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic, Orlando was outrebounded by Philadelphia 52-43. Orlando extended its lead to as much as 11 in the third quarter but it would last just one possession. After a 76ers timeout, JaKarr Sampson hit a 3 that started a 7-0 burst to make their deficit a more manageable four points. The Sixers scored the last eight points of the period to lead 64-60 after three. That run continued into the fourth quarter and after seven straight points in the first 2 1/2 minutes, Philadelphia lled by 11.dddddddddddd Sims capped the 15-0 run with a layup and emphatic slam dunk. Evan Fournier scored four straight points to cut Orlandos deficit down to seven points, but Carter-Williams wrapped up a 6-0 run with a 3-pointer to extend the Sixers lead to a game-high 14 points. Philadelphia did not make a shot from the floor in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the game, but it held Orlando off to come away with the victory. Neither team led by more than five points in a back-and-forth first quarter. A late 8-0 run with four points from both Covington and Sims helped give the Sixers a 23-20 lead after 12 minutes. A 9-0 Magic run halfway through the second period gave them a lead they would only briefly relinquish in the second period. Kyle OQuinns triple started the spurt and he ended it with a layup after grabbing an offensive board. Tobias Harris scored the final five points of the quarter to give Orlando a 42-37 lead at the break. Game Notes Vucevic has 100 career double-doubles ... The 76ers have committed 17 or more turnovers in nine straight games ... 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