Cutting the Track

Cutting the track is one of my least favorite penalties, mainly because it is almost entirely avoidable. Any skater that goes out of bounds must re-enter the track without bettering their position in relation to other in-play skaters. As long as a skater is familiar with the rules and has the skating skills to stop and change direction quickly, she should be able to successful avoid cutting the track penalties.

When a skater is forced out of bounds by an opposing skater, she must re-enter behind the initiating skater EXCEPT when:

1) The initiating skater commits a penalty before the out of bounds skater re-enters.
2) The initiating skater goes out of bounds after initiating the block.
3) The initiating skater falls or takes a knee.
4) The initiating skater exits the engagement zone after initiating the block.

A skater may not re-enter bettering her position in relation to one or more opposing skaters. A skater may not re-enter bettering her position in relation to two or more teammates; a player may re-enter bettering her position in relation to a single teammate without penalty.

Rules about cutting the track fall under Section 6.11 CUTTING THE TRACK.