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Lax 101: Terms of the Turf

Body Check: Used to slow an opponent who has the ball; must be above the waist and below the neck.

Breakaway: One-on-one (shooter on goalie) scoring opportunity.

Cradle: Method used to keep the ball inside the pocket of the stick by rocking it back and forth.

Crease: Only the goalie can stand in this nine-foot radius with the ball. Shooters or their teammates can not stand on (or inside) the line or their goals won't count. Any violation of this rule will disallow the goal.

Crosscheck: An defensive strategy using the shaft of the stick to push on an opponent to force a missed or bad shot.

Hidden Ball Play: A player without the ball cradles his stick, drawing the attention of the defense, while a teammate who has the ball passes or shoots on net.

Loose Ball: Occurs when there is no possession and the ball is bouncing, rolling, or rebounding off the boards or goaltender.

Major Penalty: Five minutes in the penalty box for infractions such as boarding from the rear, face masking, fighting and spearing.

Man Down: When a team has at least one player in the penalty box.

Minor Penalty: Two minute penalty; there are different types including delay of game, contact from the rear, holding, illegal bodychecking, slashing, and tripping, for example.

Offensive Pick: The legal interference by an offensive player from a set position on a defensive player who is trying to defend the ball carrier.

Outlet Pass: The first pass from the goaltender that begins the transition from defense to offense.

Penalty Box: Where a player goes to sit while serving a two and/or five minute offense.

Power Play: When a team has an extra man advantage because the other team has at least one player in the penalty box.

Screen Shot: When the goaltender can't see a shot because someone is in the way.

Shorthanded: When one team has one or more players in the penalty box and the opponent is at full-strength, or his one less penalized player on the turf.

Loss of Possession: Illegal screens, touching the ball in play, pushing, and illegal procedure are among the acts that can cause a team to lose possession of the ball.