Rules Q: Attacking Player in Crease w/ Goalie Pulled

[SJGoalie32]

Goaltender is pulled, empty net, 6 on 5 situation.

The team with 5 skaters brings the puck into the zone, trying to score on the empty net. One of the defenders on the opposing team sets up in the crease to basically play goalie and block shots.

As there is no designated goaltender on the ice for the defending team, only skaters, is there any restriction on the attacking team sending a forward into the crease before the shot? Basically standing in the crease and preventing the defending team from establishing position?

Any restriction on using a body or a stick to interfere with a defender in the crease--jostling for position or lifting his stick while he attempts to block a shot?

Obviously these things would be illegal if done to a designated goalie in the crease, and they would be legal done to a defender outside the crease, but I am wondering if they would still be illegal if done to a skating defender in the crease while trying to score on an empty net.

Focused mainly on rec league here, so USA hockey rules.

I would imagine it is legal to enter the crease and interfere with a defender positioned inside the paint (within the otherwise normal rules of contact--no tripping, holding, roughing, etc.....)

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[Filthy Dangles]

No there is no rule I am aware of preventing you from boxing out or battling with a D in a vacated net.

But in my years of playing competitive hockey I’ve never encountered such a situation where you would be posting up on the crease like that on a 5v6 situation.

 

[SJGoalie32]

No there is no rule I am aware of preventing you from boxing out or battling with a D in a vacated net.

But in my years of playing competitive hockey I’ve never encountered such a situation where you would be posting up on the crease like that on a 5v6 situation.

Well, it's rec league and sometimes goalies either show up late or don't show up at all and you're unable to find an emergency sub at puck drop.

We recently played a full 1st period with no goalie. There were multiple faceoffs in the defensive zone. I basically set up in the crease and played "goalie" with skater gear to block shots until we could clear the zone.

The opposing team largely stayed out of the crease and avoided in-crease contact.....even though they seemingly didn't have to. They tried to take position on top of the crease after face off wins instead of inside it. Didn't even try to stick check me while I was making "saves."

I think it was probably a combination of not wanting to be jerks (they didn't even take any slapshots until about midway through the period when they realize they weren't scoring with simple wrist shots off of zone entries) and not realizing how far they could legally press their advantage.

Frankly it didn't even occur to me until after the game that perhaps they could have legally just backed up into me to nudge me out of position.

Like you say, it's not something that comes up often, so I don't think they knew what to do and what was legal