Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Kerry, How does Alex Galchenyuk get called for tripping Carl Hagelin in the neutral zone in the second period? Where was the official watching this from? Looked like Hagelin took a dive over Galchenyuks foot! Martin,Peterborough, ON Martin: Carl Hagelin did not deliberately take a dive or embellish his fall in an attempt to draw a penalty as he picked up a loose puck on a turnover at the red line. Hagelin made a sweeping cut turn as he attempted to reverse his direction toward the Montreal zone and in doing so both of his skates made independent contact with the left skate blade of Alex Galchenyuk. Hagelins lose of balance, forward momentum and attempt to advance the puck as he was falling contributed to an impression some might hold that the Rangers player took a dive. In the eyes of one referee it was deemed a trip and resulted in a power play goal. Referee Dan OHalloran trailed the play out of the Montreal end zone on the players bench side after Andrei Markov flipped the puck into the neutral zone. When the skate contact between Hagelin and Galchenyuk occurred, OHalloran was approximately mid to three quarters toward the Habs blue line and looking directly into and through neutral zone player traffic. From this location the referee would not have been able to draw an angle on the play and erroneously determined that Galchenyuk had committed a tripping infraction. Hindsight is, as they say, 20/20 and you can be certain that the referee wishes he had not perceived the play as he did. This play demonstrates the magnitude and potential consequence that a penalty call can have on a game and possibly even a series. Hockey is an extremely fast paced game. We know that officials, players and coaches make mistakes. In an effort to minimize errors in judgment the official needs to find the very best location in advance to judge a play; to find that perfect "replay angle" in real time whenever humanly possible. I have often referenced an officials positioning in answer to your questions. One aspect of officiating that I havent written about much (and probably more important than having your feet in the right place) is for the official to have his head in the right place to avoid overreacting or being fooled on a play. It is crucial that every official sustain a rock-solid level of concentration throughout the game; especially as he deals with self-imposed pressure and excessive amounts of pressure exerted upon him externally. We often hear broadcasters refer to a high level of "energy or intensity" that is displayed by a player or team. A referee observes the game as it is being played in the moment; but more importantly, he must "think" the game with an "intensity of focus and concentration" that doesnt allow for any distractions to adversely affect his judgment. The referees perception of a play becomes his reality. He must silence the crowd in his head by letting the noise pass through his ears as a meaningless background effect. The ref must also move on from confrontations with players and coaches to keep his mental awareness where it belongs. To accomplish this task, an internal running dialogue or play-by-play commentary can be implemented by the referee to remain focused. (I often implemented this procedure to intensify my focus and concentration.) An official that sustains a state of intense concentration is much less likely to overreact or misread a play. A referee that is dialed into the zone can better differentiate between legitimate fouls and allowable contact in all locations on the ice. Finally, there cant be any guess work at this time of the season. If a ref is not 100 per cent sure a foul was committed, he should never raise his arm. MIAMI -- Making one free throw at the end of regulation wasnt enough for the Miami Heat, nor was making just one again at the end of the first overtime. In the second extra session, one made all the difference for Minnesota. Corey Brewer hit one of two free throws with 1.8 seconds left after getting a call on an awkward-looking play, and that was enough to help the Timberwolves escape a three-hour thriller with a 122-121 victory over the Heat on Friday night. "Great call," Brewer said. "He pushed my back." Kevin Love scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Minnesota, which got 24 from Chase Budinger, 15 from Gorgui Dieng and 13 apiece from JJ Barea and Ricky Rubio, who also added 14 assists. Referee Ken Mauer called the last foul on Miamis Norris Cole, who was guarding Brewer near the basket as a pass was coming his way. "You just want to see the players decide it at the end," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said calmly after the game. "I didnt get a good look at the replay. ... Still, we had many more opportunities to close that game out." Ray Allen missed a wild jumper as time expired for Miami, which blew a chance to move two games clear of Indiana in the loss column atop the Eastern Conference standings. "We gutted one out," Love said. "This was a fun win." LeBron James scored 34 points for the Heat, who got a season-high 24 from Mario Chalmers and 24 more from Chris Bosh, including a tying 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left in the second overtime. James said he wanted the last shot. Its the second straight end-of-game play where Miami didnt go to James when trailing. "Its a little frustrating," James said, wearing a Pharrell Williams-esque mountain hat at his locker after the game. "Im a little over it right now, but right after the game I was a little frustrated." Miami went 24 for 30 from the line, but three of those six misses proved particularly costly. James missed one of two free throws with 16.2 seconds to go, and Chalmers missed the first of two on his trips to the line in the final seconds of both regulation and the first overtime. "We had our chances," Spoelstra said. "Either a key stop, one less turnover, a free throow here or there, we had our opportunities.dddddddddddd. They made one last play." Said Chalmers, who was 8 for 10 from the line: "I missed the two most important ones." The Heat (52-23, .693) remained percentage points ahead of Indiana (53-24, .688), which lost earlier Friday night at Toronto, 102-94. Regulation and the first overtime ended in virtually the same fashion. With Minnesota up by one and Miami in desperation mode, Chalmers would make the second of two free throws -- with 3.9 seconds left in the fourth, then with 1.9 seconds left in the first extra session -- to tie the game, followed by the Heat watching a potential winning jumper by Love bounce off the rim. But Love hit a clutch 3-pointer in the second OT, helping swing the tide one last time. "Hes one of a kind," Rubio said. "We try to look for him all the time. He made tough shots. He gave us the game." There were nine lead changes in the entirety of regulation. There were 10 in the first OT alone. Budingers fifth 3-pointer of the night put Minnesota up 107-106 late in the first extra period. Bosh fought for an offensive rebound on the next Miami possession, wound up getting fouled and coolly making a pair of free throws to give the Heat a one-point edge. Minnesota called its next play for Love, who backed Bosh down and connected on a jump hook to reclaim that one-point lead. But Chalmers wound up drawing another foul, hit the second shot and off to double-overtime they went. By then, it was obvious that whichever team lost was going to have a long night of lamenting missed opportunities. "To get a win like this on the road against the world champions, it says a lot," Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said. NOTES: Allen returned from a five-game absence caused by the flu. ... Miami was again without Dwyane Wade (hamstring) and Greg Oden (back spasms). ... It was Rubios first time playing at Miami. ... Minnesota was again without C Nikola Pekovic (ankle), who has missed 21 of the Timberwolves last 31 games. ... A foul by Budinger saved Minnesota two points late in the third; he hit James on a play where Allen made a 3-pointer. After review, Allens 3 was correctly taken off the board and James only made one of his two ensuing free throws. 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