When do I start and stop the game clock?

All game time is stop time: the game and penalty clocks run during live-ball situations and stop during dead-ball situations (Rule 5.3.1). The official's whistle indicates clock start and stoppage (Rule 5.3.2).

After a goal, the official stops the game clock, and the timekeeper restarts it on the face-off whistle. The referee aims for the face-off within 20 seconds of the goal; if a team is not ready when 20 seconds expire, the other team gets possession (Rule 5.3.3).

The timekeeper keeps an accurate account of the time of each quarter, the intervals between quarters and all time-outs, and sounds the horn to resume play when an interval or time-out has elapsed. The horn in itself never stops play (Rule 4.2.2).

Source: https://lacrosse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/WL-26-28-Box-Rule-Book_Feb26.pdf