Over the last two seasons, the rule book in play for high school ice hockey has been carefully altered to reduce needless contact.

Guess what?

Demanding accountability from the players along the boards has not destroyed the game. Taking out those hits from behind that make hockey moms cringe has not spoiled the fun.

It’s still a gladiator sport.

“Anything we can do to make the game safer is a good thing,” White Plains coach Howie Rubenstein said. “I haven’t seen as many serious injuries the last couple of years.”

This needs to be more than a point of emphasis that diminishes over time.

We have a number of elite teams in Section 1 that have deep rosters, but most teams have a mix of experienced travel players and recreational skaters, who are often exposed to a greater level of risk.

It makes sense to protect everyone involved.

“We don’t want to hurt anybody,” Rubenstein said. “It’s just fun. That’s what high school ice hockey is in this state. It’s a lot of fun to play for your school, but at the end of the day, you can count on one hand how many kids are going to play at the next level.”

And that is the biggest reason not to complain about playing a less physical game.

We don’t have enough research on the cumulative effect of the hundreds and hundreds of sub-concussive hits absorbed by a teenage hockey player, but common sense has to rule here.

The real question is, what took so long to remove the high-risk collisions?

Last year, the National Federation of State High School Associations made it a major penalty when a player checks, elbows, charges or trips an opponent and creates a violent collision with the boards. If the hit is deemed flagrant or results in the opponent going headfirst into the boards, it’s a major plus a misconduct or game disqualification.

And we have seen players ordered to leave the ice.

“I’m all for it,” Hen Hud coach Mike Grean said. “I tell my guys to separate the puck from the body, not the head from the body.”

This year, the NFHS made it possible for the officials to add game disqualification for elbowing, goalkeeper contact, kneeing, slashing, tripping and roughing. Intent can be awfully difficult to judge on the fly, but even inexperienced referees know violence when they see it.

“The NFHS has decided these plays are to intimidate opponents and will be dealt with accordingly,” said Larry Scapperotti, who is the rules interpreter for Section 1 and the referee-in-chief for the Westchester Ice Hockey Officials Association. “This is a statewide emphasis. They want these plays eliminated from the game and they will continue to be called.”

It seems the number of majors went down after the players adjusted last season and the reminders were swift in the opening weeks this season. Maybe we can get the officials to explain rule changes and points of emphasis at the beginning of each season when teams get together for scrimmages?

Consistency is going to be critical in February.

When the state playoffs begin, the interpretation of boarding has to be the same rink to rink no matter the location. If the foul is a major in Pelham, it needs to be a major in Beekmantown. If the state needs to lean on the officials, so be it.

It’s not the first time we’ve been down this road.

Lacrosse took steps in recent years to reduce violent collisions and stick-to-helmet contact, and the game is better than ever.

Finesse is not a bad thing.

Watch longtime rivals like Mamaroneck and Suffern or Pelham and Rye go after each other. They have always competed with a high level of respect for each other and managed to play without crossing into the danger zone long before the rules modifications.

It’s just good, clean hockey.