When my opponent has the ball at goalie, I routinely press my left hip against the five rod to stabilize is against the opposite wall. This adds rigidity to the rod and can occasionally get me a rebound or two. In 2012 an opponent questioned if this was an infraction, a ref (I believe it was Adrian Zamora) said it was legal as long as my hip did not interfere with the movement of my opponents rods (it doesn't). Therefore, I have continued with this defensive style.
At Nationals this year (2017), I used this and one opponent again questioned the legality. I explained my previous encounter and he was satisfied. And I continued the match as usual. After the match, my opponent came to me and said he asked an official (I'm not sure who) and they stated it was not legal.
My question is: Is that style legal? Did the ref assume I was interfering with the opponents rods? I see people use their elbows. Seems like a similar strategy. It is possible it used to be legal and that has changed, but I re read the rules and can find nothing about it.
Thanks,
Jim