Tournament Rules & Structure

Gameplay & Rules

30 minute long 4 v 4 games with a 2 minute “halftime” break.

Only 8 players are allowed to dress for a game.

Gameplay includes traditional wooden pond hockey goals and short-boards around the perimeter to keep the puck in play.

Teams are guaranteed 4 games, with the fourth game being the first round of a single elimination playoff bracket.

Equipment: skates, helmet, shin pads, elbows, jock and gloves. Additional equipment is allowed but not required.

Teams are responsible for arriving to the rink with enough time to dry scrape their end of the ice before each game. Shovels are provided.

No checking.

No sticks or pucks above the waist.

Players are not allowed to lay down or kneel to protect their own goal.

NO GOALTENDING

No goalies, goalie equipment, or camping in front of your own goal is allowed. First goaltending infraction will result in a warning, the second will result in a penalty shot, after which the scorekeeper has the right to award a goal will be awarded to the opposing team for each ensuing infraction.

Any player on the shooting team roster can take a penalty shot.

In the event of a penalty shot, the team shooting will also receive ensuing possession of the puck, regardless of outcome.

Each half will begin with a faceoff: “hockey 1, hockey 2, hockey 3”. If teams agree, they may elect to start each half with alternating possession instead of a faceoff.

If a puck leaves the rink, the team touching it last will lose possession, the player awarded possession will be given 10 feet of space before play restarts.

Icing will not be called.

Goals can be scored from anywhere on the rink.

After a goal is scored, the scoring team must regroup on their own half of the ice before resuming play. No faceoff after a goal.

Players who cause intentional physical contact, or put themself and others at risk of injury, will be removed from play and their team must play a man down for the remainder of the game. This same rule applies to verbally abusing the scorekeepers or spectators. If a player is removed from a second game, they are expelled from the tournament and their team will play down a player for all remaining games.

In the event of a playoff game ending in a tie, play will move to a sudden-death Braveheart: one vs one with a puck-drop to start. During a braveheart: players may substitute on the fly by physically “tagging in” a teammate, no positional advantage may be gained by entering the ice from a different bench location.

Rosters are final after a team checks in. Players are only allowed to compete with one team. Should a player be caught playing on multiple rosters they will be ejected from the tournament.

At the end of each game, team captains will confirm the final score with the scorekeeper before it is submitted. Scores can not be disputed after being posted.

In the event of a forfeit, the winning team will be awarded three points and a game score that averages their production from games already played (for playoff seeding purposes).