Rules

I. Participant Eligibility                            As of August 25th, 2026

• U7 Division: Players born in 2020, 2021, and 2022. (Allow 2019 beginners to play down)

• U9 Division: Players born in 2018 or 2019. Five underage players born in 2020 are permitted.

• U11 Division: Players born in 2016 or 2017. Five underage players born in 2018 are permitted.

• U13 Division: Players born in 2014 or 2015. Five underage players born in 2016 are permitted.

II. Team Composition & Requirements

• Roster Maximum: 25 full-time skaters and 2 goaltenders.

• Bench Staff: A maximum of 4 staff are permitted on the bench.

• Game Start Minimum: A team must have at least 1 coach, 6 skaters, and 1 goaltender to begin a game. Failure to meet this requirement will result in a forfeit.

• Player Restrictions: No LPP players are allowed. An exemption may be granted for an LPP goaltender only with prior league approval.

• To address player shortages (below 10 players), teams may call up players from their affiliated teams within the same club (e.g., U11 Team A may borrow from U9 Team A), provided all such players comply with the 12-month play-up rule, and the maximum allowed on the game-day roster is 10 players.

• For teams without an affiliate, total roster size may be 20-25 players. The game-day roster is limited to 15 skaters and 2 goalkeepers. 

• Playoff Eligibility: In order to be eligible for semi- finals and finals, a player MUST play in at least 3 regular season games.

III. Game Structure

• U7 Lohas Rink - each game will be 13 minutes, three games per night (four teams)

• U11 Lohas Rink - Three 13-minute periods of running time.

• U9, U13 Mega Ice - Three 13-minute periods of running time.

• Pre-Game: 2-minute warm-up.

• Intermissions: 30 seconds between periods.

• Faceoff at start of period: Teams must be ready for faceoff once the SECOND horn is sound. The team(s) that is/are not ready may be penalized for a 2-minutes minor Delay of Game penalty.

• Goal Review: All goals will be under review with our cameras. If a goal is scored during play but is not immediately signaled as such, the scorekeeper will sound the horn to indicate that a goal has been awarded. Play will be stopped immediately, and the game clock will be reset to the exact time at which the goal was originally scored, and face-off centre ice.

• Timeouts: Each team is allowed one 30-second timeout per game, which may be used at any time.

• Ice Resurfacing: There will be no ice cleaning between games for U11 Lohas division games only. Teams must be prepared to begin play immediately following the previous game. There will be ice cleaning after each game for the U9 and U13 Mega Ice divisions.

IV. Scoreboard Protocol

To promote sportsmanship and a positive competitive environment, the scoreboard display will be managed as follows:

• The scoreboard will display a maximum goal differential of five (5).

• If the actual goal difference exceeds five goals, the scoreboard will be capped to show a five-goal differential for the leading team. The trailing team's actual score will be displayed. (Example: An actual score of 9-2 will be displayed as 7-2).

V. Playing Rules & Regulations

• Rulebook: All games will be played under the 2026-2027 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rulebook.

• Icing: Hybrid icing is in effect. The race will be initiated from the defensive center red line. U9 and U11  are permitted to make a line change after icing is called, except U13, which are not permitted to make line change after icing is called.

• Penalties: (U9 and U11 will be running time; U13 will be stop-time)

  • Minor Penalty: 2 minutes

  • Double-Minor Penalty: 4 minutes

  • Major Penalty: 5 minutes plus a Game Misconduct

  • Misconduct Penalty: 10 minutes

• To ensure the short-handed team does not try killing penalty time by taking time to take faceoff, the referee can either drop the puck if the offensive team is ready for faceoff, or a 2 minutes minor Delay of Game penalty will be called against the short-handed team.

• Coincidental Penalties: Teams will play 5-on-5 when coincidental penalties are assessed.

VI. Stop-Time Protocol

Stop-time will be implemented under the following conditions:

• There is a two-goal or less difference at any point during the final two minutes of the game.

• If a trailing team scores to reduce a deficit to two goals, the clock will immediately switch to stop-time.

• If the leading team scores to re-establish a three-goal lead, the clock will remain in stop-time but will revert to running time immediately after the ensuing faceoff.

VII. Equipment & Apparel

• Mandatory Equipment: All players must wear full protective equipment, including a certified neck guard and a full-face shield. If a neck guard is removed or becomes unusable during play, the player must leave the ice immediately. Failure to do so will result in a two-minute minor penalty for illegal equipment.

• Team Uniforms: All players must be dressed in their official team uniform. A player not in uniform will be deemed ineligible to play.

• Jerseys: Teams must have both a dark and a light set of jerseys available. NO DUPLICATED jersey numbers on the same team (goaltenders are exempt from this rule).

VIII. Scoring & Standings

• Point System:

  • Regulation Win: 3 points

  • OT Win: 2 points

  • OT Lose: 1 point

  • Tie Game: 1 point

  • Regulation Loss: 0 points

• Tie-Breaking Procedure (in order):

  • Most Total Points

  • Most Regulation Wins

  • Head-to-Head result (applies to two-team ties only; three-way ties skip to next criterion)

  • Fewest Goals Against

  • Highest Goal Differential (GF - GA)

  • Fewest Penalty Minutes

  • Coin Toss

IX. Overtime 

• If regular season games tied after regulation, 

  • Format: One 3-minute, sudden-death overtime period.

  • Players: 3-on-3 (plus goaltenders).

  • Time: Running time.

  • Rules: No icing or offside calls.

  • If still tied after overtime, the game will end in tied and each team will be awarded 1 point.

• For Playoff, Semi-Final, and Final games, if tied after regulation:

  • Format: One 5-minute, sudden-death overtime period.

  • Players: 3-on-3 (plus goaltenders).

  • Time: Running time.

  • Rules: No icing or offside calls.

  • If still tied after overtime, a shootout will commence.

X. Shootout Procedure (To Break Ties in Playoff Games)

If a playoff, semi-final, or final game remains tied after the overtime period, a penalty-shot shootout will be used to determine a winner. The procedure is as follows:

a. Shootout Order: The team that scored the first goal in regulation time will have the choice to shoot first or second. If the regulation-time score was 0-0, a coin toss will determine the choice. The higher-seeded team will call the coin toss.

b. Goaltender Net Assignment: Goaltenders shall defend the net located on their respective team's bench side.

c. Shooting Sequence:
* Initial Round: Each team will take three shots. These shots must be taken by three different players.
* Sudden-Death: If the score remains tied after the initial three shots per team, the shootout will proceed to a sudden-death format. In this format, any player on the roster may be selected to shoot (i.e., a player may shoot more than once), and the shootout will conclude when one team scores and the other team does not score. The sequence will continue in an alternating order (Team A, then Team B) until a winner is determined.

XI. General Protocols

• Teams are required to be ready to play at least 10 minutes prior to their scheduled game time.

• Game Clock Authority: Only the on-ice referees or the official tournament organizer are authorized to stop the game clock.

• The league will provide one (1) MVP award per team at the conclusion of the season; The recipient of each team's MVP award will be determined by the other team or club coaches. There will be no League MVP, Best Forward, Best Defenseman, or Best Goaltender.

XII. Participant Code of Conduct

All participants, including players, coaches, team staff, and spectators, are expected to uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship and behavior.

• Zero Tolerance Policy: Any individual involved in physical abuse, verbal abuse, or the use of racial slurs (both on and off the ice) will be immediately disqualified from the league without any refund of fees.

• Respectful Environment: Intimidating, threatening, or harassing behavior directed at players, parents, officials, league staff, or any other individual is strictly prohibited. Violators will be required to leave the facility immediately, and law enforcement may be contacted if necessary.

• Property Damage: Individuals and their affiliated teams will be held financially and legally responsible for any negligent or willful damage caused to property within the arena or any associated facilities.

• Official Communications: Only designated team coaches and the official team manager are permitted to raise matters or discuss issues with the League Director.

• Game Scheduling: The league organizer reserves the right to reschedule any games as necessary.

• Dispute Resolution: The League Director has the final authority to clarify any rules and resolve all disputes. All decisions made by the League Director are final.