Rules 

Location: Tom Harris Chevrolet Cadillac Parking Lot

Logistics: 3-on-3-ball-hockey tournament. Teams are allowed to have up to 8 players including goalie. Minimum roster is 6 players including a goalie. All teams must provide their own goalie and gear. All players require gloves. Fighting will not be tolerated. Referees will be provided. Games will be 2 X 10 minute halves, running time. Penalty-shots will be awarded for all penalizations; the person who is victimized will be the one awarded the shot. The last 2 minutes of the last half of Final and Semi-Final games will be stop time.

Structure:

This will be a one-day tournament consisting of 10 teams. The group of teams will be randomly divided into 2 pools: Every team will play four games within their pool, thus, every team will play every other team in their pool. At the end of this round robin the top two teams will advance into a final grouping of 4 teams; a bronze medal game will be played between the 2nd place team from each group followed by a championship game to be played by the first seed from each pool. Goals matter for two reasons: goal-difference will be counted to settle ties in round robin play, for example, 15 goals for and 10 goals against = +5 rating; goal-difference will be counted to rank the final 8. In case of a tie, goals for will be counted. For score keeping purposes records will not recognize goal differential in excess of five goals. For example: if the final score of a game is 9-1 the winning team will be credited for a plus five-goal tally. Ties in games, at the end of regulation, will be settled with a best-of-three shootout (employing traditional shootout rules).

RULES

Referee discretion is an important part of any sporting event. The Referee's decision is FINAL. There should be no arguing of calls by participants or spectators. The team captain, who is the sole representative of the team, may question calls. These policies shall be strictly enforced with a zero-tolerance approach. Penalties awarded as a result of excessive arguing are made at the sole discretion of the Referee.

PLAY

  1. Each team must have a minimum of 4, and a maximum of 8, players, including the goalie, on its roster. Games cannot be played with less than three offensive players.
  2. No roster changes are allowed after the first scheduled game. Some roster changes may be permitted prior to the team's first scheduled game. All players must carry ID (photo ID for adults, birth certificates for minors) during check-in and throughout the event. Officials reserve the right to check ID at any time throughout the event and to disqualify players and/or their team for not carrying ID, for submission of false information, use of non-roster players, unauthorized substitutions, and/or bad sportsmanship of any kind.
  3. All games will be played 3-on-3, not including the goaltender.
  4. The ball will change possession after every goal scored.
  5. During play, alternates can substitute as they deem necessary and/or "on the fly." No stoppage in play is necessary to make substitutions. However, a team needs to be especially careful not to get penalized for "too many men on the street" when making "on the fly" changes.
  6. There can be no goal changes made during games, except in the case of injury. If a goalie leaves a game due to injury, he/she cannot return to the game in an "out" position.
  7. When the ball is covered by the goaltender, the defending team gets possession of the ball behind their goal. The offensive team must give the team with the ball 3 meters of space to make a play. The team with possession is allowed 5 seconds to put the ball in play.
  8. When a ball leaves play: If the ball goes out over the backdrop off the offensive team: The defending team receives possession of the ball behind its own net. The opposing team must give the team with the ball 3 meters of space to make a play. The team with possession is allowed a maximum of 5 seconds to put the ball back into play (after retrieving it). If the ball goes over the backdrop off the defensive team: The offensive team receives possession of the ball at the place closest to where the ball left play. The defending team must allow the offensive team 3 meters of space to make a play. The offensive team is allowed a maximum of 5 seconds to put the ball back into play (after retrieving it). If the ball leaves play at either side of the rink, the team that the ball did not go off of receives possession at the spot where the ball left play. The referee will determine which team should have possession. Again that team is given 3 metres of space and 5 seconds of time to make a play.
  9. After a goal is scored: There is no face-off. The team that was scored on gets possession and must execute play [i.e. cross the center line] within 10 seconds. If they fail to do so, the other team may encroach aggressively. The defending team must clear and cannot cross the centerline until the ball, or an offensive player, crosses that line. However, this rule is not in effect during the final 5 minutes of play – the purpose of this rule is to avoid stalling by the team who was scored on and to intensify the final minutes of each game. After a goal is scored in the final 5 minutes of play, the team scored on gets possession behind their net, but is subject to immediate fore-checking (i.e. the team without possession must clear to the half line but may then cross the center line immediately). However, the fore- checking team must still give the team with possession 8 ft. of space and 5 seconds to make a play!

TIME

  1. Teams will be given a 3-minute warm-up.
  2. A 10-minute forfeit allowance will be strictly enforced.
  3. Games will be 20 minutes in length (Two – 10 minute halves, running time). The last two minutes of each PLAYOFF, SEMI-FINAL, AND FINAL games will be stop time.
  4. Each team will be allowed one (1), 30-second time out.

PENALTIES

  1. There shall be no slashing, hooking, tripping, crosschecking, high-sticking, or inappropriate stick work. Penalty-shots will be awarded for all penalizations; the person who is victimized will be the one awarded the shot. Referee discretion is an important part of any sporting event. Referee's decision is FINAL. There should be no arguing of calls by participants or spectators. Arguing calls by either of these parties will result in a penalty shot being awarded to the other team on the first offense, and a team being disqualified from a game as a result of the second offense. Calls may be questioned, but only by a team captain, who is the sole representative of the team. These policies shall be strictly enforced with a zero-tolerance approach. Penalties awarded as a result of excessive arguing are made at the sole discretion of the Referee. More serious offenses, including but not limited to spearing and/or butt ending, shall result in an individual being immediately removed from a tournament.
  2. Fighting is unacceptable and will result in the individual, or individuals, involved being removed from the tournament. The public setting of these events means that fighting may also have legal ramifications.
  3. There shall be no pushing, shoving, checking, or roughhousing of any kind. Doing so shall result in at least a penalty shot for the other team, but may be punished more severely according to the discretion of the referee.
  4. There shall be no stalling. Stalling is called at the discretion of the official. Doing so shall result in a penalty shot for the other team.
  5. Any player that gets penalized three times during one game for incidents mentioned above must sit out the remainder of that game. The team will be forced to play the remainder of the game short-handed (i.e. 2-on-3). The player in question may be subject to more serious punishment (i.e. ejection from the tournament), if the Referee or Supervisor deems necessary. In addition, the entire team may be removed from the tournament based on the questionable actions of one team member.
  6. If any player touches the ball while his/her team has 5 players on the court, it shall be ruled a "too many players on the court" penalty and the opposing team shall be awarded a penalty shot.
  7. Penalty shots are taken immediately after an infraction. There are no man advantage situations created as a result of a penalty. Penalty shots are taken with the ball being placed at center ice according to breakaway type format. Any individual can take all penalty shots for a team if it so chooses.
  8. Any contact made with the ball when the stick is above the crossbar will be penalized with a penalty shot. Penalties awarded as a result of making contact with the ball with a high stick also do not count against the "two penalties and you are out" rule.

SHOOT-OUTS

  1. If a game reaches the time limit in a tie, the teams will go into a shootout to determine the winner. Each team will nominate 3 players from their own team to participate in the shootout. Each of these nominees will be given one breakaway on the opposing goaltender. The team with the most number of goals at the end of the shootout will be declared the winner. If the score remains tied after the shootout round, the same 3 players will then participate in the next round of the shootout. Shootout rounds continue until one team emerges the winner.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

  1. Goaltenders will bring their own goaltender equipment. The Referee reserves the right to reject the use of this equipment if it is deemed unsafe or unfair to the opposing team. Pads may be no wider than 13".
  2. Sticks and running shoes will NOT be provided and are required by all participants. All sticks are subject to examination by the referee prior to each game. Any type of stick (wood, graphite, plastic blade, etc.) is fine, but if they are chipped, sharp, or deemed potentially dangerous at any time before or during game action, their use will not be allowed.
  3. Gloves, helmets, eye protection, jocks and mouth guards are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED for all participants, but are not mandatory.

OTHER RULES

  1. Unless otherwise notified, all printed schedules are operative only through the first game for all teams. After that, each team is advised to check the Master Scoreboard for all schedules, times, rinks, revisions, and other important information. We reserve the right to reduce the number of games or shorten games in the case of inclement weather or any other unforeseen circumstances.
  2. A player must leave the game when an abrasion has flowing blood. Once the flow has stopped and there is no chance of blood contacting other players, the player with the abrasion may re-enter the game.
  3. Slap shots are allowed; the stick blade may not rise above the player's waist during any shot.