Tournament Rules (Niagara North Stars)

   Niagara North Front Row Sports Classic   

Nov 10-12, 2023

TOURNAMENT RULES

All OMHA, OHF and Hockey Canada rules will apply (NECK GUARDS and MOUTH GUARDS ARE MANDATORY if compulsory by your Governing Body re: Insurance Coverage) plus the following additions:  

PLEASE NOTE: ALL GAMES WILL START ON TIME - NO GAMES WILL START EARLY

1. Each team’s designated coaching staff must report to the arena for the first game 45 minutes before game time to present any necessary documentation which is owing to tournament officials. All games will start on time. 

2. Team officials must present prior to their first game, if not submitted through EventConnect Tournament Portal:

   1. An approved (by their governing body – i.e. OMHA, Alliance, GTHL, NOHA, USA Hockey, etc.) electronic Player Roster/ Declaration List and Affiliated Player List plus the corresponding team rosters that the affiliated player/players are listed on to the Tournament Designate. Only those players approved on the lists will be eligible to play. 

   2. A travel permit or letter of permission from their local hockey organization must be presented to tournament officials prior to first game. 

   3. If teams do not have the proper approved player and team official documents (as outlined in 2-a) for registration at the time of the Tournament, they will not be permitted to participate in the tournament games until the proper documents are presented. 

   4. All teams must have a Certified Trainer on the bench at all games. If a Certified Trainer cannot be available, please indicate on your gamesheet and ensure that your opponent’s Team Trainer will sign off on the game sheet for both Teams.

3. All Player and Coaching Staff Official Registration documents (as outlined in 2-a) must be available for examination at any time during the course of the Tournament upon request. 

4. All games will start at their scheduled time. Any teams failing to ice a Team (Players: minimum of 7 skaters plus 1 goaltender; Team Officials: 1 Rostered Head Coach and 1 Rostered Trainer) shall forfeit that game (1- 0). 

5. If a player is late to a game, they must be listed on the game sheet and on the ice before the end of the 2nd period. 

6. All players must wait until the ice machine is off the ice and the gate is closed before entering the ice pad.Players may be subject to suspension from the tournament for entering the ice pad early.

7. Teams will be allowed a 3 minute warm-up before each game.

8. 4 Game Guarantee in all Divisions:  Game Lengths will consist of 3 periods of: 

   1. Preliminary, Qualifiers, and Quarter Finals: 10-15-15

   2. Semi-Final and Championship Games:

      1. U10 and U11 Divisions - 10-15-15

      2. U12 and U13 Divisions - 15-15-flood-15 

9. Each team is allowed one-30 second time-out during the course of the game. (Round Robin and Playoffs)

10. Round Robin only: In the event of a five (5) or more goal differential in the third period the game will change from stop time to running time, and will continue running, provided the goal differential remains 3 or more.   

11. The Tournament Committee shall have the authority to curfew any game extended unnecessarily due to conflicts between opponents either on or off the ice, assessment of major penalties, disputes with referees, etc.

12. All players must use CSA approved equipment including mouth guards - as per the stipulation of your Governing Body re: Insurance Coverage. Goaltenders must use CSA approved helmets, neck guards, drop shields and mouth guards as per the stipulation of your Governing Body re: Insurance Coverage.

13. ALL PLAYERS MUST LEAVE HELMETS ON UNTIL THEY LEAVE THE ICE. The team designated as the HOME team must occupy the HOME bench and wear DARK colour jerseys while the team designated as the VISITOR team must occupy the VISITOR bench and wear LIGHT colour jerseys. Home and Visitor Teams are designated as such on the Official Electronic Game Sheet.

14. All game suspensions shall be assessed as per the OHF minimum suspension list

Championship Qualifications

*For U12 Division: QUARTER FINAL SEEDING: Seeds 1-4 will be the winners of each pool, seeds 5-8 will be the 2nd place finishers of each pool. 

The tournament committee may reserve the right to adjust quarter final/consolation seeding based on previous round robin match-ups or league play.

**All ties and wildcards will be determined according to the formulas below

Points/Standings/Wildcards:

1. Point system for the Round Robin games – Points will be awarded as follows:

   1. 2 points for winning the game. 

   2. 1 point for a tied game.

2. A maximum goal differential of +7 (or -7 for losing team) will be entered for each game. 

3. If there is a tie between the Teams in the Pool to determine standings at the end of the Preliminary Round – the following procedure will be used to break the tie:

   1. Two Teams Tied

      1.  The winner of the Round-Robin game between the two tied teams gains the higher position.

      2. The team with the most wins in the Round-Robin gains the higher position.

      3. If the two teams are still tied after a.i and a.ii have been applied, then the team with the best goal average gains the higher position. The goal average of a team is to be determined in the following manner:  

Total number of goals for divided by the total number of goals for and against. NOTE: All Round-Robin games are included. 

Example: Goals for 10 - Goals against 4: Percentage: 10 divided by (10 + 4) = .714

4. If the two teams are still tied after a.i, a.ii and a.iii have been applied, the team with the least number of minutes in penalties throughout all of the Round-Robin games, gains the higher position. All misconducts are to be included in the penalty minute count.

5. If the two teams are still tied after a.i, a.ii, a.iii and a.iv have been applied, and then the team which scored the first goal in the game between the tied teams gains the higher position.

6. If the two teams are still tied after a.i, a.ii, a.iii, a.iv and a.v have been applied, a single coin toss will determine which team gains the higher position.

2. Three or More Teams Tied

Note: The three-team tiebreaker is used to determine the seeding of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th seed. If any step in the tiebreaker only seeds one team, that team assumes that position. The three-team tiebreaker will continue to determine the seeding of the remaining teams. At no time will teams using this formula go back to the two-team tiebreaker. 

1. If three teams or more are tied, the point record established in the games among the tied teams only will be used as the first tie breaking formula in deciding which team(s) shall advance. This is used only when you have 5 Teams in a division. For a 4 Team Division please start the tiebreaker at b.iii

2. If the teams are still tied after b.i has been applied, the team with the most wins (among the tied teams) would gain the highest position.

3. If the teams are still tied after b.i and b.ii have been applied, then the team with the best goal average gains the highest position. The goal average of a team is to be determined in the following manner:  

Total number of goals for divided by the total number of goals for and against. NOTE: All Round-Robin games are included. 

Example: Goals for 10 - Goals against 4: Percentage: 10 divided by (10 + 4) = .714

Note: The exercise of b.iii establishes the team or teams with the highest position(s) by percentage. These teams will advance. If there are still teams tied, they go to the next step. They do not go back to the “two Team Tiebreaker”.

Example A: 

Team A - .714 = 1st Seed – Advances

Team B - .500 = 3rd Seed – Does not Advance 

Team C - .650 = 2nd Seed – Advances

Example B: 

Team A - .714 = 1st Seed – Advances

Team B - .500 = Still tied with Team C – go to next step b.iv 

Team C - .500 = Still tied with Team B – go to next step b.iv

Example C: 

Team A - .650 = Still tied with Team B – go to next step b.iv

Team B - .650 = Still tied with Team A – go to next step b.iv 

Team C - .500 = Does not Advance

4. If the teams are still tied after b.i, b.ii and b.iii have been applied; the team with the fewest goals against (all Round-Robin games played) will gain the highest position.

5. If the teams are still tied after b.i, b.ii, b.iii and b.iv have been applied; the team with the most goals for (all Round-Robin games played) will gain the highest position.

6. If the teams are still tied after b.i, b.ii, b.iii, b.iv and b.v have been applied; the teams to qualify would be the team that received the least number of minutes in penalties throughout the Round-Robin games.

7. If the teams are still tied after b.i, b.ii, b.iii, b.iv, b.v and b.vi have been applied; a coin toss shall determine the winner. In a three team coin toss, the odd team (three coins are tossed) gains the highest position.

OVERTIME FORMAT

1. Round-Robin Games – NO Overtime will be played in round-robin games

2. Quarter Finals, Semi-Finals and Championship Games

   1. 3 on 3 for 10 minutes - sudden death. The team’s goalies will not switch ends following the end of regulation, nor will there be a flood, prior to the overtime

   2. A penalty assessed in overtime will result in the opposing team gaining a 1 man advantage for the duration of the penalty, until the first whistle following the expiration of the penalty.

   3. If no goal is scored after the 10 minutes of 3 on 3, the NHL shootout format will be applied.  

      1. 3 shooters per team.  If tied, shootout continues in sudden death fashion until a winner is determined

      2. No player may shoot a second time until all other players have shot once

      3. At the end of the overtime period, if a player is in the box on a MINOR penalty, the penalty expires and he is allowed to shoot in the shootout. In the case of a MAJOR penalty the player is not eligible for the shootout.

   4. A face off at Center Ice will occur at the beginning of the 10 minute overtime period in the Overtime Process.

**No protests will be accepted. The Tournament Committee's decisions will be final.**

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