Hat Trick Ball Hockey

Administrative Regulations

•All players must complete a waiver form to play.

•Players that are under the age of 18 must have their waiver form completed by a parent or guardian. Violation of this rule could result in suspension/legal charges.

•Deposits and registration fees are non-refundable.

Equipment

•All stick blades, including goalies, must have the league provided "velcro strip" on the bottom of their blades prior to stepping on the floor.

•Any player under the age of 18 must wear full face protection (cage or bubble).

•Hockey sticks must be in good condition. Plastic sticks are not permitted.

•Team shirts must be the same color and numbers are recommended for stats purposes. Players that don’t have the same color shirt as their teammates can be removed from the game.

•Although not mandatory, we strongly suggest the use of a helmet with face protection, mouth guard, hockey gloves, shin pads, elbow pads and a protective cup for your own safety.

Rosters

*Unless specified below, all references to players, include goalies.

•Game day rosters are limited to 13 players.

• Important: All players, full time or spares, must have 4 regular season games to be eligible for a team in the playoffs. *Captains, it is your responsibility to ensure your team roster is accurate on the website.

•Players can only play on one team per division unless they are a paid full-time player on another roster and/or the player is approved by the league.

Furthermore, if divisions are required, the rules, bolded below, will be updated and shared with captains.

-"A" division teams are allowed to pick up any player from any division whether inside or outside the league as long as they are not already on an "A" roster.

-Teams in the "B" division cannot use "A" players unless full time or pre-approved by the league. They can pick up players from the "C" division who are not considered "A" level players and any outside spares will be assessed to determine if they qualify as "A" level players and captains will be made aware.

-Teams in the "C" division cannot use "A" or "B" level players unless full time or pre-approved by the league. They can pick up players from outside the league and spares will be assessed to determine if they qualify as higher level players and captains will be made aware.

•Injured players can sign in with the scorekeeper and it will count as a game played. The player won't count towards the 13-player game roster.

•In the regular season, goalies can be borrowed from other teams no matter the division or brought in from outside the league.

•In the playoffs, all goalies must have the required number of games to play. If they do not have enough games to qualify, their replacement must be approved in advance by the league to ensure fairness.

NOTE: Teams using “A” level goalies to spare during the regular season can be denied being able to use them come playoffs even if they qualify if it is deemed an upgrade on their division roster. Also, teams cannot replace their goalie to allow their goalie to play as a player unless approved by the league.

•The league holds the right to request proof of identification from a player if required. False information can result in further discipline towards the team, captain and/or player.

•Teams require a minimum of 4 players to start a game.

•In circumstances where a team does not have 4 players, officials or the league will start running the clock 5 minutes after the scheduled start time and the game will be deemed a forfeit once 5 minutes has run off the clock or 10 minutes past the scheduled start time. Once the clock has been started, if the team in question gets enough players to play, they will be assessed a delay of game penalty which must be served right away.

•If a goalie gets injured during a game, the team has 5 minutes to find a replacement. Failure to do so will result in the team playing with 5 runners.

•Only the team captain is permitted to communicate with the referees and the scorekeeper.

Gameplay

•The format is 4 on 4, plus goalies.

•Teams are to remain on the same side/bench for the entire game. If a team wants to change at the intermission due to an advantage, they must request it with an official before the start of the second half.

•Teams are responsible for their own balls in the warm-up.

•Games will consist of two 20-minute (run time) periods. A short intermission will be provided in between periods.

•Each team has one timeout per game.

•We will stop time when the score is within 2 goals in the last 2 minutes of play. If the game is tied in the last 2 minutes the clock will continue to run.

•If a team gets a (10) goal lead at any point during a game, the game is officially over by mercy. Teams or players can request to use the remainder of the floor time as long as league officials approve. If approved, play must finish 10 minutes prior to the start of the next game. There will be no faceoffs or stats kept and a league official must be present.

•The scorekeeper holds the right to run the time to ensure we stay on schedule. Should this take place, both teams will be notified.

•If the referee is unsure of a goal or penalty, they can consult the scorekeeper at their own discretion.

•The scorekeeper can stop a game to speak with a referee and a call can be reversed after such discussion.

•If a default occurs, the final score will be 10-0.

•If a regular season game ends in a tie, we go directly to a sudden death shootout.

•Each team sends one player, and they shoot at the same time. Since its sudden death, if one player scores and the other does not, the game is over.

•If still tied after 3 shooters, the team who scored first in the game decides if they shoot or defend in the "final shot". If the game was scoreless, we will randomly select a team.

•No player can shoot twice, unless shooting in the “final shot”.

•The final shot determines the winner of the game, based on the one play. If the player scores, their team gets the win, however, if the player does not score, the goalie's team gets the win.

•In a playoff game, sudden death overtime will be played, running time. We will begin with 4 on 4 for 4 minutes. If no one scores, we then go 3 on 3 for 3 minutes. If still tied, we move on to a 3-player shootout. If still tied after the 3-player shootout, we move on to a sudden death shootout. No one can shoot twice until the entire team has shot.

•If point standings are tied after the regular season, we will rank in this order:

-Wins

-Total points in head-to-head matchups

-Goal differential

-Goals against

-Goals for

-Least amount of team penalty minutes

If three or more teams are tied, the total points in head-to-head matchups are not considered. Wins is the first tie breaker, followed by goal differential, etc.

•Hand passes are permitted inside your half (defensive zone).

•Faceoffs following penalties will be in the offending team’s zone, unless penalties are off setting.

•If the play is stopped due to an injury, the injured player must leave the floor.

•Everything is live, this includes walls, ceilings and basketball nets etc.

Penalties

We will follow NHL penalty guidelines with a few exceptions noted below.

Minors = 2:00 minutes

Any shot where the stick goes above the shoulders which includes wind up and/or follow through. NOTE: Goalies are an exception from this rule, unless they make contact with a player.

Any stick above your shoulders that makes contact with the ball.

Swinging a stick recklessly.

Diving or sliding which interferes with a player or is deemed dangerous, whether or not the ball was touched first.

If a goalie leaves their crease to get involved in an altercation.

Playing without the velcro strip on the bottom of your blade.

Double Minors = 4:00 minutes

Any high stick that contacts another player above the shoulders.

Head contact, including face wash.

Any minor penalty deemed by the ref to be excessive and not warranting a major/match penalty.

Majors/Match Penalty = 5:00 minutes

Any penalty in which the ref deems excessive, intent to injure or a reckless play, includes accidental.

Players who are assessed a major penalty, automatically receive a game misconduct. The penalty must be served by a player on the floor.

Misconduct = 10:00 minutes

Player will serve the misconduct in the penalty box; however, the team is not shorthanded.

Any player that is assessed a 2^nd misconduct penalty in the same game shall automatically be assessed a game misconduct penalty.

Game/Gross Misconduct

Players who are assessed a game/gross misconduct are ejected from the game and could face further discipline. A player who gets ejected must leave the floor and bench area. Failure to do so can result in a bench penalty and/or further discipline.

Other

•A team can go down to no less than two players on the floor when killing penalties.

•Any player which receives 3 penalties in one game is ejected from the game. Minor high stick penalties do not count towards the 3-penalty rule. Double minors count as one penalty towards the player, unless stated otherwise by the referee. A delayed penalty or a penalty shot counts as a penalty against the offending player.

•Any player that comes off the bench will receive a 2-minute bench minor and game misconduct. If multiple players leave the bench at the same time, the player deemed to be the first off the bench will be penalized.

•If a referee awards a penalty shot, the player fouled must take the penalty shot unless injured. If injured, the player taking the shot must have been on the floor.

•Referees can assess a delay of game penalty towards any action deemed intentional.

•Offensive players are not permitted to station themselves in the crease area. Refs can blow the play dead if they believe no effort is being made to leave the crease and the faceoff will return to the player’s defensive zone.

Suspensions, Fines and more

•The league will assess suspensions, fines and expulsions when required to maintain the integrity of the league and for everyone’s safety. These are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and the league has the final decision in each case. Fines are enforced as a deterrent and the fine money collected will be used to reward fair play.

•When a suspension is assessed, it applies to all HTBHL leagues, therefore, you cannot play HTBHL until the full suspension is served.

•All major/match penalties and game/gross misconducts come with a $20 team fine and an automatic league review to determine if further action is required.

•If any player receives a combination of 2 game ejections/misconducts in one season they will be automatically suspended for 1 game and fined $20. The following ejection/misconduct could result in further discipline including being suspended for the remainder of the season.

•Any forfeit within 7 calendar days of your game will result in a team fine of $50. If a forfeit occurs, the final score will be 10-0.

•All fines must be paid before the following game.

•Both referees or the league can cancel a game due to a player’s behavior and such could result in a loss for that team.

•Should a game be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, the league will attempt to reschedule the game. If it can’t be rescheduled, no refunds will be issued.

•Captains are responsible for their teams and their spectators.

•The league holds the right to expel players that don’t abide by our rules and regulations.

•All actions taken on or against the facility property before, during or after games can also result in league suspensions/fines/expulsion.

•Use of Illicit drugs and/or alcohol is prohibited on all facility property. Any player who is suspected of being intoxicated by the league, officials or facility staff must leave the premises immediately, and can result in league suspensions/fines/expulsion.