Section D - Game Regulations
Rule No. 1 Length of Games
All M.O.H.A. league games will be of three periods of ten minutes stop time. If time permits, the convenor at his discretion may increase the length of the periods. If such a decision is made by the convenor before the game the respective coaches must be informed. If such a decision is made during the game the concurrence of both coaches is required.
Where a game is running behind schedule, the convenor may have to shorten the final period. Coaches will be advised of this decision as soon as possible. A game will be deemed complete after the first two full periods if stopped for any reason.
Where a curfew time has been established the game shall be deemed to be complete when the curfew time has been reached.
Quick line changes and period transitions will help to ensure that teams get their maximum playing time and potentially longer games.
Period transition "coaching" breaks and "time-outs" are NOT allowed in House League play.
Referees will be instructed to assess a bench minor "delay of game penalty" for abuse of this rule.
Rule No. 2 Game Period Use
All Red teams shall play scheduled games in accordance with Rule No. 1. Initiation teams up to and including Minor Atom Red and White, may at the discretion of the House League Committee, use up to 33% of the allotted game time for practice and the balance of the time for their allotted schedule game. This option expires at Christmas each season.
Rule No. 3 Player Participation
A Coach shall, at his own discretion, set his team structure pertaining to the positions played (forward or defense) based on player ability and talent. He shall be permitted to change these player assignments at his discretion. However, in the course of any one game, it is expected that players will be maintained in their assigned roles to support monitoring of the fixed playing structure.
It is the policy of the M.O.H.A. that all house league players should receive as equal an amount of ice time as possible.
Checks will be made by League officials. If it is found that player participation in any game is not within the prescribed limits, a report will be referred to the Discipline Committee for study and action. If, in their opinion, there was no valid justification for an identified violation, the Coach of the game in question may be suspended from the next regularly scheduled league game and the game or games in question may be reversed or replayed.
For the purpose of this rule penalty time will be considered ice time.
House League teams are not allowed to "pick up" player(s) to supplement their bench for Tournament or Exhibition games. Any House League team "picking up" a player or players is creating a "select" team and can be challenged / charged with having an ineligible player(s). This can cause an automatic forfeit and may lead to suspensions for the player(s) and, or team officials involved as well as possible expulsion from play. The player(s) "picked up" may also be denied insurance coverage in the event of any unfortunate accidents.
Rule No. 4 Two-Minute Buzzer
Novice (8 year old) and younger leagues will be played to a 2 minute stop time buzzer. The buzzer will sound at the end of the 2 minutes of play indicating a line change. No player changes will be permitted between buzzers except in cases of illness or injury.
A goaltender may be pulled in the third period providing the replacement player is from the next forward or defense shift.
In the Buzzer system only the fixed playing structure may be used. There will be no more than a one shift differential between all players during a game.
Rule No. 5 Double Shifting Buzzer System
A player who remains on the ice after a line change in the buzzer system will be classified as being illegally double-shifted. The exception to this Rule occurs when a replacement is required for an injured player. A replacement player must always be from the shift due to go on the ice at the next buzzer. When such replacement occurs with less than a minute to go in the remaining shift, the replacement player is allowed to stay on the ice for the following line change. If there is more than one minute to go in the shift, the replacement player must return to the players' bench and must not be played on a consecutive shift.
Team Officials who deviate from this Rule may be subject to discipline.
Rule No. 6 Penalties buzzer system
In the buzzer system leagues, a player receiving a minor penalty will go to the penalty box. If while he is serving his penalty the buzzer goes, he will stay in the penalty box for the next two (2) minute shift. The team however, will return to full strength after the shift in which the penalty occurred.
Rule No. 7 Fixed Playing Structure
No. of Players (Excluding Goaltender)
- 14 - 3 fwd. lines (9) and 5 defensemen played in rotation
- 13 - 3 fwd. lines (9) and 2 defense pairs (4)
- 12 - 2 fwd. lines (6) and 3 defense pairs (6)*
- 11 - 2 fwd. lines (6) and 5 defensemen played in rotation*
- 10 - 2 fwd. lines (6) and 2 defense pairs (4)
* The only exception to the above structure may occur with 11 or 12 skaters.
With 11 skaters, the coach has the option of using 2 defense pairs (4) and 3 centres and 2 sets of wingers (4).
With 12 skaters, the coach has the option of using 2 defense pairs (4) and 2 centres and 3 sets of wingers (6).
If a coach decides to use these exceptions, all player positions must be designated on the game sheet prior to the game.
A goaltender may be pulled at any time provided that the replacement player is from the next forward or defense shift
Coaches will establish their own objectives and practices regarding shift lengths and line changes. However, these practices must be applied equally to all players/lines.
This also implies that teams should not employ "power play" or "penalty killing" units as these tactics are not consistent with MOHA’s fair play and skill building philosophy.
Coaches not adhering to these principles are subject to game forfeiture or forced replay and, or suspension. Should there be concerns in this area, refer the situation to the convenor.
Under no circumstances will this type of behaviour be ignored or condoned.
Coaches must also recognize that this is not a perfect system and mistakes and discrepancies will occur. It is neither financially justifiable nor reasonable to expect that all games will be monitored. However, convenors are expected to evaluate their games on an ongoing basis and forward any concerns.
Should there be continued abuse of the fair play rule in any division, the Vice-President, House League may elect to revert to a "buzzer" system at any time!
Rule No. 8 Replacement Goalkeepers
Should the regular Goalkeeper for any team not be available for any game, it is the responsibility of the Team Officials for that team to source a comparable replacement as qualified in the priorities below. The Team Officials must identify the situation to the convenor and may ask for assistance in sourcing the replacement. The Convenor will satisfy himself of the necessity for such a replacement, approve the replacement selected, and advise the opposing team. This procedure must be followed for each game that a replacement goalkeeper is required. Failure to comply with this regulation may result in forfeiture of the game in question.
The League Convenor in approving replacement goalkeepers will employ the following priorities:
- Goalie from same league with sending coach's permission,
- Goalie from an age or ability division lower,
- Dress an out player.
If a goalkeeper is injured during the game he may be replaced by another goalkeeper from his league, a sixth skater or by dressing another player from his team within a 5 minute time frame.
In no event will a Town Rep player be permitted to play as a replacement goalie.
Rule No. 9 Protests
Protests will not be accepted if the grounds for the protest are a disagreement with a referee's judgment.
All protests shall be handled by the Discipline Committee. To protest any M.O.H.A. action, game, player, official or other matter, one shall remit a fee with their written protest, of one hundred dollars ($100.00), refundable only if the protest is sustained. Protests will not be considered unless presented as per these Regulations in all respects.
Protests, if occurring during a game, should be indicated to the Referee and to the opposing Manager or Coach at the time of the incident, or in any event within 10 minutes following the conclusion of the game. Protests involving a game must be so noted on all copies of the game sheet.
Protests must be officially made in writing to the Vice-President, House League and the Chairman of the Discipline Committee. The Team or individual protested against should also receive a copy of the written protest within seventy-two (72) hours, timed from the start of the game or incident in question.
Rule No. 10 Risk Management
In the event of an injury or accident, the coach/trainer must be prepared to support the implementation of an "Emergency Action Plan". The convenor is the person in the rink in charge from the M.O.H.A. perspective. However, in most cases, the trainer of the team involved will likely be the "Person in Charge" as defined by the "EAP".
The convenor will ensure that there is access to a telephone and that he/she will have all of the appropriate emergency numbers (Police, Ambulance, Fire Department). The Trainer should ensure that he/she has this information for any facility used for games or practices either at home or travelling out of town.
Rule No. 11 Dressing Room Rules
O.M.H.A. guidelines require that all dressing rooms for players under 18 years of age be supervised by two adults at all times. This applies for both game and practice situations. No coach should leave a dressing room unsupervised nor should he or she allow themselves to be put into the position where they are alone with a player or player(s).