WATERLOO WOLVES – HOWLIN’ PUCK TOURNAMENT
OFFICIAL RULES
The Howlin' Puck Christmas Tournament follows the rules and guidelines of ALLIANCE Hockey, the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada.
1. General Information
· Eligibility: Teams must present approved Hockey Canada (HC). A maximum of 20 players may participate in any one game, with up to 20 players (including two goalies) registered. A maximum of five team officials may be registered, with only five allowed on the bench. Affiliated players may participate only if listed on the official roster, as Affiliated Players. Teams cannot AP on top of their existing roster – AP’s may only be used to replace absent players.
· Waterloo TCHL Teams: as per league rules, TCHL teams may use a player from a lower category as an AP (indicated on the game sheet as Affiliated Player). The AP may ONLY be used to replace an absent player not as an addition to your roster.
· Waterloo TCHL Teams: as per league rules, goaltenders may be used laterally or from a lower aged team, to replace an absent goaltender.
· Visiting teams: any substitution of players on your roster, must be approved by the tournament staff. For example, if you are missing a player and would like to use a player from another one of your HL teams, please reach out prior to the start of the tournament.
· Travel Permit: All teams must present a travel permit with their player registration to the tournament office prior to their first game.
· Team Conduct: The home team will wear dark jerseys, and the visiting team will wear light jerseys. In the event of a conflict, the home team must change their jerseys. Only players, coaches, and trainers are allowed in the dressing rooms or the hallway leading to the dressing rooms before and after games. Teams are permitted to enter the arena and change rooms 30 minutes prior to the scheduled game time and must exit within 15 minutes after games conclude for cleaning.
2. Game Structure
· Round Robin/Quarter Final/Semi Final Games (3 minute warmup before start of game)
U9, U10, U11, U12, U13 - game length will be 10-10-10
U14, U15, U18 - game length will be 10-10-15
Championship Games (3 minute warmup before start of game)
U9, U10, U11, U12, U13 - game length will be 10-10-15
U14, U14, U18 - game length will be 10-15-15
· Semi-Finals and Finals: Also consist of three 15-minute stop-time periods with a three-minute warm-up. Ice will be resurfaced at the second intermission of all games, and all championship games will start on newly prepared ice.
· Game Timing: Teams must be ready to play 15 minutes prior to the scheduled game time for round-robin games. All semi-final and final games will begin at the scheduled game time. Teams not ready to start on time or within the 15-minute window may forfeit the game at the discretion of the arena coordinator.
3. Mercy Rule
If the goal differential is five goals at any time during the third period, the clock shall change to running time. If the margin is reduced to less than five goals, the clock will revert to stop time.. The mercy rule is in effect for all games, including round robin, elimination (if applicable), semi-finals, and finals.
4. Overtime
· Semi-Final and Final Games: Shall be sudden victory. Overtime periods will be five minutes, played 3-on-3, followed by a shootout if necessary. Teams may freely substitute during overtime. A player who remains penalized at the end of overtime is not eligible for the shootout. The shootout starts with a three-shooter per team format, with the home team choosing to shoot first or second. If still tied, the shootout becomes sudden victory. No player may shoot twice until all players, excluding goalies, have participated in the shootout.
· Penalties During Overtime: No team is permitted to drop below three skaters. If a penalty occurs, the non-penalized team adds a skater. Upon expiration of the penalty, the penalized player returns to the ice and play resumes at 3-on-3.
5. Time-Outs
No time-outs are allowed in round-robin play. One 30-second time-out per team is permitted in semi-final and final games.
6. Divisional Structure
U6, U7 and U8
The WMHA U8 and below teams, will be playing games, with structures set by their respective Convenors. Information will be provided via email/website from the Convenors to Teams/Parents.
U9, U15
o There are 4 teams in these divisions
o Each team will play 3 round robin games and then based on their records from these games, be reseeded 1st through 4th
o The semi finals matchups will be 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs 3
o The winner of each semi final will advance to the Championship game
U14
o There are 3 teams in this division
o Each team will play each other once and then reseed
o The 2nd place team will then play the 3rd place team, the 1st place team will get a bye to the finals
o The winner of the above noted matchup will advance to the Championship game vs. the 1st place team from the initial games
U16
o The U16 teams will be playing games with a structure set by their Convenor
U10, U11, U13 and U18
o There are 5 x teams in these divisions
o Each team will play 2 x round robin games and then reseed
o The 1st place team after the round robin games will get a bye to the Semi Finals
o The rest of the teams will play a quarter final game, which will be 2 vs 5, 3 vs 4
o The winners of the quarter finals will advance to the semi finals, with the highest seed quarter final team, who is not victorious (based on the seeding after the round robin) will face the 1st place team and the winners of the quarter finals, facing each other in the other semi-final game
o The winner of each semi-final game, will advance to the Championship game
U12
o There are 8 teams in this division
o Each team will play 3 x round robin games
o The top 4 teams will advance to the semi final games – which will be 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3
o The winners of each semi final match up will advance to the Championship Game
7. Points
Points are awarded in round-robin games as follows:
· 2 points for a win
· 1 point for a tie
· 0 points for a loss
Playoff seeding is based on points; however, the Tournament Committee reserves the right to adjust matchups to ensure teams do not meet twice before the finals.
8. Administration, Rules, and Policies
· Admission: No gate fee.
· Suspensions: Any player or coach receiving a second major penalty may be immediately suspended from further play in the tournament. Alliance rules require suspensions to be served in the next scheduled game. It is the responsibility of the team's coaching staff to confirm player/coach eligibility after any suspendable penalty.
· Protests: A Tournament Committee will hear protests. No protest will be heard regarding a referee's decision. A $400 deposit, refundable if the protest is successful, must accompany all protests. A protest may only be heard if brought to the attention of the tournament chairperson or delegate within 30 minutes of the game's completion. A formal written submission can follow the initial notification. A hearing and ruling will be completed prior to the team's next scheduled game. All decisions made by the Tournament Committee are final.
· Video Review: Video review can be used to resolve disputes regarding the identification of players involved in and penalized during an altercation. It will not be used to determine if the penalty was warranted; referee calls stand and are final.
9. Tie-Breaking Formula
Tie-breaking and the determination of wild card teams in round-robin standings will be based, in order, on:
1. The head-to-head result involving the teams tied (two-way ties only - if 3 teams are tied, we would proceed to #2).
2. The best ratio of "Goals For / (Goals For + Goals Against)" in all round-robin games.
3. The team with the least goals against.
4. The team with the most goals scored.
5. The team that scored the first goal in the head-to-head game.
6. The team with the lowest number of penalty minutes.