Tournament rules

Tournament rules

Competition rules

The tournament follows the Finnish Ice Hockey Association's Southern district U12- juniors competition rules completed by specialised rules stated below.

Type of tournament and order of games

Games are played in two skill level series, AAA and AA. Both series have eight (8) teams. Each team plays three (3) preliminary round games and two (2) placement games, altogether five (5) games.

Points in preliminary games

For all games, points shall be awarded as follows: Two (2) points for the winning team, one (1) point for both teams if the game is tied and zero (0) points for the team losing the game. If two or more teams are tied at the end of the preliminary round the order of teams is determined as follows:

Preliminary round ranking:

1. Points in the group

2. Points between the teams

3. Goal difference between the teams

4. Goal difference in the group

5. Goals scored

6. Amount of penalty minutes in the preliminary round (reversed)

7. Lot

Games in the preliminary group can finish in a win, a tie or a loss. The preliminary round determines the order of placement games.

Determination of a win in placement games

If a placement game ends in a draw after regulation time, the game will be continued with a penalty shootout. The penalty shootout will be conducted according to the Finnish Ice Hockey Associations rules with the following exceptions. First the teams announce their three shooters. The away team marked in the tournament schedule starts the penalty shootout. Only one ends is used in the shootout. If the game is tied after three shooters, the penalty shootout will continue as a sudden death round, a pair at a time. The sudden death round is started by the home team. The same player can’t shoot twice until all other players have took a shot. The winner is resolved when the other team scores and the other doesn’t, in the same round. Only the winning goal is marked in the result sheet and is given to the player who scored it.

Duration of the games

The games in the preliminary round are 2 x 15-minute periods and the whole time allocated for the game is 45 minutes. The games in the placement round are 2 x 15-minute periods and the whole time allocated for the game is 45 minutes with an addition of five minutes for possible penalty shootout. The games start at the time marked in the tournament schedule unless otherwise announced by the tournament staff. There are no period breaks. The goalkeepers play the whole game at the same end, no switches between periods. The officials will announce when there is two minutes of game time left.

The official time of the tournament is the time on the clocks inside the ice rink. The teams must be ready and waiting on the rubber mats between the two rinks 5 minutes before their game starts. The games will start straight after the zamboni has left the ice and the goals have been put in their places. Line changes aren’t timed, and time outs are not allowed. After the game the teams will quickly align on the blue line and thank the opponent by tapping their stick on the ice instead of handshakes due to the current situation. The teams must also leave quickly after the game.  

Forfeit

If the team doesn’t arrive to the rink according to the schedule, they will be declared the losing team with the score of 5-0. The time limit for being late is 3 minutes after the official starting time.

Changes in the tournament programme

The tournament organisers have the right to change timetables, game schedules and interpret these rules if needs must. Teams concerned will be notified immediately if there are changes.

Penalties

Penalties are given according to the Finnish Ice Hockey Association’s competition and junior rules. Penalties are 1 minute long.

Exchange of pendants

The teams can exchange pendants by the captains exchanging them or the team captain giving the pendant to the officials of the opposing team. No handshakes are permitted due to the current situation

Results and team rosters

The game schedules, results and team rosters are available at www.gameresultsonline.com .

Every team is obliged to let the organisers know their roster in the required way notified before the tournament. Possible changes in teams must be made no later than 30 minutes before their game starts.

Participation rights and playing in different teams/ sub-teams

Players (including goalkeepers) registered to the participating teams can take part in the tournament. A player can only play for one team throughout the tournament. Goalkeepers can be named to play in different sub-teams if there are more than three goalkeepers in the tournament from the team. If the goalkeeper is named on both sub-teams, they must play more games in the lower level sub-team than the higher. The transfer of the goalkeeper must be cleared with the tournament officials and must not be made for reasons like competitive advantage. If only one goalkeeper is named for the team, the team can borrow a goalkeeper from another team in case of an injury or a medical problem. Also, in this case the transfer must be cleared with the tournament officials.

In case of an acute illness or other severe circumstance players can switch between teams in the tournament by applying a transfer from the tournament officials

So called over-aged players are allowed according the competition and regional rules. Underaged players are allowed.

Referees

The tournament will be refereed by referees named by the Helsingin jääkiekkoerotuomarit ry (Helsinki ice hockey referee registered association).

Tournament jury and protests

Protests are dealt by the tournament jury whose decision is final. A protest must be handed in to the tournament office no later than 10 minutes after the game has finished. The protest fee is 125€ and is to be paid in cash. The cash amount will be returned if the protesting team wins the argument. The jury is formed of the head of tournament and an advocate of referees. If need be the jury will hear the game referee and/or the teams in the game. The jury must be unanimous in their decision and are not obliged to give explanations on their decision.

Fair Play

The teams, players and team staff, are required to show sportsmanlike conduct (fair play). The spectators are expected to behave in a manner that is supportive, positive and good example to children. A disruptive person can be removed from the premises by a tournament official. Disruptive behaviour by a member of team staff will be dealt with according to the Finnish Ice Hockey Association rules.

Liability

The tournament organisers are not responsible of insuring players nor are liable to any injuries or other accidents. The team managers are responsible of making sure that all players and team staff hold a current licence and insurance. Every player, coach and otherwise actively participating member of team staff must have a current licence and/or insurance.

Dressing rooms

Most dressing rooms will have two teams in them. Most of the dressing rooms are in use for the teams throughout the tournament. Please ask for more information from the tournament officials! If equipment is left overnight, everything needs to be hung up and there must be nothing left on the floors. The caretaker of the ice rinks will deal out the keys when the teams arrive. Every team must choose a person who oversees the key and that the key is available for the sharing team to use. The teams must keep the dressing rooms tidy. The dressing rooms will be inspected after the tournament and the teams are liable to any damages.

Game jerseys

The home team plays with a darker jersey and the away team with a lighter one. The teams can negotiate the colour of their jerseys if need be.

Awards

The best three from both series are rewarded with medals and the winning teams also with trophies. A player from every team will be given a player of the team award. The player of the team is a player that shows exemplar sportsmanship and team spirit. The player of the team is chosen by the team staff and their name must be given to the tournament officials before the teams last game.

The interpretation of the tournament rules

The tournament rules have been drafted in Finnish and English. In case of interpretation, the rules in Finnish apply.