League rules

PREFACE

We have compiled below a set of rules which only make changes to the official IIHF rules to the extent that the organisation and play of the series is not hampered by technical issues. Although this is a sporting and tough series, we want to preserve the freedom of the teams to influence the rules, while guaranteeing the safety of players, officials and referees. Below you will find a collection of changes to the official IIHF rules. Otherwise, the official IIHF rules will be followed. In the event of a dispute, the final word on the resolution, in consultation with both parties, will be given to the series jury, which will include several League and Mestis referees.

Let us all remember, players, officials, referees and league organisers alike, that the purpose of this league is to create and maintain a sense of sportsmanship and community, and to create unforgettable memories from our student days that can be reminisced with teammates even when we are still in the rocking chair. Even if you play hard, you play with a twinkle in your eye and respect for your opponent!

Best regards,

FCAA

Operational Officer Tuomas Koivistoinen

THE LEAGUE'S OWN RULES (NOT IIHF OFFICIAL RULES)

1. ALCOHOL AND INTOXICATING SUBSTANCES

Before and during the match, players and officials of both teams shall have a zero tolerance for alcohol and intoxicating substances in the playing area or in the benches of the playing area (players bench or officials' box). In the event of a breach of this tolerance, the disciplinary body of the league shall impose a fine of EUR 100 and a ban of at least one match on the player or official who has committed the offence in accordance with this rule. The length of the ban shall be decided by the jury of the series. For two repeated offences, the player or official shall be excluded from the league.

2. PLAYING AREA

1. Due to the limited availability of playing areas, conditions may vary from match to match. No team may intentionally cause a negative impact on the play of only the opposing team by its choice of playing area. Playing areas other than ice in rinks, such as outdoor ice, must be approved by the series organizer.
2. A space/area must be available for officials and penalized players. The playing area must have changing rooms for players of both teams. The playing area shall have markings as defined by the International Ice Hockey Federation: end line, A-point, B-point, center line, blue line and red line. The playing area must also have intact and netted goals (188 cm wide and 122 cm high). If a scoreboard is not available in the playing area, the officials shall announce the time elapsed and the result at regular intervals.
3. If a sound system is not available in the playing area, the officials shall clock the running of time and indicate the end of time at the end of the periods and the end of the match by blowing the whistle. In the absence of a sound system, the referee shall indicate the penalty or penalty shot hand signal to the officials and to both teams in proximity of the players bench. 

3. ACTIVE SQUAD 

The line-up for each match must be submitted to the organizers of the series at least three (3) days before the start of the match. Last-minute changes are negotiable with the approval of the series organizers and the opposing team. Each team may have 20 skaters and 2 goalkeepers in its active line-up. Match reports must be confirmed before and after the match by both teams and the officials.

4. ELIGIBLE PLAYERS

Players entering the match must be active players of the team in hand. The players must study in the same city’s university or university of applied sciences as the team that has been registered for the series, or a former student graduated by May 2022 at the latest. Exceptions will be decided by the organizers of the series. 

5. UNIFORMS

Each team must wear a united uniform. Each kit must have a unique game number on the back for each player playing in the match.

6. CAPTAINS

Teams are not required to display captain's insignia in accordance with IIHF standards, although a player's captaincy shall be indicated, for example, by taping the captain's insignia (C or K) to the left side of the chest of the player's jersey as indicated above. If the captain is injured during the match and is unable to continue, the referee must be informed of the rights of the new captain, who has the right to address the referee.

7. EQUIPMENT (SKATER)

Each player must have equipment that meets safety standards: lower, knee, shoulder, elbow and neck protection, hockey pants, skates, socks, hockey gloves and visor or helmet with cage. If the above safety standards are ignored, the referee shall first instruct the player in accordance with the safety standards. If no change is made, a minor penalty will be assessed to the team. The referee also has the discretion to determine the dangerousness of the equipment to the player or opponent. The above protocol also applies to the use of dangerous equipment.

8. EQUIPMENT (GOALKEEPER)

Apart from skates and sticks, all equipment used by the goalkeeper is exclusively for the protection of the goalkeeper. This equipment must meet safety standards. Goalkeepers shall not wear any article of clothing or equipment that would give them an improper advantage in goalkeeping. In case of disregard of the above safety standards, the referee shall first instruct the player in accordance with the safety standards. If no change is made, a minor penalty will be assessed to the team. The referee also has the discretion to determine the dangerousness of the equipment to the player or opponent. The above protocol also applies to the use of dangerous equipment.

9. MOUTH GUARDS

Mouth guards are not mandatory equipment but are strongly recommended.

10. MATCH OFFICIALS

Before the start of the match, the referee must ensure that the officials are in their correct positions and ensure that the timekeeping equipment is in working order and, in the absence of a signaling device, that the officials can give a clear signal, for example with a whistle.

11. REPORTS

The referees must report to the Jury of the series promptly and in detail the circumstances of the following events:

1. The case of a game/match penalty
2. Whenever a player, goalkeeper or team official is involved in a dispute with a spectator
3. Any unusual situation occurring on or off the ice, before, during or after the game.
4. Any situation mentioned in the Referee's Reporting Instructions, including injury, etc.
5. Any act observed during the match or any suspicion of inappropriate, discriminatory or racist behavior reported to the referee.
6. Violation of paragraph one (1) of the zero tolerance for alcohol and intoxicating substances

12. SCOREKEEPER

The scorekeeper shall ensure that the team captain (C) and vice-captain(s) (A) are listed on the line-up.

The scorekeeper shall record the goals scored, scorers and any assistants and shall note all players who played in the match. At the end of the match, the scorekeeper shall ensure that the referee checks and signs the reports. The penalty area supervisors shall assist the scorekeeper and the timekeeper in recording the numbers of the players on the ice.

13. TIMEKEEPER

The timekeeper shall record the start and end time of each period of play. During the game, the timekeeper shall start the clock at the drop of the puck and stop the clock when he hears the referee's whistle or when a goal is scored. The timekeeper shall ensure that, if the signaling system is in operation, the announcement is made by means of it:

1. when one (1) minute remains in the first and second period.
2. when there are two (2) minutes left in the third period.

If no electronic clock system is used, the timekeeper shall use a handheld clock to determine the time of play.

14. OVERTIME

In FCAA matches, no overtime shall be played, but the result of the match shall be decided by a three-goal shoot-out. If the result of the match is not decided after three shoot-outs, the order of shoot-outs shall be reversed, and the shoot-out shall be completed by sudden death.

15. COACH’S CHALLENGE

In matches under the FCAA there is no coach's challenge available.

16. TIMEOUT

Each team will be allowed one 30-second time-out per match, both in the regular season and in the final tournament. 

17. PROGRESSIVE ALLOWANCE OF BODY CHECKS

A player shall first play the puck from the opposite direction (face to face - "opposite direction" - "blind spot") before bodychecking. In these situations, the player shall always first attempt to break the puck (with the stick) before contact. The stick must be pointed at the puck and the hands, elbows and shoulders must be down.

18. BOARDING, BACK AND HEAD/NECK CHECKING

As an exception to the IIHF Official Rules, to increase the safety of the series, the possibility of a minor penalty and conduct penalty as a consequence of a boarding or back and head/neck checking shall be eliminated. For all the above forms of illegal checking, a major penalty will always be imposed.

19. FIGHTING

Fighting is not a feature of the FCAA. The final suspension of players involved in a fight will be determined by the jury of the series.

The head referee(s) shall penalize players who voluntarily participate in a brawl/fight, so-called "willing brawlers" accordingly, and they may be removed from the game. Other additional disciplinary sanctions may be imposed.

A fight is defined as a situation in which at least one (1) player repeatedly strikes or attempts to strike an opponent, or when two (2) players wrestle in a manner that makes it difficult for the linesmen to intervene and separate the combatants.

A player who persistently continues or attempts to continue a fight or altercation after being told to stop by the Referee, or who resists the Linesman in the performance of his duties, shall be assessed, at the discretion of the Referee, a minimum major penalty (for fighting) and a game misconduct in addition to any other penalty assessed.

Head referees are given very wide latitude in the penalties they may impose under this rule. This is a deliberate choice to allow the head referees to distinguish between the apparent responsibility of the parties to the fight, either as the instigator of the fight or as the party who persists in continuing the fight. The discretion given should be used judiciously.

20. MAJOR PENALTIES

20.1 Immediately after the match, the Referee shall report to the series organizers, who will forward the information to the Jury, all major penalties awarded and the circumstances surrounding them.

20.2 A major penalty and an automatic game penalty shall be imposed on a player who commits any act not specified in the Rules of the Game and, in the referee's judgment, such act endangers the safety of any person participating in the game.

20.3 A major penalty shall be imposed for any offence which results in injury to the offending player.

21. SUPPLEMENTARY DISCIPLINE

The Series Jury may, at its discretion, investigate any situation relating to any match played under the auspices of the FCAA. The relevant body may impose additional disciplinary sanctions for any offence committed by a player, goalkeeper, coach or team official before, during or after a match, whether or not the referee has been awarded a penalty for such offence.

22. MATCH LENGTH

In FCAA regular season matches, the duration of the match shall be three (3) 20-minute periods. The duration of a match in the final tournament of the series shall be two (2) 15-minute periods. The total time for the final match shall be 60min from the start of the ice shift. In the final tournament, if the match is tied at 55 minutes total time (start of ice time) or at any time thereafter, the match will go to a sudden-death shootout.

23. POINTS FROM MATCHES

The distribution of points per match is:

3 points - win in regulation time

2 points - Victory after regulation time

1 point - Loss after regulation time

0 points - Defeat in regulation time

24. 2025 FCAA FINALS FINAL ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION

1. Teams ranked 1st-10th after the regular season will be automatically eligible to participate in the 2025 FCAA Finals Final Tournament.
2. 
   The teams ranked 11th-20th/11th-21st/11th-22nd in the regular season will play one additional playoff game, which will be played as the home game of the higher ranked team. The winner of the match will qualify for the 2025 FCAA Finals Tournament. The teams advancing to the playoff round will be determined by the final outcome options resulted by the Finals Tournament Organizer's Mandate slots of the regular season. These possible outcames are outlined in Section 25 of the Rules.
3. 
   Teams ranked 21st / 22nd / 23rd / 24th / 25th / 26th in the Regular Season will not qualify for the 2025 FCAA Finals Final Tournament. Ineligible teams will be determined by the final outcome options resulted by the Finals Tournament Organizer's Mandate slots of the regular season. These possible outcames are outlined in Section 25 of the Rules.

25. EFFECT OF THE 2025 FCAA FINALS ORGANISER'S TEAM MANDATE ON THE ALTERNATIVE OUTCOMES

Parru HT Black and Parru HT Red, as the organising team of the 2025 FCAA Finals Tournament, will be awarded one mandate place in the Finals Tournament, irrespective of the final ranking order of the regular season. The final tournament eligibility of the teams in the series will be determined on the basis of three different final results:

Outcome 1 - Both Parru HT teams will finish 1st to 10th in the regular season.

• Both will qualify by playing in the 1st place (1) and 1st place (2).
• The qualification position of the organising team does not affect the teams in the play-off round. The play-off round will be played between the teams ranked 11th to 22nd in the regular season. Teams ranked 23rd-26th in the regular season will not qualify for the 2025 FCAA Finals Final.

Outcome 2 - Only one of the teams from Parru HT will finish 1st-10th in the regular season and the other team will finish 11th-21st.

• The higher ranked team will qualify by playing and the lower ranked team will gain a mandate place.
• The qualifying place of the organising team will affect one team in the play-off round. The play-off round will be played between the teams ranked 11th-21st in the regular season. Teams ranked 22nd-26th in the regular season will not qualify for the 2025 FCAA Finals Tournament.

Outcome 3 - Only one of the Parru HT teams will finish 1st-10th in the regular season and the other team will finish 22nd-26th.

• The higher ranked team will qualify by playing and the lower ranked team will gain a mandate place
• The qualification place of the organising team will affect the two teams in the play-off round. The play-off round will be played between the teams ranked 11th to 20th in the regular season. Teams ranked 21st-26th in the regular season will not qualify for the 2025 FCAA Finals Tournament.

Outcome 4 - Neither of the Parru HT teams will finish 1st-10th in the regular season and at least one of the teams will finish 11th-20th.

• Neither team will achieve qualification by the regular season rankings. The teams will play a 'mandate place match', the winner of which will go directly to the final tournament. The loser of the match will inherit the ranking of the team that finished higher in the regular season and will play in the 'Qualifier round' along with the 9 other teams (11th-20th).
• The mandated place of the organising team will affect the two teams in the play-off round. The play-off round will be played between the teams ranked 11th to 20th in the regular season. Teams ranked 21st-26th in the regular season will not qualify for the 2025 FCAA Finals Tournament.

Outcome 5 - Neither of Parru HT's teams will finish 1st-10th in the regular season and one of the teams will finish 11th-20th and the other 22nd-26th.

   Neither team will achieve eligibility by playing. The teams will play a 'mandate place match', the winner of which will go straight through to the final tournament. The loser of the match will inherit the ranking of the team that finished higher in the regular season and will play in the 'Qualifier round' along with the 9 other teams (11th-20th).
   The mandated place of the organising team will affect the two teams in the play-off round. The play-off round will be played between the teams ranked 11th to 20th in the regular season. Teams ranked 21st-26th in the regular season will not qualify for the 2025 FCAA Finals Final.

Outcome 6 - Neither Parru HT team will finish 1st-20th in the regular season.

• Neither team will achieve eligibility by regular season rankings. The teams will play a 'mandate place match', the winner of which will go directly to the final tournament. The loser of the match will not qualify for the final tournament.
• The two teams in the play-off round will be affected by the mandate places of the organising team. The play-off round will be played between the teams ranked 11th to 20th in the regular season. Teams ranked 21st-26th in the regular season will not qualify for the 2025 FCAA Finals Tournament.

26. IIHF OFFICIAL RULES

The above 25 points of the rules are supplementary to the IIHF Official Rules or amendments necessary for the proper functioning of the series. In all other cases, the series shall be governed by the IIHF Official Ice Hockey Rules in all respects.