Top Cheddar Hockey

    Rules

    Tournament Rules

    Team Roster

    The tournament committee will Draft 8 Teams of 10 players, including the goaltender; however, you can certainly ask to be placed on a Team with some friends and/or relatives.

    There is no Age or Skill restrictions as we try to level all Teams with similar Age Ranges and Skill Levels.

    Substitutions

    After tournament registration has closed, absolutely no roster additions will be permitted. Player substitutions will be allowed prior to the start of the tournament; however, once the tournament has commenced, no substitutions will be permitted.

    Game Time

    Tournament games will be played with two 15 minute run-time periods and one 15 minute stopped-time period.

    Games

    The Tournament Director or a Tournament Official can decide that a game be played with running-time if the game has surpassed the allotted ice time. Any game slowed by fights or rough play will be switched to running time.

    There will be a 4 minute warm-up before each game and 1 minute between periods.

    Rules

    The Tournament will be played under USA Hockey Adult Hockey rules, with the following exceptions:

    1. No checking will be allowed. Infraction of this rule will result in a 2 minute penalty for roughing.
    2. Each team is permitted one 30 second timeout per game.
    3. Slapshots will be allowed at all levels.
    4. There is no overtime for round robin games ending in a tie.

    Length of Penalties

    Minor: 2 minutes

    Major: 5 minutes

    Misconduct: 10 minutes

    Game Misconduct: remaining game time plus next game.

    Fighting: Tournament Ejection

    Any player or coach who receives a game misconduct will automatically be ejected from the game in which the infraction occurs as well as the following game. Any player who receives a fighting penalty will automatically be ejected from the Top Cheddar Hockey Tournament…THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS.

    Top Cheddar Hockey in combination with USA Hockey does not tolerate any abusive behavior, including racial and other derogatory slurs direct at players, coaches, and officials. All participants are reminded that any language that is hateful or discriminatory in nature will be penalized with an automatic match penalty and ejected from the tournament. Top Cheddar Hockey reserves the right to review all cases involving major penalties, match penalties, game misconduct, and gross misconduct. Top Cheddar Hockey reserves the right to magnify punishments of any reviewed penalty.

    Uniforms

    Each player must wear a uniform of the same color as the rest of the team, with a unique number permanently attached on the back. Uniforms with different color trim is o.k. Uniforms without numbers, taped-on numbers or duplicate numbers are not allowed. Matching socks are appreciated, but not required.

    Helmets and Facial Protection

    Approved hockey helmets are mandatory and must be worn at all times while on the ice. Visors or Cages are not required, but are highly recommended. Mouth Guards are mandatory.

    Ineligible Players

    Any team caught using a player not on their roster, will forfeit any games in which the ineligible player played.

    Players will have to show identification before the first game. There may also be other spot checks throughout the tournament. All players must have their identification with them at all times.

    Because of past abuses, this rule will be strictly enforced. Please do not put me in the position of having to ruin your team’s weekend by forfeiting their games.

    Disputes

    The Tournament Directors will have final word on all disputes during the tournament. Their decision is Final.

    Standings

    Total points determine standings within a division. Points are earned as follows:

    Win = 3 points

    Tie = 1 point

    Loss = 0 points

    Tie Breakers

    1. In the event of a two-team tie:

    A) Since all teams play head-to-head in each Division (West and East), the victorious team shall advance. If the teams tied, the teams progress to step 2b.

    2. In the event of a tie between three or more teams the following rules apply to tiebreakers. A single tiebreaker must clearly break the tie between all tied teams. If any teams are still tied, All Tied Teams Advance to the next tiebreaker. One tiebreaker must clearly slot the team’s 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.

    A) If one team in a three-way tie has beaten both teams head-to-head, that team shall advance. If a single team leads statistical categories B, C, and D without being tied, that team shall advance. The tie between the remaining two teams shall then be determined beginning with step 2a. If there is no team that has beaten the other two or no team is untied and ahead in each category, all three teams go to step 2B.

    B) GOAL DIFFERENTIAL*: the teams will be seeded according to the highest Goal Differential. Total Goals Against will be subtracted from the Total Goals For to determine Goal Differential. If two or more teams have the same number for Goal Differential, all tied teams go to step 2C.

    C) TOTAL GOALS AGAINST*: the teams will be seeded according to the lowest Total Goals Against. If two or more teams have the same number of Goals Against, all tied teams go to step 2D.

    D) TOTAL GOALS FOR*: the teams will be seeded according to the highest Total Goals For. If two or more teams have the same number of Goals For, all tied teams go to step 2E.

    E) TOTAL PENALTIES IN MINUTES: the teams will be slotted according to the Total Number of Penalties in Minutes they each incurred during the round robin. If two or more teams have the same number of penalty minutes, all tied teams go to step 2F.

    F) If the teams are still tied at this point, a coin toss will determine the advancing team.

    Semi Finals

    The top four teams (2 from the West Division and 2 from the East Division) will be ranked on point totals and seeded respectively. To be eligible for semifinal playoffs, a player must be listed on the team roster and must have played a minimum of one (2) round robin games. All tournament rules will apply to regulation play. Please see below for overtime rules in playoff games.

    Finals and Consolation Game

    The winning team from each semifinal game will advance to the Top Cheddar Cup Finals. To be eligible for final playoffs, a player must be listed on the team roster and must have played a minimum of one (2) round robin game AND the semi-final game.

    The losing team from each semifinal game will be relegated to the Consolation game.

    Overtime in Playoff Games

    In the event of a tie at the end of regulation in playoff games, overtime periods will be played using the following rules:

    1. All overtime periods are 3-on-3 five-minute running time sudden death periods.

    2. The first team to score wins.

    3. The clock will remain running and will only stop at the end of the overtime period.

    4. Any penalties remaining at the end of regulation will be carried over into the subsequent overtime period.

    5. If the score is tied at the end of the running clock five-minute OT period, the game will conclude with a shootout.

    6. We will use NHL rules for the shootout.

    7. Each team will have three shooters; if at the end of the third round they are still tied, we will have a sudden death round and continue to do a sudden death round until one team has won.

    Cancellation Policy

    In the event that an individual is no longer able to attend the tournament, the cancellation/refund policy is as follows:

    1. If you cancel at least one month before the tournament start date, you will receive a full refund.

    2. If you cancel between one month to two weeks before the tournament start date, you will receive a 50% refund.

    3. If you cancel within 30 days or less before the tournament start date, you will not receive a refund.

    **Schedule requests will be accepted** I’ll do my best!

    For questions regarding the Top Cheddar Hockey Tournament rules, please feel free to reach out to me!