PH Winter Classic

2017 Port Huron Winter Classic Pond Hockey Rules
All players are required to wear hockey helmets, gloves, and ice skates. Sticks do not have to be taped, though it is recommended. No jagged edges, split blades or shafts are allowed. Mouth guards and other protective hockey pads/gear are recommended. No goalie equipment is allowed. Player safety is paramount at all times. Stocking or baseball hats are not protective helmets and are not allowed on the ice.
Birth certificates are required as proof of ID for players under age 16. Photo I.D.’s are required at check-in for players 16 and over and will be checked throughout the event. Players unable to produce a photo I.D., at any point, cannot participate until the ID is provided to a tournament director. All players will get a participant wrist band. The wrist band denotes registered players and must be worn at all times during play.
All teams must have matching jerseys or sweatshirts.
Minimum number of players on a team is 4, max. of 6 (max. of 3 males on co-ed team). Co-ed teams must have both males and females on the ice at the same time. All teams must have at least 4 players at the start of each game.

Teams need to be ready to play at their designated start time; if a team does not have four (4) players ready to play, they will be penalized 1 goal for every 2 minutes the game starts late. Game times will start as scheduled and the clock will run even while waiting for any players to arrive. It is the responsibility of all players and teams to be ready to play at their assigned times.

All games will be 20 minute running time.

There will be no offside or icing.
There will be one off-ice pond official/referee to monitor the play (scoring, time, puck reset, and arbiter of infractions). Minor penalties called will result in a goal being awarded to the offended team.
Referees will have the discretion to also award a "penalty shot" to the opposing team when a penalty is deemed major/flagrant and/or a team is consistently playing in a reckless manner, as deemed by the off-ice official.
Penalty shots will be taken from center ice and must be attempted within 20 seconds of the penalty being called. Anyone on the opposing team can take the shot. The team that is awarded the penalty shot will also be given possession of the puck following the penalty shot attempt (regardless of the outcome of the shot).

Any major infractions called will result in an awarded goal and ejection from the tournament, and all divisions registered in, of the penalized player, with no replacement allowed to be added to the team roster.
Abuse of other players of officials will not be tolerated and be considered a major penalty. This includes yelling, swearing, or arguing about calls.
Fighting is strictly prohibited. Any player that fights will be ejected from the tournament with no replacement, and 2 goals will be awarded to the non-instigating team, as determined by the off-ice official. Game forfeiture will be at the discretion of the referee and/or Tournament Directors.
There will be no checking or body contact. A minor or major penalty will result if the referee deems it serious enough.
There will be no slap shots. If the stick comes above the knee in a slap shot motion it will result in a change of possession, the non-offending team gets the puck on their half of the ice.
There will be no raising the puck above the knees; pucks that are intentionally raised above the knees will result in a change of puck possession. Saucer passes (i.e. pucks that are lifted low, below the knee) are acceptable.

Making contact with the puck using your stick above the waist (high-sticking) will result in a change of puck possession.

Goaltending is not allowed. A player may not patrol, "camp out" or remain stationary in the crease area and act as a goaltender. A defender may deflect the puck in the crease area, but the defender must do so while continuing to move through the crease area. The crease area is defined as an imaginary box extending out four feet from the outside corners of the goal. A player may not lay his/her stick, drop to their knees or lay on the ice to protect the goal. Players must remain on their skates in front of goal. A goal for the non-offending team and change of puck possession will result if these rules are violated.
If the puck goes out of the playing area the referee will determine who sent it out and give possession to the non-offending team at the point where the puck went out. Referees will always have extra pucks available and puck chasers will be provided. The defending team must provide two stick lengths to their opponent upon re-entry and play must start immediately on the referee’s command, whistle or signal.
There will be a center ice face-off to start the game. Otherwise, teams will be required to wait on their side of the red line for goals scored and penalties. Defensive teams can engage the offensive teams once the play starts moving up ice. The offensive team must move the puck up ice quickly on the referees command (whistle).
Illegal players and teams:
Illegal players are any participants that did not register prior to participating, or who play on a team they are not registered to play on. Failure to provide Photo Id or birth certificates, along with the participant wristband given upon registration will result in the player being declared illegal. If the tournament director(s) determine that an illegal player has participated in the tournament: (1) the player(s) shall be immediately removed from the remainder of the tournament. (2) The team using the ineligible player(s) will receive a 0-1 forfeit loss in each of the games played with the illegal player(s).
If it is determined by the tournament director(s) at any point during the preliminary round games that a team as a whole are far above their competition, that team will be permitted to play the allotted game guarantee, but will receive a 1-0 forfeit loss for those games and will not be permitted to play for the championship.
**Any players or teams deemed to be under the noticeable influence of alcohol or other illegal substances will be immediately removed from the tournament. Replacement players will not be allowed. Please, for everyone’s safety and enjoyment, play responsibly.


*THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR(S) RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE ANY DECISIONS REGARDING TOURNAMENT RULES, FORMAT, ETC. FOR THE OVERALL GOOD OF THE EVENT. Any changes will be conveyed to the team captains.