Nickel City Hockey requires ice arenas to have a venue specific emergency action plan for our hockey events. Due to limitations with the availability, we do not require certified athletic trainers at those venues. Many teams have started to provide athletic trainers as part of their team staff for full contact playing divisions (13U and older). As an example, all Ontario, CA teams are required to have a certified trainer on their bench or coaching staff. We encourage teams, at their discretion, to provide athletic trainers if possible. Nickel City Hockey also recommends that any team or club with its own athletic trainer require the trainer to provide their own general liability insurance.

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For any and all host facilities, the tournament protocol for medical emergencies is to follow the arena's actions plan. If a player is in need of medical attention, our site directors can help provide you with the closest immediate care facility or emergency room hospital. In severe instances, 911 is recommended for paramedics to arrive as early as possible.

General Rules

• 1.1 Playing Rules

  • USAH requires that our tournament be registered and that all participating teams, players and coaches be USA Hockey/Hockey Canada/IIHF registered. 

  • Tournament Sanction Number: Listed in details section on the tournament overview page.

• 1.2 Length of Games 

  • There will be a 3 minute warm up for all games

  • 11-11-11 minute periods for Squirt Divisions

  • 12-12-12 minute periods for Pee Wee Divisions

  • 13-13-13 minute periods for Bantam Divisions

  • 14-14-14 minute periods for Midget Divisions

  • No OT or Shootouts in Preliminary play

• 1.3 Penalties

  • Squirt, Pee Wee, Bantam

    • Minor penalties - 1:30 minutes / Major penalties - 4 minutes / Misconduct penalties - 8 minutes

  • Midget

    • Minor penalties - 2 minutes / Major penalties - 5 minutes / Misconduct penalties - 10 minutes

• 1.4 Running Clock

  • Running time will be in effect during the 3rd period, only when a team is winning by 4+ goals. Stop-time will resume once the score is within 2 goals. (Example 8-6)

    • ​Running time will remain in effect during Consolation, Quarterfinal, Semifinal, and Championship games.

• 1.5 Home/Away Jerseys & Start Times

  • ​For ALL games; home team listed shall wear its white/light colored jersey and the visiting team listed shall wear its colored/dark jerseys. Teams are asked to be at the rink at least 45 minutes prior to their scheduled game time. In the event the previous game finishes early, teams playing the next game will be expected to take the ice as soon as resurfacing is completed and/or referees are available. In no event, however, shall a game begin more than 15 minutes prior to its scheduled start time. If the on-ice and off-ice officials are ready, the game MUST START.

• 1.6 Equipment

  • Neck guards are required by USAH. All players must wear a neck laceration protector with no alterations. All players, including goalkeepers in the 11U through 18U age classifications are required to wear a colored (non-clear) internal mouthpiece that covers all the remaining teeth of one jaw, customarily the upper. For the first violation of this rule, the team shall be issued a warning. A misconduct penalty shall be assessed to any player or goalkeeper of that team for a subsequent violation during that game.

    • NOTE: Hockey Canada rules do not mandate the wearing of a mouthpiece at any age classification where a full facemask is required. Therefore, Hockey Canada registered teams are not required to wear a mouthpiece while playing in the United States.

• 1.7 On-Ice Officials

  • ​All games for all age divisions there shall be assigned by at least two referees. Nickel City Hockey will allow games to be refereed by one official in EMERGENCY situations. Only USAH officials will be used for the tournament.

• 1.8 On-Ice Team Conduct

  • Recently, we have noticed excessive incidents of verbal taunts and insults based on discriminatory grounds.  Nickel City Hockey is committed to ensure greater safety and inclusiveness in hockey by identifying and addressing these issues with any player, coach or parent, in compliance with USA Hockey rules. ANY alleged discrimination complaint will have a mandated written report and will be addressed immediately with team officials and turned over to the Affiliate President, Chair of Rules & Ethics, and Chair of Suspensions.

• 1.9 Off-Ice Officials

  • ​In the event that scorekeepers are not available at the start of the game we ask a parent from each team to step in and run the clock & scoresheet for the game. Ask the rink director prior to your game and they will know whether or not a scorekeeper has been assigned. Each team competing in a given game shall provide a penalty box attendant for their team’s penalty box. In the event that parents are running the game clock then penalty box attendants are not required unless penalty boxes cannot be accessed from the score clock area.

• 1.10 GameSheet Scoring

  • ​It is the responsibility of each team to ensure your team roster is correct on GameSheet prior to each game and ensure appropriate changes/notations are made.

• 1.11 Timeouts

  • There will be NO Timeouts for Preliminary Round and Consolation Games. In all Quarterfinal, Semifinal and Championship Games, each team will be allowed a single one (1) minute timeout.

• 1.12 Handshakes

  • ​Handshakes shall take place immediately after each game.

• 1.13 Results

  • ​All games/scores will be posted on GameSheet and the tournament web page.