Rule Book

SECTION B – COMPETITION

Associations wishing to compete in PCAHA Minor “A” and “C” leagues must fulfil the following conditions:

1. (a) Each Association shall declare its intention to participate in “A” and “C” leagues by notifying the respective Managing Director on or before September 15th, except in the case of U21 “C” teams for which the deadline shall be September 25th. No team shall be accepted after the above date except by agreement of the Managing Director. Note: For Female Hockey refer to Section J(1)(a).(b) When an Association enters more than one “C” team in a division, these teams will be of a competitive balance. The strength of each team shall be reviewed on November 15th each season and necessary changes made to achieve a proper balance within the Association’s teams by not later than December 1st. Such changes shall be submitted to the Managing Director and League Manager for approval. Once approved, no further balancing changes shall be made after December 1st. Associations, teams, team officials, and coaches must make every effort to support competitive balance. If the Association, team(s), team official(s), and/or coach(es) refuse to make the necessary changes to achieve a proper balance within the Association’s teams by December 1st, the team(s), team official(s), and coach(es) shall be subject to suspension. Note: Once teams have been deemed balanced, any further roster changes shall not take effect until approval has been given by the respective Managing Director.
2. In the case of a Minor “C” team of such calibre that to continue in the Minor “C” league would be detrimental to that league and its members, the “C” and “A” Managing Directors shall both have the responsibility of informing the team’s Association President in writing by November 15th that the team must move to an “A” league. Failure to do so by December 10th shall result in the team being suspended. When an “A” team is reassigned to “C”, such reassignment shall be subject to the approval of both Managing Directors. Notwithstanding the deadlines in Section B(1)(b), when the “A” team is reassigned to “C”, the team MUST be disbanded and all “C” teams in the division in that Association must be rebalanced within 14 days.
3. Team Uniform Colours:
   1. (i) PCAHA-approved Association colours shall be worn by all “A” teams.
   2. (ii) It is recommended that PCAHA-approved Association colours be worn by all Female teams and all “C” teams. However, Associations are permitted to utilize other colour combinations provided such colour combinations are registered with the respective Managing Director.
   3. (iii) An Association wishing to change its PCAHA-approved Association colours or a new Association joining the PCAHA shall submit a colour change request, in writing, to the PCAHA Executive Director. The request shall be submitted for a decision (acceptance or rejection) at the next general meeting or the next meeting of the Minor Hockey Presidents Caucus, whichever comes first.
   4. (iv) Where uniforms of both teams are so similar that in the opinion of the referee there will be confusion, it shall be the responsibility of the home team to change its uniforms to a contrasting colour.
   5. (v) Should a team appear for a game wearing non-approved colours, as a result of which the opposing team is forced to change its uniforms (unless previously agreed to by the participating teams), the team officials of the offending team shall be subject to disciplinary action, including suspension and/or a fine of not less than $50.00, at the discretion of the Managing Director.
4. Any Association withdrawing a team after acceptance by the PCAHA shall be subject to disciplinary action by the Executive Committee of the PCAHA.
5. The PCAHA Executive Committee shall have the right to refuse any entry into a league.
6. Coaching Qualifications:
   1. (a) All coaches shall acquire coaching qualifications as required by BC Hockey regulations.
   2. (b) Each team shall have at least one qualified coach registered. Situations where coaches are found to be coaching while registered as managers or HCSP officials shall result in suspension until the required certification has been obtained.
7. Hockey Canada Safety Program:
   1. (a) All HC-carded teams shall have a HCSP official carded in accordance with BC Hockey regulations.
   2. (b) All non-HC carded teams in the U11 division and above (including U11 “A” teams, “C” teams, and non-HC-carded Female teams) shall have at least one team official who is qualified in the Hockey Canada Safety Program. The team Safety Person shall have also completed Respect in Sport and shall be registered with the team by not later than December 1st of the current season. Failure to have a qualified team Safety Person registered on the team on or before December 1st shall result in the team being declared ineligible for any playoff competition. A team declared ineligible for playoffs under this provision will be reinstated if, by not later than December 31st, it provides the PCAHA Office with written proof that it has a qualified Safety Person registered with the team.
   3. (c) All Introduction to Hockey, U7, and U9 teams shall have at least one team official who is qualified in the Hockey Canada Safety Program. The team Safety Person shall have also completed Respect in Sport and shall be registered with the team by not later than December 1st of the current season. Failure by a team to have a qualified team Safety Person registered on the team on or before December 1st shall result in fines and/or other disciplinary action. If this deficiency is rectified by December 31st, all fines and/or other disciplinary action will be waived.
8. Respect in Sport:BC Hockey regulations require all Minor Hockey team officials to have completed the on-line Respect in Sport (RIS) course. RIS expires and must be renewed every 5 years. Team officials who do not have current RIS qualification are ineligible to participate until such time as they have completed RIS. Please note that there is a condensed RIS version for parents which is not applicable to team officials.
9. CATT:BC Hockey regulations require all Minor Hockey team officials to have completed the CATT (Concussion Awareness Training Tool) 30-min. on-line course prior to participation.
10. Criminal Record Check:BC Hockey regulations require all Minor Hockey team officials to complete and submit a Criminal Record Check (CRC) and a Vulnerable Sector (VS) check prior to participation. A satisfactory CRC and VS check is valid for three (3) playing seasons and must be renewed thereafter.

SUMMARY – TEAM OFFICIAL QUALIFICATIONS – 2023-2024

SECTION C – PLAYER REGISTRATION

GENERAL:

1. Beginning with the 1992-1993 season, when a player registers for the first time with an Association, that player shall be registered on a PCAHA Player Registration Certificate filed with the PCAHA Executive Director prior to allowing that player to participate in any practices, try-outs, games, etc. The PCAHA Office shall retain completed Player Registration Certificates on file. Notwithstanding Section C(1)(a), above, the PCAHA Executive Director shall have the authority to require any player to complete and submit a PCAHA Player Registration Certificate upon request. Note: The PCAHA Player Registration Certificate shall be in the form of a standard player registration form.
2. No player shall register or play for more than one PCAHA member Association or league at a time. In any case in which a player last played Minor Hockey for an Association other than the one with which he or she is seeking registration, the procedures in Section D – Player Movement must first be complied with.
3. Each Association shall require that every player and the player’s parents, and every team official, by application for a PCAHA Player Registration Certificate, acknowledge the authority of HC, BC Hockey, the PCAHA, and the Association of which they are a member, and agree to abide by the By-Laws, Rules, and Regulations of HC, BC Hockey, the PCAHA, and their respective Association.
4. Every player applying for registration for the first time shall submit a birth certificate (or other approved document permitted by HC Regulations), issued by a competent authority, confirming the date of birth. In addition, the player’s parent(s) shall provide documented proof that the permanent family place of residence is within the Association’s geographic subdivision. Note: It is the Association’s responsibility to ensure that every player applying for registration for the first time meets the Residential Qualification (Section D(2)) and has complied with any necessary player movement requirements.
5. Registration certificates shall be accepted only if they are in the hands of the PCAHA Executive Director no later than 17:00 Mountain Time, February 10th.
6. 1. Players released after 17:00 Mountain Time, January 10th shall be ineligible to play with any other team in the current season.
   2. Players released from a team before 17:00 Mountain Time, January 10th, but not assigned to any team as of 17:00 Mountain Time, January 10th, may be registered with a team up to 17:00 Mountain Time, February 10th, provided all other eligibility rules are observed.
   3. Team rosters (not including team officials) shall be frozen as of 17:00 Mountain Time, February 10th, and may not be altered in any way after that date. Team rosters (not including team officials) shall remain unaltered until the conclusion of the PCAHA playing season, August 14th.

HC-CARDED TEAMS (U13 AND ABOVE):

7. All Minor “A” teams (except U11 “A”) and all Female teams eligible for BC Hockey Championships shall register all players and team officials with the BC Hockey Chief Executive Officer prior to the first league game for each team. Where an “A” team in U13 and above is not eligible under BC Hockey or HC regulations to compete for BC Hockey Championships, such team shall register on a PCAHA roster prepared for this purpose. In such cases, all references to registration with BC Hockey in these Rules and Regulations shall be deemed to refer to registration on a PCAHA roster with the PCAHA Executive Director. Following the first league game no player or team official shall participate for a team in any game unless properly registered with that team. Once registered on a team a player shall not be eligible to play for any other team unless released from his/her present team and then properly registered with the other team (with the exception of the specific situations permitted under the Affiliate Player and Goaltender Exemption rules, below).
8. 1. Player registration allotment shall be provided in the number of not more than 20 for U13 and U15 teams, and 25 for U18 and U21 teams.
   2. U13, U15, and U18 teams may register a maximum of 19 players at any one time of whom at least 2 must be goaltenders. U21 teams may register a maximum of 25 players of whom at least 2 must be goaltenders, however only 19 players may be dressed for any game (which shall include a maximum of 17 skaters and a maximum of 2 goaltenders). Comment: When a team registers the maximum 19 players in U13, U15, and U18 or the maximum 25 players in U21, at least 2 must be goaltenders. A team can register more than 2 goaltenders at a time, but only 2 goaltenders can dress for any game.
   3. Goaltenders registered under this regulation shall be clearly identified as “goaltenders”. Except in the U13 division and Female Hockey, any coach who allows a registered goaltender to play any position other than goal shall be suspended automatically until dealt with by the BC Hockey executive.
9. No team may compete in PCAHA competition unless a minimum of 12 players are registered on the team with the BC Hockey Chief Executive Officer prior to the first league game. All players participating must be registered with the BC Hockey Chief Executive Officer. If an Association wishes to release a HC-carded player from his/her current team, the Association Registrar shall provide written notice to the PCAHA Executive Director on an approved form. Such notice shall be transmitted to the PCAHA Executive Director by not later than 17:00 Mountain Time, January 10th.

U11 “A” TEAMS:

11. All U11 “A” teams shall register all players and team officials on a roster with the PCAHA Executive Director prior to the first league game for each team.
12. Player registration allotment shall be provided in the number of not more than 20 roster positions for each U11 “A” team, which shall include all regular players registered with the team. A roster position, once utilized, may not be reused.
13. A U11 “A” team shall have not more than 19 regular players registered at any time. If the maximum of 19 regular players are registered at any time, 2 of them must be goaltenders.
14. No U11 “A” team may compete in PCAHA competition unless a minimum of 12 players are registered on its roster with the PCAHA Executive Director prior to the first league game.
15. Prior to the commencement of Placement Round play and to a team receiving its Placement Round schedule, the team shall provide its Managing Director with a copy of its team roster. Beginning with the first league game, no player or team official shall participate for a U11 “A” team in any game unless registered with that team on its team roster. Once registered on a team a player shall not be eligible to play for any other team unless released from his/her present team and then properly registered with the other team (with the exception of the specific situations permitted under the Affiliate Player and Goaltender Exemption rules, below).
16. Addition or deletion of players and team officials after the commencement of league competition will only become effective upon notice to the Association of approval by the PCAHA Executive Director after receipt by him/her of written notice from the Association Registrar of the addition or deletion.
17. Players released after 17:00 Mountain Time, January 10th, shall be ineligible to play with any other team in the current season.

ALL MINOR “C” AND NON-HC-CARDED FEMALE TEAMS:

14. All Minor “C” teams and all non-HC-carded Female teams from U7 through U21 shall assign all players to teams on PCAHA roster forms with the PCAHA Executive Director and a copy to the respective Managing Director prior to the first league game for each team. Following the first league game no player shall participate for a team in any game unless registered on that team’s roster. Once assigned to a team a player shall not be eligible to play for any other team unless released and reassigned to another team (with the exception of the specific situations permitted under the Affiliate Player and Goaltender Exemption rules, below).
15. No player may play for more than one team except those players designated as Affiliate Players or as permitted under the Goaltender Exemption rules.
16. Roster positions shall be provided to teams as follows:
    • Minor “C” teams – unlimited.
    • Non-HC-carded Female teams – unlimited

    However, a team may not have more than 19 players registered at any one time of which 2 must be goaltenders. Exceptions:

    • An Association may make a written request to the responsible ”C” or Female Managing Director for special permission to roster an oversized team, stating reasons for the request. The request shall be considered by the responsible “C” or Female Managing Director and/or the “C” League or Female Committee and approved or rejected. Players in excess of the maximum 19 players shall only be registered on the team once approval has been granted.
    • U21 “C” and Female U21 teams may register a maximum of 25 players of whom at least 2 must be goaltenders, however only 19 players may be dressed for any game (which shall include a maximum of 17 skaters and a maximum of 2 goaltenders).
17. Teams may dress a maximum of 19 players in any one game, of which not more than 17 shall be skaters and not more than 2 shall be goaltenders in accordance with HC playing rules.
18. Team officials shall be registered on the team roster prior to participating in the first league game and any subsequent game.
19. Addition or deletion of players after the commencement of league competition will only become effective upon notice to the Association of approval by the PCAHA Executive Director after receipt by him/her of written notice from the Association Registrar of the addition or deletion and, in the case of “C” teams declared balanced under Section B(1)(b), after consultation with the applicable Managing Director.
20. No changes involving players shall be made to team rosters after 17:00 Mountain Time, January 10th, with the following exceptions:
    • new players registering with an Association after 17:00 Mountain Time, January 10th, or
    • a player released from another team within the Association before 17:00 Mountain Time, January 10th, provided roster change notice for addition of such players is filed with the PCAHA Executive Director by not later than 17:00 Mountain Time, February 10th.

    Note: There is no final date for the addition or deletion of team officials.

21. A “C” or non-HC-carded Female team, if it has 8 or fewer eligible players, may be permitted to disband after January 10th and players may be transferred to other team(s) within the Association in such manner as may be decided by the Managing Director, subject to approval by the Executive Committee. Application must be made in writing by the Association President. As an alternative to disbanding the team, the Executive Committee shall have the option of waiving the game limitation under Section C(29) and attaching such other conditions as may be deemed necessary.
22. If a player who is registered on an “A” team is released from that team in accordance with Section C(6), he/she shall only be reassigned to a “C” team in his/her age division with special permission from the responsible “C” Managing Director. If such permission is not granted, the player shall either move to another “A” team within the Association or move to a “C” team in a higher division. Note: The above procedure shall also apply to the redesignation of a HC-carded Female player to a non-HC-carded team.
23. An Association Registrar shall provide each team with a copy of its approved PCAHA roster form as proof of registration, for use at any game, and the team shall produce same when requested to do so by a PCAHA or other authorized official.

SPECIAL – TEAM OFFICIALS:

20. Within the PCAHA only, a team may request special permission from the Managing Director in an emergency situation to utilize a team official not registered with that team in a league, playoff, tournament/jamboree, or exhibition game, provided the team official to be utilized is registered with another “A” or “C” team within the team’s Association.
21. If through misadventure the registered team officials are prevented from appearing at a game, a team may utilize a non-registered team official for that game only on an emergency basis. The Managing Director must be advised within 24 hours of any consecutive use of that official.

INELIGIBLE PLAYERS AND TEAM OFFICIALS:

21. Any team permitting a player who is ineligible by reason of being under suspension or of not being properly registered with that team to play in a game shall automatically forfeit that game and may be subject to further disciplinary action.
22. Any team permitting a suspended team official to participate in a game shall automatically forfeit that game and may be subject to further disciplinary action.
23. Any team permitting a team official who is ineligible by reason of not being properly registered with that team to participate in a game may be subject to disciplinary action at the discretion of the Managing Director.
24. In addition to the above, the Managing Director shall suspend and/or take other disciplinary action against any team official or other individual responsible for permitting an ineligible player or team official to participate in any game.

GOALTENDER EXEMPTIONS/INJURED GOALTENDERS:

Note: Section C(22) applies only to non-HC-carded teams. HC-carded teams must follow C(23).

22. No replacement can be made for any ill or injured player in competition within the PCAHA, except the goaltender. A replacement may be permitted for an injured goaltender provided the following conditions are met:
    1. the replacement shall come from within the injured goaltender’s Association, from a team in the same or lower category within the injured goaltender’s division, or from a team in a lower division in the same or lower category;
    2. application in writing, including a doctor’s certificate describing the nature of the injury, shall be submitted to the Managing Director; and
    3. the replacement goaltender shall not commence play until notified by the Managing Director that the application has been approved. The Managing Director shall confirm approval, in writing, to the Association President, with a copy to the PCAHA Executive Director.
23. The ill or injured goaltender shall return to competition as soon as medical evidence indicates that it is in order for him/her to do so.
24. The replacement goaltender remains eligible for his/her regular team in the same or lower division or category, regardless of the number of games played, provided that permission was originally obtained.
25. The PCAHA Officers or the Managing Director may attach additional conditions to any injured goaltender arrangement they approve.
26. An injured goaltender situation involving a HC-carded team must be dealt with according to the procedures of HC and BC Hockey.

“C” Goaltender’s Exemption:

24. Where a “C” team has no goaltender available for a particular game, application may be made to the “C” League Manager for permission to utilize a “C” goaltender from another team in the same division within the team’s Association.
25. Notwithstanding Section C(22) and Section C(24)(a), where there is no team of the same category in the next lower division within the Association and no other “C” team in the same division within the Association, a U13 “C”, U15 “C”, U18 “C” or U21 “C” team may apply to the Managing Director for special permission to draw a replacement goaltender from a team not within the same category, in the next lower division within the Association. The application shall be in writing signed by the Association President.
26. In the event that registered goaltenders in a particular division are at a level where multiple teams are carrying one or no goaltenders, they may apply for a multi-game replacement exemption. The above procedures must be followed; however, the request may cover a series of games rather than game by game.

AFFILIATE PLAYERS:

25. An affiliate player is defined as a registered player who is temporarily included on the playing roster of a team in a higher division or category within that Association, as permitted in this Section.
26. Divisions/Categories:
    • “A” teams, U13 and above – Section C(26), C(29)
    • U11 “A” teams – Section C(27)
    • Non-HC Carded Female teams – Section C(28), C(29)
    • Integrated “C” Teams, U13 and above – Section C(30)(a), (b), and (c); C(29)
    • U11 “C” teams (excluding Female) – Section C(28), C(29)
    • U7 and U9 teams (excluding Female) – Section C(30)(a), (f), and (g)

HC-Carded Teams, U13 and Above:

26. A HC-carded team may have affiliated with it up to 19 designated (“specially affiliated”) players from HC-carded and non-HC-carded teams in lower divisions or categories within its Association. Associations shall designate up to 19 Affiliated Players for the HC-carded team with the BC Hockey Chief Executive Officer (copy to the PCAHA Executive Director). Such designation shall occur prior to the use of any Affiliate Player by the HC-carded team or by 17:00 Mountain Time, January 15th, whichever comes first. If fewer than 19 Affiliated Players have been initially designated, additional players from HC-carded and non-HC-carded teams in lower divisions or categories within the Association may be added up to the maximum 19 players. No change may be made to a HC-carded team’s list of designated Affiliated Players after 17:00 Mountain Time, January 15th. A player’s name may only appear on the Affiliate List of one HC-carded team in a higher division/category.

U11 “A” Teams:

27. A U11 “A” team shall be permitted to register Affiliate Players from lower category U11 teams within its Association on the following basis:
    1. Each U11 “A” team shall be allocated 8 Affiliate Player roster positions. An Affiliate Player roster position once utilized cannot be reused.
    2. Designation of an Affiliate Player shall occur prior to the use of the Affiliate Player by the U11 “A” team in any game or by 17:00 Mountain Time, January 15th, whichever comes first. No designation of Affiliate Players shall occur after 17:00 Mountain Time, January 15th.
    3. If a quality-based Placement format is utilized in U11 “A” hockey and if an Association has “A” teams in more than one Flight, a team in a higher Flight shall be permitted to affiliate players from U11 “A” team(s) in lower Flights within the Association.
    4. A U11 “A” team shall be permitted to affiliate players from U11 “C” team(s) within the Association.
    5. U11 “A” teams shall not be permitted to affiliate players registered in the U9 division or below.
    6. An individual player shall not be affiliated with more than one (1) higher division/category team at any time.
    7. Section C(29) shall apply for game limitation except that the maximum number of games an Affiliate Player shall be permitted to play with U11 “A” teams shall be restricted to five (5) league and/or playoff games.

Non-HC-carded Female Teams:

28. Non-HC-carded Female teams, U9 through U21, may draw Female players registered with non-HC-carded team(s) in lower division(s) or category(ies) within their Association as Affiliate Players. Such players shall be subject to the limitations specified in Section C(29). Where there is more than one Flight in a division and where an Association has non-HC-carded teams in more than one Flight, then the Flights shall be considered categories for purposes of the Affiliate Player rule. The Affiliate Player rule shall only be applied in situations in which a team (i) has 12 or fewer skaters for a particular game or (ii) has no goaltender available for a particular game. When the Affiliate Player rule is utilized, a team can only apply for permission to draw Affiliate Players to bring its playing roster for the game in question to a maximum of 13 skaters in the case of skaters or a maximum of 1 goaltender in the case of goaltenders. No non-HC-carded Female team shall utilize a player from a lower division or category as an Affiliate Player unless permission has first been obtained from the League Manager. Note: Use of cross-affiliation as described in Section C(28)(b) and C(28)(c) is subject to annual reauthorization from BC Hockey.
29. Female U11 teams may draw Female players registered on teams in the same category and division within their Association as Affiliate Players. Such players shall be subject to the limitations specified in section C(29). The Affiliate Player rule shall only be applied in situations in which a team (i) has 12 or fewer skaters for a particular game or (ii) has no goaltender available for a particular game. When the Affiliate Player rule is utilized, a team can only apply for permission to draw Affiliate Players to bring its playing roster for the game in question to a maximum of 13 skaters in the case of skaters or a maximum of 1 goaltender in the case of goaltenders. No non-HC-carded Female team shall utilize a player from another team in the same division and category as an Affiliate Player unless permission has first been obtained from the League Manager.
30. Female U7 and Female U9 teams may draw Female players registered on teams in the same division within their Association as Affiliate Players. Such players shall be subject to the limitations specified in Sections C(29), J(3), and J(4). The Female Hockey Committee may impose additional limitations at its discretion. The Affiliate Player rule shall only be applied in situations in which a team has 11 or fewer players for a particular game. When the Affiliate Player rule is utilized, a team can only apply for permission to draw Affiliate Players to bring its playing roster for the game in question to a maximum of 12 players. No Female U7 or U9 team shall utilize a player from another team in the same division as an Affiliate Player unless permission has first been obtained from the League Manager.

Limitation (U13 and above, U11 to U13, and all Female Teams):

29. A player of a team of a lower division or category may play as an Affiliate Player (as defined in Section C(25)) for a team or teams of higher divisions and categories at any time, to a maximum of ten (10) league and/or playoff games. An Affiliate Player who participates in more than ten (10) games will be deemed to be an ineligible player. Any violation of this rule shall be reported to the PCAHA Managing Director. However, if the player’s registered team completes its regular season and playoffs before the player’s affiliated team or teams, the player may thereafter affiliate an unlimited number of times. Note: Exhibition and/or tournament/jamboree games are excluded from the number of games referred to in Section C(29).
30. A team of a higher Division or category may not use an affiliated player prior to receiving consent of the team with which the affiliated player is registered.

Integrated “C” Hockey:

30. “C” teams may draw Affiliate Players from “C” teams in lower division(s) within the same Association, subject to the following restrictions (Note: For Female non-HC-carded (“C”) teams see rule C(28)):
    1. No player may play as an Affiliate Player unless permission has first been obtained from the League Manager.
    2. For U11 and older: The Affiliate Player rule shall only be applied in situations in which a team (i) has 12 or fewer skaters for a particular game or (ii) has no goaltender available for a particular game. When the Affiliate Player rule is utilized, a team can only apply for permission to draw Affiliate Players to bring its playing roster for the game in question up to the lesser of:
       1. its original roster size as registered with PCAHA, or
       2. a maximum of 13 skaters in the case of skaters or a maximum of 1 goaltender in the case of goaltenders. Any players in excess of the minimums shall be deemed ineligible player(s) and the team and team officials will face disciplinary action under Section C(21).
31. A U11 “C”, U13 “C”, U15 “C”, or U18 “C” player drawn as an Affiliate Player by team(s) in higher division(s) shall be limited to a total number of games as specified in Section C(29).
32. U18 “C” Tournament Provision: For U18 “C” teams participating in tournament games, the Affiliate Player rule Section C(30)(a) and (b) shall apply. However, in cases where a team is unable to affiliate a player from a lower division due to no available affiliates in a lower division, the team can request to affiliate across from another U18 “C” team within the Association by written request from the Association President to the Managing Director with the following information:
    1. Evidentiary proof from the Association division co-coordinator that no affiliate players in a lower division are available;
    2. The team has 12 or fewer skaters or no goaltender;
    3. The team can only draw affiliate players from another U18 “C” team within the Association up to the lesser of the team’s original roster size or a maximum of 13 skaters; and
    4. A maximum of two (2) U18 “C” players may be cross-affiliated. The Managing Director has discretion for approval.
33. U9 to U11 – U9 players may only be drawn as Affiliate Players in U11 “C”. However, any U9 player playing as an Affiliate Player in U11 “C” shall be restricted to either:
    1. a maximum total of 5 league, playoff, tournament/jamboree, or exhibition games, or
    2. if a player has not played any league, playoff, tournament/jamboree, or exhibition games as an Affiliate Player, one (1) complete sanctioned tournament/jamboree. Any player playing more than this number of games shall be deemed an ineligible player, and the team officials responsible shall be subject to disciplinary action, except if the Association President has acquired prior approval from the Managing Director to move the player permanently to the U11 “C” team.
34. No player shall participate as an Affiliate Player unless the conditions in Section C(30)(a) and (b) have first been met. Note: If an Association does not have any U9 teams registered, the U11 “C” team(s) may draw Affiliate Players from U7.
35. For U7 and U9, when the Affiliate Player rule is utilized, a team can only apply for permission to draw Affiliate Players to bring its playing roster for the game in question up to:
    1. the minimum roster number required by any tournament event if this is more than their original roster size as registered with PCAHA, or
    2. the number to match their opponent’s roster size in an exhibition game.

    League play parameters regarding roster size and affiliate player allowances for official league games are to be included in each respective league’s operating procedures as submitted annually to the PCAHA Executive Committee.

36. Where a U7 or U9 team is entering a tournament which requires a minimum roster size which is larger than their regular roster size and insufficient affiliates are available and eligible, application for special permission may be made to the PCAHA Executive Director to draw players from other teams at the same level (U7 or U9) within the same Association for that tournament only.

SPECIAL “C” HOCKEY OVERAGE EXEMPTION:

31. (a) Special permission may be granted for Minor “C” teams to register “C” calibre player(s) of the next age division up in cases where, because of small size or weak ability, a player would be unable to compete in his or her normal age division. Such permission in writing shall be obtained from the responsible “C” Managing Director prior to the registration of the overage player.

    (b) An Association with more than one “C” team utilizing more than one overage player shall distribute those players evenly among all its teams.

    (c) Non-HC-carded Female teams may apply to utilize the overage exemption, subject to the conditions outlined in Section C(31)(a) and (b), above, and subject to the approval of the Female Hockey Committee.

SECTION D – PLAYER REGISTRATION AND PLAYER MOVEMENT

1. The following regulations shall cover all levels of Minor Hockey (U7 through U21).

RESIDENTIAL QUALIFICATION:

2. Except as hereinafter provided, no player shall be registered as a member of a Minor Hockey Association, or compete for a Minor Hockey team in any game, unless the permanent residence of such player’s parent is located in the geographic subdivision (as defined below) of the Association with which the player applies for registration.A geographic subdivision includes a city, a town, a municipality, a police village, a rural area or a zone as established according to Section D(3), below, and approved by BC Hockey.

ZONE REGULATIONS AND AMENDMENTS:

3. 1. The geographic subdivision of each Association shall be defined and governed according to the “Zone Regulations” (sometimes known as “Draw Area Rules” or “Draw Zone Regulations”) as submitted to and approved by BC Hockey on September 13, 1986, and as subsequently amended.
   2. Each Association’s Zone Regulations shall include a description of the boundaries of the Association’s geographic subdivision (known as the Association’s “zone”), plus any special provisions governing administration of the “zone”.
   3. Proposals to amend the Zone Regulations shall be submitted in writing to the PCAHA Office not later than April 1st of each season and shall be dealt with according to By-Law 97. However, no amendment shall be considered unless and until all directly affected Associations are in agreement with the proposed zone boundary change.
   4. In the case of a new Association being admitted to membership in the PCAHA or of an amalgamation of Associations, the new or amalgamated Association shall submit a letter declaring its zone (geographic subdivision) and stating that it will only register players from within that area. The new or amalgamated Association shall not be permitted to register players or enter teams until the zone has been approved by the PCAHA according to Section D(3)(a), above. Note: If the amalgamation/annexation or admission of the Association occurs after April 1st and prior to the start of the following season, the geographic subdivision shall be submitted for approval to an Extraordinary General Meeting.
   5. Notwithstanding Section D(3)(a) and D(3)(b), above, no amendment to the Zone Regulations shall take effect until ratified by BC Hockey. Until such time as BC Hockey ratifies an amendment, the existing Zone Regulations shall remain in effect.
   6. The Zone Regulations shall be appended to these Rules and Regulations.
   7. In the event that a private club shall amalgamate with another private club pursuant to the provisions of the Societies Act, or otherwise merge or cease operating, the private club which remains does not acquire the geographic subdivision of the private club which has ceased to operate unless and until a new geographic subdivision is approved by the PCAHA in accordance with Section D(3)(a) and (b).
   8. In the circumstances referred to in Section D(3)(h), a player registered with the private club which has ceased to operate must make an election to either:
      1. move to another private club; or
      2. move to the Association of the player’s place of residence.

PLAYER MOVEMENT:

4. Player Movement: No player shall change Association registration except as provided below, and in accordance with the procedure detailed below.Player movement shall be classified according to the following categories:
   1. Residential Move;
   2. Returning Home;
   3. Residential Waiver – No Carded Team;
   4. Residential Waiver – No Female Team;
   5. Residential Waiver – Waiting List ”C” Hockey Only;
   6. Special Player Movement.
5. A Residential Move can only occur when a player resides with his/her parent and the parent changes his/her permanent place of residence and the player continues to reside with his parent. This shall not be a temporary residence.
6. Continuity of Registration: Beginning with new registrants as of the 1995-1996 season and all subsequent seasons, a player properly registered with an Association may remain with that Association and compete at all levels, but should the player’s parents change their permanent family place of residence such that the player no longer resides within the zone (geographic subdivision) of his/her current Association, such player shall be ineligible to play for that Association beyond the end of the current season. Such player shall move to his/her new residential Association. Should a player attempting to move as a result of a change of residence under this section be prevented from doing so because of a waiting list in his/her new residential Association, such player or the player’s parents shall be permitted to make application to the PCAHA Player Movement Committee to permit the player to remain an additional season at the former Association. However, in such an instance the player shall be eligible to play for a non-HC-carded team only.
7. Returning Home: A player playing for an Association other than his/her residential Association under any provision of these rules and regulations or who is playing for a private club Minor Hockey Association but does not reside within the private club Association’s “defined residential area” who leaves that Association for any reason shall be required to “return home” to his/her residential Association.

   Note: Where the zones (geographic subdivisions) of two or more Associations coincide, player movement between those Associations may never be classified as “returning home”.

8. Residential Waivers – In the following circumstances, a player may apply for a “Residential Waiver” player movement:
   1. Residential Waiver – No Carded Team:
      1. If a HC-carded (“A”) team does not exist in the player’s residential Association in the player’s age division, the player shall be permitted to apply for a Player Movement to play for an adjacent Association that is entering a HC-carded (“A”) team and is willing to accept the player’s registration.A female player wishing to play for a HC-carded Female (“A”) team whose residential Association is not offering a HC-carded Female (“A”) team in the player’s age division may apply under this section to move to an adjacent Association which is offering a HC-carded (“A”) Female team.
         
         Note 1: A female player residing within the boundaries of a Female Association must be registered with that Female Association prior to July 31st in order to be eligible to apply for a Player Movement where no Female Association HC-carded (“A”) team exists unless that Female Association has declared prior to July 31st that they shall not be offering a HC-carded (“A”) Female team in the player’s division.
         
         Note 2: A female player residing within an Integrated Association must, where there is no overlapping Female Association and where that Integrated Association offers a female program, register in the Integrated Association’s female program prior to July 31st in order to be eligible to apply for a Player Movement where no Female HC-Carded (“A”) team exists unless that Integrated Association has declared prior to July 31st that they shall not be offering a Female team in the player’s division.
         
         Note 3: Where an Association, on or after August 1st, is unable to field a Female HC-Carded (“A”) team in a division after having previously declared their intent to register the team, a female player shall be eligible to apply for a Player Movement where no Female HC-Carded (“A”) team exists only if that player has been continuously registered since July 31st with a Female Association/program as specified in Notes 1 and 2 at the time the Association withdraws their declaration to field the Female HC-Carded (“A”) team in the player’s division.
         
         Note 4: The PCAHA Female Hockey Committee shall have the authority to waive the requirements of Notes 1 and 2 for a player in exceptional circumstances.
         
         Note 5: Notes 1 and 2 shall not apply to players making a residential move from a non-PCAHA Association and registering after August 1st.
         
         Note 6: Notes 1 and 2 shall not apply to players having been released from an above-Minor team after August 15th.
      2. All players must first register with their residential Association. Should an Association fail to have sufficient players to form a HC-carded (“A”) team, it will release the player to an adjacent Association that is willing to accept the player’s registration and an Application for Player Movement shall be processed according to Section D(11).
      3. Where the zones (geographic subdivisions) of more than one Association coincide and one of those Associations declares “No HC-carded (‘A’) Team” in the player’s age division, a player whose parents reside within the coincidental zone shall first apply for a Player Movement to the other Association(s) within the zone. If the player’s registration is refused by the other Association(s), then he/she shall apply to an adjacent Association that is entering an HC-carded (‘A’) team and is willing to accept the player’s registration.
      4. If no adjacent Association is able to accept the player’s registration, the player would apply for a Player Movement to play for the nearest Association that is entering a HC-carded (“A”) team and is willing to accept his/her registration.
      5. Should the player be unable to play for the HC-carded (“A”) team(s) in the adjacent or nearest Association, the player shall return to his/her residential Association to play for a non-HC-carded (“C”) team.
      6. A player permitted to move to an out-of-zone Association under this section and selected for a HC-carded (“A”) team shall be permitted to play for that Association for the current season only. The player will be required to register with his/her residential Association prior to the start of the next season.
      7. A player who is registered with a private club Minor Hockey Association but whose parents do not reside within the private club Association’s “defined residential area” and who leaves that Association as a result of the inability of that Association to register an HC-carded (“A”) team in his/her age division shall be permitted to return to that Association the following season provided he/she has played continuously at that Association for at least the two (2) preceding seasons.
      8. This section only applies in divisions in which HC-carded (“A”) teams are available. Residential Waiver – No Carded Team shall also apply for the U11 division.
   2. Residential Waiver – No Female Team: For the purpose of promoting the growth and development of Female Hockey, a female player shall be permitted, if no Female team exists within the player’s residential Association in the player’s age division, to apply for a Player Movement to an adjacent Association that is entering a Female team that will accept her. If no adjacent Association is able to accept her, she would apply for a Player Movement to play for the nearest Association that is entering a Female team and is willing to accept her registration.
   3. Residential Waiver – Waiting List “C” Hockey Only:
      1. With the objective of facilitating player participation in hockey, a player shall be permitted to apply for a Player Movement to play for a “C” team in an adjacent Association that is willing accept the player’s registration in the following situations:
         • There is a waiting list in the player’s residential Association;
         • Such other reason as approved by the PCAHA Executive Committee and/or the respective Managing Director(s).

         If no adjacent Association is able to accept him/her, the player may apply for a Player Movement to play for the nearest Association that is willing to accept his/her registration on a “C” team.

      2. Residential Waiver – Waiting List shall apply in “C” and non-HC-carded Female hockey only. A player approved to participate in an adjacent Association under this section shall participate for a “C” team only and shall not register or Affiliate to any higher division/category team, nor shall he/she practice with any higher division/category team.
      3. A player approved to participate in an adjacent Association under this section shall return to his/her residential Association at the end of the current season.
      4. No Player Movement under this section shall be used to unduly strengthen or weaken any “C” or non-HC-carded Female team, nor shall such an arrangement have the effect of excluding players from participation in hockey. Any violation of this clause shall result in the following action, to be taken by the “C” League’s governing committee or Female Hockey Committee, as applicable, in conjunction with the PCAHA Vice-President responsible for the Conference: (i) recommendation to the PCAHA Executive Committee that the arrangement be terminated, or (ii) an order to the participating Associations that immediate action be taken to correct the problem.
9. Special Player Movement: Where the zones (geographic subdivisions) of two or more Associations coincide, a player whose parent is resident within the coincidental zones shall be permitted a special player movement, subject to any restrictions contained in the Zone Regulations and the procedures outlined below.
10. Hockey Canada Accredited Schools – Players registering at a Hockey Canada Accredited School located within the geographic area of the PCAHA shall be subject to the following:
    1. A player who last registered with any other Association who is moving to the Hockey Canada Accredited School shall do so by way of an Application for Player Movement under the Special Player Movement section, above.
    2. During the period of registration at the Hockey Canada Accredited School the player shall be eligible to participate in games and practices within the Hockey Canada Accredited School only.
    3. At the end of the season, the player shall automatically return to the residential Association or private club Minor Hockey Association with which the player was last registered. If the player moves to a Hockey Canada Accredited School in the following season, he or she shall do so by way of an Application for Player Movement under the Special Player Movement section, above, and as per D(10)(e), below.
    4. If the player decides to leave the Hockey Canada Accredited School he/she shall move to his/her residential Association by way of an Application for Player Movement under the Returning Home section, above, if the Association is within the PCAHA. Exception: If the player was last registered at a private club Minor Hockey Association within the PCAHA, he/she shall have the option to return to that private club Minor Hockey Association.
    5. Player Movement procedures, fees, and application deadlines shall apply to moves to and from the Hockey Canada Accredited School.
11. Procedure: In each instance where it is proposed that a player be registered with an Association other than the one he or she was last registered with (excluding automatic returning home moves at the end of the season required under Section D(8)-
    Residential Waivers, Section D(10)-Hockey Canada Accredited School, and the U21 Special Zone Rule), that player shall comply with the procedure described below:

    Note: A player returning to Minor Hockey from Junior hockey or Senior Women’s hockey, or returning to Minor Hockey after a period of absence, must reregister with the Association with which he or she was last registered and may not register with another Association unless the procedure below is complied with.

    1. A PCAHA Application for Player Movement form shall be utilized.
    2. The player and the player’s parent(s) shall acknowledge by means of signatures their acceptance of the PCAHA By-Laws, Rules, and Regulations, prior to making an application for player movement.
    3. The player shall first obtain a release from the Association with which he or she was last registered, where that Association is a member of the PCAHA, as indicated by the signature of any one of the following three Association officers: president, registrar, or vice-president.

       The Association President may appoint the Association’s Executive Director/ Administrator as one of the authorized signatures noted above. Such appointment must be provided in writing to the PCAHA Executive Director by the Association President.

       Note 1: Such a release shall be effective as of the date the application for player movement is approved by the Player Movement Committee.

       Note 2: A release granted contrary to Section D of these Rules and Regulations, or to the appropriate Zone Regulations, shall be invalid. An Association granting such a release shall be subject to fine or suspension at the discretion of a majority of the Executive Committee of the Society.

       Note 3: Any refusal to grant a release may be appealed to the Appeals Committee of BC Hockey.

       Note 4: Between August 1st and February 10th, the Association shall have seven days from the date of receipt of the release request to grant or refuse the release request. Failure to respond within 7 days without a valid reason shall incur a fine of up to $500.00 and allow PCAHA to proceed with the process.

    4. The player shall next obtain an indication of the willingness of the proposed new Association to accept him or her, as indicated by the signature of one of the following three Association officers: president, registrar, or vice-president.

       The Association President may appoint the Association’s Executive Director/ Administrator as one of the authorized signatures noted above. Such appointment must be provided in writing to the PCAHA Executive Director by the Association President.

       Note 1: The signatures referred to in D(11)(c) and D(11)(d) shall appear on the same page.

       Note 2: An Association indicating willingness to accept a player when the resulting player movement would be contrary to this Section or to the Zone Regulations shall be subject to fine or suspension at the discretion of a majority of the Executive Committee of the Society.

    5. The completed Application for Player Movement Form shall be submitted to the PCAHA Office and shall be held for consideration by the PCAHA Player Movement Committee. No player movement shall have effect until approved by the Player Movement Committee, except that the PCAHA Executive Director shall, upon receipt of a completed Application for Player Movement meeting all qualifications under the following categories, have the option to exercise authority on behalf of the Player Movement Committee and approve or reject the Application subject to ratification by the Player Movement Committee at its next meeting:
       1. Returning Home;
       2. Residential Waiver – No Carded Team;
       3. Residential Waiver – No Female Team;
       4. Residential Waiver – Waiting List “C” Hockey Only;
       5. Special Player Movement; and
       6. U21 Special Zone Rule

       but not including Residential Moves.

    6. An incorrectly submitted or incomplete Application, as determined by the Executive Director, may not be dealt with by the Committee. Further, no application may be approved unless the resulting player movement would be specifically allowed in this Section or in the Zone Regulations.
    7. No application shall be considered without the consent of both the player and the player’s parent(s).
    8. Player movement applications shall be considered only if received at the PCAHA Office by the following dates:
       • Special Player Movement (U18 and below) – September 1st, except that the Associations involved may apply to the PCAHA Executive Director for late approval of a Special Player Movement provided such application is received no later than September 15th;
       • Special Player Movement (U21) – October 15th;
       • Residential Move – 17:00 Mountain Time, January 10th, except when a player is not registered with any team as of 17:00 Mountain Time, January 10th, in which case the deadline shall be 17:00 Mountain Time, February 10th;
       • Residential Waiver – No Carded Team – same as Residential Move;
       • Residential Waiver – No Female Team – same as Residential Move;
       • Residential Waiver – Waiting List “C” Hockey Only – same as Residential Move;
       • Returning Home – same as Residential Move.
    9. The Player Movement Committee shall consist of a Chairperson and two other persons appointed by the President. The Committee shall meet at the call of the Chairperson, as required by the volume of Applications. The Committee shall deal with an application within 10 days of receipt, except during the period February 11th to August 1st. Meetings of the Committee shall be open to all concerned persons by securing an appointment with the Committee in advance in order to present evidence.
    10. The Player Movement Committee shall have the authority to refuse any application for player movement, giving cause. The Chairperson shall advise the affected Association President and Registrar in writing of the decision, outlining the reasons for refusal, within 48 hours of the decision. The affected Association President or Association Registrar shall forward a copy of the Chairperson’s letter to the player’s parents.

        Where an application is rejected due to lack of information, the applicant or the Association shall have one additional opportunity to provide the Committee with additional information within 7 days of the original decision being sent to the affected Association President and/or Registrar. The Committee will re-evaluate the application, including the new information provided, within 7 days of receipt of the additional information. In such a case, the 10 day time limit in Section D(11)(i) shall not apply.

    11. Administration fees shall be assessed as follows:
        • Residential Move from outside the PCAHA – $15.00;
        • Residential Move within the PCAHA – $15.00;
        • Residential Waiver – No Carded Team – $15.00;
        • Residential Waiver – No Female Team – $15.00;
        • Residential Waiver – Waiting List ”C” Hockey Only – $15.00;
        • U21 Special Zone Rule – $15.00;
        • Automatic returning home under Residential Waiver and U21 Special Zone Rule – no charge;
        • Returning Home – $15.00;
        • Special Player Movement – $75.00;
        • Other types of player movement not mentioned above – $15.00.
    12. Should an Association use any player prior to approval of that player’s Application for player movement, including allowing the player to participate in training camps or practices, or playing the player in any game, such Association shall be fined a minimum of $100.00, as well as be subject to suspension. The team officials involved shall be subject to a suspension of not less than 30 days. A fine under this clause shall not exceed $3,000.00.
    13. Notwithstanding Section D(11)(l)(i) and (ii), if a player meets the requirements to move to another Association under Section D(8)(a)-Residential Waiver – No Carded Team as a result of his/her residential Association offering no HC-carded team in the player’s age division, the player may apply for Preliminary Try-out Approval in order to try out for a HC-carded team at the indicated Association. The following expedited procedure shall be followed:
        1. The player’s residential Association shall declare in writing that it will have no HC-carded team in the player’s age division for the current season.
        2. The player’s residential Association Registrar shall indicate support for Preliminary Try-out Approval to be granted, in writing on the PCAHA Preliminary Try-out Approval form.
        3. Once the completed PCAHA Preliminary Try-out Approval form has been filed with the PCAHA Office, the player may attend try-outs in the one (1) new Association named in the form.
        4. Should the player be selected for a HC-carded team, he/she shall process an Application for Player Movement to remain at the new Association for the current season only.
        5. Should the player not be selected for a HC-carded team, he/she shall immediately return to his/her residential Association to play on a non-HC-carded team.

        Preliminary Try-out Approval shall terminate as of the date of selection under (iv) or (v) or October 1st, whichever comes first.

12. Private Clubs see Zone Regulations Section II.

SECTION E – PLAYING RULES

1. The PCAHA playing rules shall be those adopted by HC with the exception of changes adopted by the PCAHA and BC Hockey.
2. The home team shall be responsible for supplying pucks, a qualified timekeeper, and a qualified scorekeeper for each game. The referee will report any omission to the PCAHA Managing Director. Note: If the two participating teams agree or if the Managing Director so directs, the home team will supply the timekeeper and the visiting team will supply the scorekeeper, or vice versa.
3. Use of illicit drugs, cannabis or alcohol before, during, or after a game will not be tolerated and may draw a heavy suspension. The referee is to report the incident in full detail to the Managing Director.
4. As provided in HC Rule 3.6, players (including goaltenders) shall wear required protective equipment, including CSA-certified helmets and facial protectors and BNQ-certified throat protectors, in all games, practices, warm-ups, and while sitting on the players’ bench or penalty bench.
5. To focus attention on the dangers of checking an opponent from behind, all skaters and goaltenders on PCAHA-registered teams shall wear the standard 3” “Stop Sign” patch above the number on the high backs of their jerseys in all games. Any non-compliance shall be reported to the PCAHA Managing Director by the Referee.
6. Teams are not permitted on the ice without on-ice official(s) also on the ice. Failure to adhere to this rule shall result in disciplinary action.
7. Supplemental oxygen, which is not medically prescribed, shall be prohibited at all PCAHA sanctioned games. The penalty shall be a three game suspension for the coaching staff in attendance and forfeiture of the game at which the supplemental oxygen product is found to be in possession.
8. The use of strobe light equipment by spectators and others shall be prohibited, as such use may have an undesirable medical side effect. Team officials shall ensure such equipment is not used before, during, and after any game. Failure by team officials to comply shall be brought before the Managing Director for possible disciplinary action.

PLAYERS:

9. The minimum number of players required to start a game is specified in Hockey Canada Rule 2.2(a), which states: “A minimum of six eligible players in uniform (not necessarily a goaltender) on each team shall be necessary to start the game.”

GOALTENDERS:

10. In PCAHA competition, a team may dress a maximum of 17 skaters plus a maximum of 2 goaltenders.
11. In PCAHA competition (excluding U15 “A”, U18 “A”, and U21 “A” games), a registered goaltender may play any other position.

SPECIAL “C” AND NON-HC-CARDED FEMALE HOCKEY PLAYING RULES:

12. As nearly as possible, equal ice time shall be given to all players regardless of playing ability in any “C” and non-HC-carded Female hockey game.

BODY CHECKING:

13. In all games played within the PCAHA, body checking in the U13 division and below, in all Female hockey, and in all “C” hockey shall be in accordance with HC Rule 7.3 (no body checking).

SECTION F – GAME RECORD KEEPING

1. All games shall be identified by a game number. No game shall be played without a game number assigned by the PCAHA League Manager or PCAHA Managing Director, as applicable. (See also Section L(2)).
2. Each game shall be fully and accurately recorded in the designated electronic gamesheet system which shall include recording the names of all players, team officials, off-ice officials, and on-ice officials (Referee/Linespersons) participating in the game; goals and assists scored during the game for those divisions in which scores are recorded; all penalties assessed by the on-ice officials; and any ancillary data required (such as period times and goaltender saves).
3. The team officials from each team shall be responsible for ensuring that all participating players and team officials in any game are eligible to participate in the game. One of the registered team officials shall verify that all players and team officials of his/her team are correctly listed in the electronic gamesheet system.

SECTION G – GAME TIMES AND SCHEDULES

1. Unless otherwise specified in their respective league’s General Operating Procedures, each Managing Director shall provide a league schedule to each of their teams. Schedules may be issued in up to three (3) parts, one of which may be used for Balancing/Placement games.
2. Unless otherwise authorized in writing by the Managing Director:
   1. All games in each part of the schedule must be completed prior to the start of the subsequent part.
   2. All games must be completed by the end of the regular season.
3. 1. The Managing Director shall attempt, to the extent feasible, to ensure that teams within a given flight/group play each other approximately the same number of times over the course of the league schedule.
   2. If there is team movement between flights/groups between successive parts of the schedule which causes an excessive game imbalance among teams playing each other, the Managing Director at their discretion may amend the schedule to balance the number of games that teams play against other teams, home and away.
   3. No game in the U13, U15, U18, or U21 divisions shall be played on “small ice” as defined by PCAHA Officers.
   4. Approved hours for starting league, exhibition, and playoff games are as follows:
      • Earliest Latest
      • Sunday ……………………………………………….. 7:00 AM 9:30 PM
      • Monday through Thursday …………………….. 6:00 PM 9:30 PM
      • Friday …………………………………………………. 6:00 PM 9:30 PM
      • Saturday ……………………………………………… 7:00 AM 9:30 PM

      Note 1: For U7 and U9 (not including Female), Sunday through Thursday, the latest start time is 7:30 PM.

      Note 2: For U11 and U13, Sunday through Thursday, the latest start time is 8:00 PM and 8:30 PM respectively.

      Note 3: For U18 and U21 the latest start time is 10:00 PM. Associations shall make their best efforts to start not later than 9:30 PM for U18.

      Note 4: Upon the request of the participating teams, the responsible Managing Director may permit reasonable exceptions to the earliest and latest starting times for rescheduled league games and for exhibition games only.

      Note 5: Minor “C” league or playoff game starting times shall conform to the above, except where a specific exemption has been granted by the responsible Minor “C” League.

      Note 6: For Female Hockey the approved hours for starting league, exhibition, and playoff games are as follows:

      • Female U18 and Female U15: Monday through Friday: 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 AM to 9:30 PM
      • Female U13: Sunday: 8:00 AM to 8:30 PM Monday through Thursday: 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM Friday: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Saturday: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM
      • Female U11, Female U9, and Female U7: Monday through Friday: 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM
4. Associations are to allocate ice times for scheduled games which are reasonable in relation to the ages of the players involved and to the distances visiting teams must travel.
5. All teams must provide the minimum league and playoff game time for their division and category as follows:
   • U7 and U9 ……………………………………………………………………… 1 hour
   • Female U9 and Female U11 …………………………………………….. 1 hour
   • U11 (all); U13 “C” ……………………………………………………………. 1 hour
   • U13 (all except “C”), U15 (all) ……………………………………………. 1¼ hours
   • Female U13, Female U15, and Female U18 ……………………….. 1¼ hours
   • U18 (all except Female); U21 (all) ……………………………………… 1½ hours

   Note: Minor “C” league or playoff game times shall conform to the above, except where a specific exemption has been granted by the responsible Minor “C” League.

6. All league and playoff games played within the PCAHA shall be played on the basis of three stop time periods.
7. All league and playoff games shall be in accordance with the following schedule as it fits available ice time. Notwithstanding any additional ice time, the maximum game time shall be three 20-minute stop-time periods.
   • Duration Warm-up First Break Second Break Third
   • 1 hour ………………………………. 5 10 none 15 none 15
   • 1¼ hours …………………………… 5 15 none 15 none 15
   • 1½ hours (body checking) ……….. 5 15 none 15 2 20
   • 1½ hours (non-body checking) ….. 5 15 none 20 2 20
   • 1¾ hours (body checking) ……….. 5 15 none 15 ice clean 20
   • 1¾ hours (non-body checking) ….. 5 15 none 20 ice clean 20
   • 2 hours ……………………………… 5 20 none 20 ice clean 20
   • 2¼ hours …………………………… 5 20 ice clean 20 ice clean 20
   • 2½ hours or more ………………. 5 20 ice clean 20 ice clean 20

   Notes:

   1. Where indicated, the 2-minute break between the 2nd and 3rd periods shall be at the discretion of the referee subject to available icetime to complete the game.
   2. Prior to the third period, if the referee feels there is not sufficient time to play the period as listed, he/she will notify both teams that it is necessary to shorten the period by a specific number of stop-time minutes. The revised playing time shall be shown on the clock at the commencement of the third period. In non-body checking games only, if more than 10 minutes remain in the icetime on the arena clock, the standard for determining the length of the third period shall be half the time remaining on the arena clock plus two PCAHA Rules and Regulations – 2023-2024 Season Section G minutes. If less than 10 minutes remain in the icetime on the arena clock, the standard shall be half the time remaining on the arena clock.
   3. Note (b) shall apply to all league and playoff games with the exception of the following:
      1. Games in the Minor “A” Conference or playoff grouping Championship “Final 4” (hosted) Round-Robin series [Section N(10)(e)];
      2. Games in the Minor “A” Conference or playoff grouping Championship Final four-point playoff series (if any) [Section N(11)(f)];
      3. Tiebreaker Games under Section N(13);
      4. Games designated by the Executive Committee as requiring three full periods.
   4. Where an ice clean is indicated, if, at the end of the preceding period, the referee feels there is not sufficient time to complete the third period in its entirety, then the ice clean will be cancelled and a 2-minute break substituted.
8. The referee must attempt to complete the game in its entirety, unless advised by the arena ice engineer that the icetime has expired. In the event that a game is suspended by the referee or not completed for any reason, the Managing Director shall have the option to consider any of the following:
   1. Consider the game completed and award the points accordingly.
   2. Play the remaining time on the clock to complete the game (must use exact team line-ups when the game was suspended).
   3. Replay the game in its entirety.
9. No overtime shall be played in a league or exhibition game. Exception: Overtime may be played in the course of Association playoffs involving one Association’s teams only. The officials shall be advised of the overtime rules prior to the start of the game.
10. Every effort must be made to start a game on schedule. Any team failing to take the ice within 15 minutes of scheduled game time shall, at the discretion of the Managing Director, be liable to a fine of up to $500.00 and (if the aggrieved Association submits a written request for actual expenses incurred) the cost of ice and official fees, may be deemed to have forfeited the game, and may be subject to suspension, unless a satisfactory reason is presented. If no written request is received from the aggrieved Association then the fine of up to $500.00 applies.Teams may not declare a forfeit. The Managing Director shall have the option of ordering the game replayed, recording the game as a forfeit, or recording the game as “no result”.Failure to meet all league commitments shall result in suspension and/or other disciplinary action to the team and/or team officials responsible.

    Note: In such circumstances the referee and linespersons shall be paid.

11. Any team wishing to reschedule any regular season or playoff game must receive the approval of the appropriate League Manager AND its scheduled opponent not less than 72 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the game in question (except for emergency conditions). Games may be rescheduled only if:
    1. both teams mutually agree on another date on which to play the game, pending approval from the appropriate League Manager; or
    2. both teams agree to reschedule, without setting another date, whereupon the responsibility to reschedule the game shall fall upon the team requesting the postponement. Should the teams thereafter fail to agree upon a date to play the game, the Managing Director shall mediate the dispute and his/her decision shall be binding on both teams.

    Note: In levels above U15 “C”, the League Manager will advise the referee assigner of a change in the schedule and shall provide at least 72 hours notice of the date of the rescheduled game. In U15 “C” and below the team manager is responsible for notifying the referee assigner.

12. 1. No league or playoff game will be altered or rescheduled to accommodate a tournament/jamboree or exhibition game unless special permission is granted in writing by the Managing Director.
    2. The Managing Director shall not grant such permission unless the date(s) and time(s) of the rescheduled game(s) have first been submitted and approved. In situations in which the league or playoff schedule has not yet been issued or the dates of the tournament are beyond the end of the current schedule and it is not possible to determine rescheduled game date(s) and time(s), the Managing Director may grant the team conditional permission to enter the tournament on the strict understanding that the team will fulfil any and all league and playoff commitments once the new schedule is issued.
    3. The team(s) involved shall apply for permission to the Managing Director through the League Manager.
    4. Failure to abide by this rule shall result in disciplinary action against the team(s) responsible to include:
       1. a fine of not less than $150.00 nor more than $1,000.00;
       2. suspension of the team official(s) responsible;
       3. possible suspension of the team from further play;
       4. forfeiture of the game and game points.

13. Where a game on a schedule is marked as a “conflict” game, the participating teams shall agree on a suitable date and time to play the game and shall advise the League Manager. Should the teams fail to agree upon a date and time to play the game, the Managing Director shall mediate the dispute and his/her decision shall be binding on both teams.

    The game, if in the first half of the league, shall be played prior to the commencement of the second half, and if in the second half, prior to the end of league play.

    Teams may not declare a forfeit. Failure to meet all league commitments will result in disciplinary action, which may include suspension(s), at the discretion of the Managing Director.

SECTION H – PENALTIES

1. All penalties shall be governed by the official rules as published by HC and BC Hockey or as specifically varied by the PCAHA.

REFEREE WRITE-UP PROCEDURE:

2. In all circumstances in which the Referee is required to report infractions of the rules (including Match penalties, Gross Misconduct penalties, Game Misconduct penalties, and teams refusing to start play) or any other matters of concern, he or she shall enter the game incident report using the online Hockey Canada game incident reporting system by no later than 8:00 AM on the day following the game in which the incident occurred. Subsequent to filing his/her report, the Referee may be contacted by the responsible BC Hockey disciplinary officer or PCAHA Managing Director if there are questions about the game incident or the report.

MATCH PENALTIES AND GROSS MISCONDUCTS:

3. 1. Any player or team official incurring a Match penalty or Gross Misconduct penalty, and any team official who incurs a penalty under the “refusing to start play” rule, shall be automatically suspended in accordance with the procedure bulletin issued annually by BC Hockey in the Minimum Suspension Guidelines.
   2. BC Hockey advises the Managing Director and Association President of any Match Penalty and Gross Misconducts within his/her division.

TEAM OFFICIAL PENALTIES:

4. Any team official who incurs a Game Misconduct, regardless of the time of game, shall be automatically suspended as per the BC Hockey Minimum Suspension Guidelines.
   Notwithstanding the above, if the Managing Director determines that disciplinary action in addition to the minimum suspensions may be required in a given circumstance, he/she shall convene a disciplinary hearing to review the situation and take such action as may be required.

SUSPENSIONS:

5. 1. All automatic suspensions are stipulated in the annually-issued BC Hockey Minimum Suspension Guidelines.
   2. Where a player or team official incurs penalties in a game resulting in more than one suspension, such suspensions shall be served consecutively, beginning with the suspension for the most serious penalty.
   3. Suspensions shall be stated in one of the following forms:
      1. “…until Midnight, (date)”, or
      2. “…until Midnight, (date), or (number) league or playoff games, whichever comes first”. In the latter case, the date shall be calculated as laid out in the BC Hockey Minimum Suspension Guidelines – Game to Day Ratio.
   4. Suspensions take effect immediately and must be served until the required number of league/playoff games or clear days has expired. A suspended individual may not participate in any exhibition games between the league/playoff games.
   5. Games in tournaments sanctioned by BC Hockey and the PCAHA shall be considered “league” games for the purpose of serving suspensions under this Section.
   6. Suspensions NOT specifically described in the BC Hockey Minimum Suspension Guidelines which carry an automatic Game Misconduct and may be accompanied by a suspension under Hockey Canada Rule 4.8(c) are:
      • Checking From Behind Minor penalty;
      • Player incurring two 10 minute Misconducts in the same game (as per HC Rule 4.7(c));
      • Major Penalties such as Tripping, Interference, etc.
   7. For suspensions in effect prior to the Christmas break or incurred during the Christmas Break, the days between the last scheduled league game prior to the Christmas break and the first scheduled league game after the Christmas break (within the suspended player’s/team official’s league and division) shall not be included in determining the number of days served.Note: Sanctioned tournament games during Christmas Break shall count against such suspensions.
   8. Where a suspension occurs after March 1st and the team has no further games, then the suspension will be carried over and served after September 15th, at the Managing Director’s discretion to include exhibition games scheduled after September 15th or later.
   9. A player who incurs a suspension while playing for another team under the Affiliate Player or Goaltender Exemption rules must serve the suspension according to the schedule of the team with which the participant received the suspension. Therefore, participants are not permitted to count games from multiple teams towards the serving of a suspension.
   10. A team official who is registered on more than one team shall serve any suspension with the team with which he/she was acting as a team official at the time he/she incurred the suspension. During the term of the suspension he/she shall not participate in games with any other team, nor may he/she count games from more than one team against the suspension.Note: A team official receiving a suspension shall be prohibited from participating with their team(s) from one (1) hour prior to any games until one (1) hour after the conclusion of any game, acting as an Official, or acting in any other capacity with a team, league or association within BC Hockey.
   11. It shall be the responsibility of each team’s officials to ensure that correct records of Misconducts, Game and Gross Misconducts, Fighting, and Match penalties be kept, and that players serve their total game suspensions as required by HC, BC Hockey, and PCAHA rules, whether or not notification is given by the respective League Manager. Failure to comply with the rules may result in disciplinary action against the offending team official(s) by the Managing Director.Note: Notification of automatic suspensions by a Managing Director or League Manager is NOT standard practice. Teams are encouraged to contact their League Manager if they have a question about applicable suspensions.
   12. Where an indefinite suspension has been assessed, a hearing must be held or a decision rendered within 14 days of the suspension.

OTHER:

6. Team officials shall be responsible for supervising and controlling the conduct of their players before, during, and after each game. Failure by team officials to control the conduct of their players before, during, or after a game (for example, dressing room vandalism, bench brawls, lobby and parking lot altercations, etc.) shall result in suspension and/or other disciplinary action to the player(s) and team official(s) responsible. In addition, the cost of any damages shall be assessed against the team.
7. Team officials shall ensure proper fan control at all games. Notwithstanding the required duties of the home team in this clause, the management of the visiting team shall be prepared to assist, where necessary and at the direction of the Referee, in ensuring that proper fan control is maintained. Failure of team officials to act shall be brought before the Managing Director of the PCAHA.
8. Abuse of on-ice officials and other participants by spectators shall not be tolerated. Should any spectator engage in unsportsmanlike behaviour, verbal abuse, taunts, slurs, etc., the Referee shall have full authority to have such spectator removed from the arena. If necessary, the Referee shall suspend the game until the individual(s) involved are removed from the rink area.
9. The Managing Director will investigate all reports of off-ice profane, obscene, or abusive language or conduct by players, team officials, off-ice officials, or any person associated with a team or Association and shall take disciplinary action when necessary.
10. League Managers shall have the authority to advise team officials of suspensions and disciplinary action, when applicable, as governed by the PCAHA rules, after consulting with their Managing Director. Teams failing to observe suspensions shall be reported to the Managing Director.
11. Should it be brought to the Managing Director’s attention that any team or team official is operating in a manner contrary to the basic concepts of sportsmanship and fair play, the Managing Director shall investigate and request the member Association in question to take disciplinary action as appropriate in the circumstances. If no action is taken, then the Managing Director may take disciplinary action.

SECTION I – REFEREES AND LINESPERSONS

1. On-ice officials (referees and linespersons) MUST hold valid, current HCOP certification in order to officiate any game within the PCAHA.

2. 1. Each PCAHA member Association shall appoint an Association Referee-in-Chief (ARIC). The duties of the ARIC shall be to:
      1. encourage the development of local officials;
      2. arrange and attend a HCOP carding clinic, to include providing sufficient ice time, when necessary;
      3. evaluate local officials;
      4. ensure that officials are assigned for U15 “C” and lower;
      5. attend monthly Association Referee-in-Chief meetings called by the BC Hockey Minor Officiating Leads; and
      6. perform any other duties necessary in order to improve the level of officiating within the Association.
   2. The Association Referee-in-Chief MUST attend a BC Hockey certification clinic and obtain HCOP certification for the current season.
   3. The Association Referee-in-Chief shall be responsible to the BC Hockey Minor Officiating Leads and his/her Association in all matters pertaining to officiating.

3. 1. For U7 through U13 “A”, the Association Referee-in-Chief or delegate shall be responsible for assigning all on-ice officials, including league, playoff, exhibition, and tournament/jamboree games.
   2. For U11 “A” and U13 “A” Conference or playoff grouping championship final playoff series, the Manager of the Referee Assigning Centre in conjunction with the Managing Director shall be responsible for designating an assigner to assign on-ice officials for each series.
   3. Leagues will be responsible for determining the assigning of U15 “C” on-ice officials.
   4. For U15 “A” through U21 (including Female U15 and Female U18), the Manager of the Referee Assigning Centre shall be responsible for assigning all on-ice officials, including league, playoff, and exhibition games.
   5. For U15 “A” through U21 tournament/jamboree games, the Association Referee-in-Chief shall be responsible for assigning all on-ice officials.

4. In divisions/categories assigned by the PCAHA Referee Assigning Centre, responsibility for requesting officials for league, playoff, and exhibition games shall be as follows:
   1. In the case of league game schedules, it is the responsibility of the Managing Director to provide a league schedule to the Manager of the Referee Assigning Centre at least 72 hours prior to the start of league play.
   2. For all playoffs, the Managing Director shall provide a schedule of games to the Manager of the Referee Assigning Centre at least 72 hours prior to the date of the commencement of games (except where circumstances are beyond the league’s control).
   3. For conflict and/or rescheduled games the League Manager shall notify the Manager of the Referee Assigning Centre at least 72 hours prior to the date of the new game (except where circumstances are beyond the league’s control).
   4. In the case of exhibition games, it shall be the responsibility of the team manager to provide the League Manager at least 72 hours’ notice in order for the League Manager to provide maximum notice to the Manager of the Referee Assigning Centre.
   5. It shall be the responsibility of the team manager to provide the League Manager with a minimum of 72 hours’ notice of any game cancellation, except in emergency situations. The League Manager will in turn notify the Manager of the Referee Assigning Centre. A team responsible for cancelling a game within 24 hours of game time will be assessed for the referee/linesperson expense allowance(s) if the Referee Assigning Centre is not able to cancel the on-ice official(s).

5. Should fewer than the required number of officials appear for any game, then the procedures outlined in HC Rules 5.2(k-m) shall be followed.

6. 1. Any official who fails to meet the standards of conduct outlined in BC Hockey policy 11.06 shall be subject to discipline by the BC Hockey Minor Officiating Lead or BC Hockey Referee-in-Chief. These violations may include but are not limited to:
   1. Tardiness;
   2. Cleanliness, inappropriate attire, or non-approved uniform;
   3. Accepting assignment(s) with implications of nepotism without approval;
   4. Failure to report for an assignment (no-show);
   5. Conduct unbecoming of an official;
   6. Detrimental comments towards or berating a fellow official;
   7. Excessive use of profanity on ice;
   8. Showing disrespect to players, coaches, or administrators;
   9. Unnecessarily aggressive physical contact with a player;
   10. Late or lack of game incident report submission;
   11. Officiating while ineligible or uncertified.
   2. If an Association Referee-in-Chief or a PCAHA elected or appointed officer suspects an official has committed a violation of the policy listed above, they shall forward the matter to the BC Hockey Minor Officiating Lead.
   3. If a coach, team manager, or other individual affiliated with a Minor Hockey Association suspects an official has committed a violation of the policy listed above, they shall forward a complaint in accordance with Section K(6).
   4. Association Referees-in-Chiefs may wish to handle minor violations of policy informally, with a verbal or written warning, particularly if the matter involves younger or inexperienced officials. Nevertheless, a copy of the warning and the pertinent facts of the matter shall be forwarded to the Minor Officiating Lead for the purposes of record-keeping, as well as possible further disciplinary action, if necessary.

7. 1. It will be the responsibility of the home team to ensure the referee and linespersons receive their expense allowances before the game.
   2. The officials’ expense allowances in cash must be left with the timekeeper prior to the start of the game. Repeated failure to do so will cause the Association to be reported to the Managing Director for appropriate action.
   3. It is the officials’ responsibility to be in the dressing room at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the game they are assigned to.

8. 1. Referee and linespersons expense allowances for all games with a duration of 90 minutes or less within PCAHA shall be in accordance with the following schedule:

   	3-Official System		2-Official System
   Division	Referee Each	Linesperson Each	Referee Each
   U7 (all)	N/A	N/A	$20.00
   U9 (all)	N/A	N/A	$20.00
   U11 “C”	$40.00	$31.00	$40.00
   U11 “A”	$42.00	$33.00	$42.00
   U13 “C”	$45.00	$35.00	$45.00
   U13 “A”	$50.00	$37.00	$50.00
   U15 “C”	$52.00	$39.00	$52.00
   U15 “A”	$55.00	$41.00	$55.00
   U18 “C”	$58.00	$43.00	$58.00
   U18 “A”	$65.00	$47.00	$65.00
   U21	$70.00	$50.00	$70.00

   For any game exceeding 90 minutes, an additional $5 per official will be added for each additional 15 minutes of game time (rounded up). No rate in excess of the above schedule shall be permitted (including all exhibition, league, playoff, and tournament/jamboree games).

   2. When three on-ice officials are assigned to a game but fewer than the assigned number appear, those official(s) in attendance shall be paid the single referee expense allowance per the corresponding 2-Official System rate.
   9. The following qualifications shall apply for the assigning of on-ice officials:
      1. The three-person system is mandatory in the U13 division and above, excluding Female and “C” Leagues. U11, Female U13, Female U15, Female U18, Female U21 and all “C” leagues may utilize the three-person or two-person system. U7 and U9 are to follow the Cross-Ice Guidelines.

         Exception: A Minor Hockey Association wishing to utilize the four-person officiating system (two Referees and two Linespersons) for a designated sanctioned tournament in the U15, U18, or U21 divisions shall first make application in writing to the BC Hockey Minor Officiating Lead for permission to do so. If such permission is granted by the BC Hockey Minor Officiating Lead, the four-person system shall be used for all tournament games played within the designated sanctioned tournament. In the 4 official system, both Referees shall receive the Referee’s expense allowance as specified in Section I(8) less the following amounts:

         • U15 “C” – $3.00
         • U15 “A” and U18 “C” – $4.00
         • U18 “A”, U21 “C”, and U21 “A” – $6.00
      2. In the three-person system for U15 “C” and above, the referee shall be a Level 2 or higher.
      3. All officials shall be at least one division higher in age than the players. Exceptions to this age qualification may be specifically approved by the BC Hockey Minor Officiating Leads, for application in the U18 and U21 divisions only.
      4. Officials shall be only assigned to referee or line divisions/categories for which they have been assessed and graded and for which they are age-appropriate (as outlined in Section I(9)(d)). Exceptions may be allowed when an official is being evaluated for purpose of upgrading.
   10. In all divisions and categories, if the home team does not provide the required officials for a game between two PCAHA Association teams, the Association in default shall be subject to disciplinary action by the PCAHA Executive Committee upon written notice submitted to the Managing Director.

SECTION J – FEMALE HOCKEY

Introduction: This Section deals with the Rules and Regulations which shall govern Female Hockey competition and activities within PCAHA:

1. General Information:
1. Team Declarations:
   1. All non-HC-carded U11, U13, U15, and U18 team declarations shall be submitted to the Managing Directors, Female Hockey, by Midnight of September 15th of each year.
   2. Associations shall declare to the PCAHA Executive Director and the Managing Directors, Female Hockey, whether or not, and in which division(s) they will offer one or more Female HC-carded (“A”) teams by no later than Midnight of August 15th.
   3. All U21 team declarations shall be submitted to the responsible Managing Director, Female Hockey, by Midnight of September 25th of each year.
   4. All U9 and below team declarations shall be submitted to the Managing Directors, Female Hockey, by Midnight of October 15th of each year.
   5. Any team declaration received after the date required for their division shall only be accepted with the approval of the Female Hockey Committee.
2. Where an Association shares the same residential boundary as an existing Female Association, such Association shall obtain approval from the Female Hockey Committee before it can start up any Female teams.
3. All game starting times and ice-time lengths shall be subject to the approval of the responsible Managing Director, Female Hockey. All teams must provide the minimum league and playoff game times listed in Section G(5) and must follow the game starting times specified in Section G(3).
4. The regular season playing schedule, including Placement rounds, should be in effect as soon after registration as the League Managers deem possible and completed in time to allow for league, playoffs, and provincial, regional, and national championships.
5. In the case of a team no show, refer to Section G(10). In the case of rescheduled games, refer to Section G(11).
6. Period times – refer to Section G(6), G(7), G(8), and G(9).
2. Players and Teams:
1. Divisions of Competition:
   1. The Managing Directors, Female Hockey, with the approval of the Female Hockey Committee, shall determine the number of divisions and levels of competition within each division by December 23rd of the current season. Age division shall be according to HC designation (HC Reg. B.1).
   2. Special permission may be granted for non-HC carded teams to register over-age players with the approval of the Female Hockey Committee.
2. Teams:
   1. Players on HC-carded teams shall be registered according to Section C(7-10).
   2. Players on non-HC-carded teams shall be registered according to Section C(14-19).
   3. All teams and Associations shall keep the PCAHA office and Managing Directors, Female Hockey, informed of the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of the current Team and Association officials and Association contacts.
   4. Equal Ice Time Rule (non-HC-carded) – see Section E(12).
3. Affiliate Players – refer to Section C(25-26) and C(28-29).
4. Association Boundaries:
   1. The zone boundaries of Associations entering Female teams are as defined in Addendum #1.
   2. In the case of no Female team in the Association, see Section D(8)(b).
   3. In the case of no HC-carded Female team in the Association in the player’s division (HC-carded levels only), see Section D(8)(a).
   4. In order to promote the development of Female Minor Hockey in its formative years, in the event a new Association is formed or a boundary changed, a player residing in the new Association’s zone boundaries must play for the new Association unless the player has been registered for the two previous seasons with another Association, in which case the player may remain with that Association. In the event that a player registered out-of-zone under the provisions of this rule moves residence to a zone other than her residential Association’s zone, such player shall move to her new residential Association at the conclusion of the current season.
5. Preliminary Try-outs – All preliminary try-out forms for players wishing to try out for a Female HC-carded team outside their residential zone boundary must be completed and submitted to the PCAHA Office by September 1st of the current season.
   • Note 1: The PCAHA Female Hockey Committee shall have the authority to waive this rule for a player in exceptional circumstances.
   • Note 2: Players making a residential move from a non-PCAHA Association after August 31st shall be exempt from this rule.
   • Note 3: Players having been released from an above-Minor team after August 31st of the current season shall be exempt from this rule.
6. Female Associations shall not close registration for try-outs for their Female HC-Carded (“A”) teams prior to August 21st, unless the Association has closed all registration for Female teams in the applicable age division.
3. Female U7 Hockey:
1. Objectives:
   1. To provide an introduction to team play for hockey players aged 6 and under in a non-competitive, recreational structure.
   2. To promote skill development and sportsmanship.
   3. No standings shall be kept for any league arrangements, tournaments, or jamborees.
   4. There shall be no playoffs of any kind.
   5. Game limit to be set at the discretion of the PCAHA Female Hockey Committee prior to league play. However, game limits and game limitations shall not exceed those outlined in Section R(3)(b)(i) and R(3)(d)(i).
   6. Out-of-District travel is not permitted.
2. Playing Rules:
   1. Playing Rules: All games in Female U7 shall follow the Cross-Ice hockey format.
   2. In each game, equal ice time shall be given to all players regardless of playing ability.
   3. The Shift Length Buzzer Rule shall be mandatory for Female U7 hockey.
   4. A strict rotational system of line changes shall be used.
   5. Team composition shall follow the “On-Ice Team Size” section of the PCAHA Cross-Ice Hockey Guidelines.
   6. The score shall not be posted on the scoreboard.
   7. All games shall be recorded and reported in the manner determined by the responsible PCAHA Managing Directors, Female Hockey, at the beginning of the current season.
   8. Coaches shall be directly responsible to ensure that hockey is played for the purpose of instruction on a strictly informal, “fun” basis.
4. Female U9 Hockey:
1. Objectives:
   1. To provide an introduction to team play for hockey players aged 8 and under in a non-competitive, recreational structure.
   2. To promote skill development and sportsmanship.
   3. No standings shall be kept for any league arrangements, tournaments, or jamborees.
   4. There shall be no playoffs of any kind.
   5. Game limit to be set at the discretion of the PCAHA Female Hockey Committee prior to League play. Game limits and game limitations shall not exceed those outlined in Section R(3)(b)(ii) and R(3)(d)(ii).
   6. Out-of-District travel shall be permitted. Any team wishing to travel out-of-District shall first receive permission from the responsible Managing Director and shall be limited to a maximum of four (4) out-of-District games or one out-of-District (1) tournament/jamboree.
2. Playing Rules:
   1. Playing Rules: All games in Female U9 shall follow the Cross-Ice hockey format.
   2. In each game, equal ice time shall be given to all players regardless of playing ability.
   3. The score shall not be posted on the scoreboard.
   4. All games shall be recorded and reported in the manner determined by the responsible PCAHA Managing Director, Female Hockey, at the beginning of the current season.
   5. Coaches shall be directly responsible to ensure that hockey is played for the purpose of instruction on a strictly informal, “fun” basis.

FEMALE U7 AND U9 SUMMARY
(for guideline purposes)

Note: BC Hockey has mandated use of the cross-ice hockey format for all levels below U11
(including Female U7 and Female U9), effective the 2016-2017 season. As a result, all Female
U7 and Female U9 games shall follow the cross-ice hockey format. For further information,
please see Appendix #1 – Cross-Ice Hockey Guidelines.

	Female U7	Female U9
Ages	6 years old and younger	8 years old and younger
Manuals	*IP Manual	IP A and B Manuals or equivalent IP C and D Manuals or equivalent
Teams	*Teams formed not earlier than November 1st	*Teams formed not earlier than October 1st
League Games	6 assigned league games to start on or after Jan. 1st of the current season	13 assigned league games to start on or after Dec. 1st of the current season
Maximum Number of Games (**)	25 total games, which can include a maximum of 2 tournaments (unless further restricted by the Female Hockey Committee)	35 total games (unless further restricted by the Female Hockey Committee)
Cross-Ice Hockey Required	Yes	Yes
Shift Length Buzzer	Required	Required
Penalties	No – see “Section 7 – Referees” of PCAHA Cross-Ice Guidelines for guidance	No – see “Section 7 – Referees” of PCAHA Cross-Ice Guidelines for guidance
*Dressed Goaltenders	Yes	Yes
Out of District Travel Permitted?	No	Yes
Posting Scores	No	No
Equal Ice time	Required	Required
Standings/Playoffs	No	No

5. Referees and Officials

The Association Referee-in-Chief or referee assigner shall ensure that assigned on-ice officials are familiar with Female Hockey playing rules, in particular HC Rule 7.3(b) – no Body Checking.

6. Complaints

Complaints on any matter (excluding complaints about on-ice officials) shall be submitted in writing to the League Manager.

7. Discipline and Suspensions:
1. Discipline of Teams:
   1. All team officials and/or players, as applicable, must answer to all written complaints filed with the responsible Managing Director, Female Hockey, for occurrences of the following:
      • Harassment of referees and/or game officials.
      • Foul and abusive language on the players bench.
      • Foul and abusive language on the ice towards other players and/or game officials.
      • Unusually high number of penalties being accumulated in games.
      • Destruction or defacing of dressing rooms, etc.
      • Violation of arena rules and regulations regarding the use of drugs and the consumption of alcohol.
   2. If for any reason, the responsible Managing Director, Female Hockey, feels that it is in the best interest of female hockey to order the expulsion of a team, such expulsion must be dealt with at a meeting of the Female Hockey Committee.
2. Suspensions:
   1. The Female Hockey Committee has the power to suspend any player, team and/or team official for infraction of any of the Rules and Regulations, or for engaging in conduct deemed to be unacceptable and not in the best interest of the PCAHA or its members, whether such conduct occurs on or off the ice. In the case of an emergency the responsible Managing Director, Female Hockey, can exercise the above rights for a period of up to seven days.
   2. Automatic suspensions to team officials and players – see Sections H(4) and H(5).
8. Playoff Structure

Refer to Section N(6).

9. Awards:
1. League Winner: The team winning the most points in each Flight shall be awarded the “League Winner” banner.
2. Playoff Championship: The teams winning the Flight playoffs in each Flight will be given a “Playoff Champions” banner for that division.
10. Voting:
1. At a Female Hockey Committee meeting, each member Association shall be entitled to exercise votes as follows: one vote for the Association, and up to four (4) votes for teams within the Association.
2. One delegate may carry all votes for his/her Association.
11. Amendments to Female Minor Rules and Regulations:
1. Adoption of or amendments to the Minor Rules and Regulations on matters specific to Female Hockey shall be approved by the Female Hockey Committee at a special rules meeting prior to submission to the PCAHA Rules Committee.
2. All special rules meetings of the Female Hockey Committee shall require a quorum which shall consist of not less than fifty per cent (50%) of members entitled to be present, as well as fifty per cent (50%) of Member Associations.
3. A two-thirds majority vote of members present who are entitled to vote at a special rules meetings of the Female Hockey Committee shall be sufficient to pass any amendment to the Rules and Regulations.
12. Female District Development Program

A Female District Development Program shall be authorized for player development purposes. Such programming shall adhere to principles established by and be subject to guidelines adopted by the Female Hockey Committee to govern player eligibility and participation, team official selection, and event participation within the Program. Such provisions may include the formation of inter-Association tournament teams utilizing rules outside the provisions of sections C and L. The Female District Development Program shall be subject to annual re-approval.

13. Managing Directors, Female Hockey:
1. The responsibilities and duties of the two (2) Managing Directors, Female Hockey, within the Female League shall be assigned and approved by the PCAHA Female Hockey Committee.
2. With the approval of the PCAHA Female Hockey Committee, a single individual may assume the duties and responsibilities of both Managing Directors, Female Hockey.

SECTION K – COMPLAINTS, PROTESTS, APPEALS

1. The League Manager shall rule in all disputes arising within his/her league and present a written report to the Managing Director within 5 days of the decision.

2. Game protests during the regular season shall be transmitted in writing to the League Manager within 72 hours, counted from the completion of the game in question. In the case of playoff games, all protests or complaints shall be in writing on Association letterhead signed by the Association President, or in the absence of the President, a Vice-President, and filed with the Managing Director, within 24 hours of the completion of the game in question.

   Note: An appeal of a Managing Director’s decision on a game protest of a playoff game shall be filed in writing with the PCAHA Executive Director within 48 hours of the decision of the Managing Director. Please refer to the procedure in By-Law 69.

3. Appeals to the League Manager’s ruling on any matter may be made in writing on Association letterhead signed by the President or hockey chairperson or, in the absence of the President, a Vice-President. The appeal shall be directed to the Managing Director within 72 hours, counted from the time of being advised of the League Manager’s ruling, accompanied by a cheque in the amount of $25.00 payable to the PCAHA. This fee will be refunded if the appeal is upheld.
4. For appeals of any ruling of a Managing Director, PCAHA Committee, or member of the PCAHA Executive Committee, please refer to By-Laws 69, 70, and 71.
5. In all cases above, the results of a protest or appeal shall be conveyed to the Association or individual submitting the protest/appeal by telephone within 48 hours of the decision, to be confirmed in writing within 14 days.
6. Complaints regarding on-ice officials pursuant to Section I(6)(a) must be made in writing on Association letterhead and signed by the President (or, in the absence of the President, a Vice-President) or Referee-in-Chief of the Association. It will then be forwarded to the BC Hockey Minor Officiating Lead (OL). A copy must be sent to the PCAHA Office. The OL will investigate the complaint and take any action necessary with regards to disciplining officials. Alternatively, if a complaint is found to have embellished or misrepresented events, the OL will forward the matter on to the appropriate PCAHA Managing Director who will take appropriate disciplinary action against the person(s) responsible.

SECTION L – EXHIBITION GAMES AND TOURNAMENTS

1. Permission to play in any exhibition game, tournament, or jamboree must be obtained from the League Manager.

EXHIBITION GAMES:

2. 1. Any team wishing to play an exhibition game shall first obtain permission from its League Manager by way of an exhibition game number. Under no circumstances will an exhibition game be played without a game number. Failure to obtain a game number may result in suspension or other disciplinary action against the team official(s) responsible.
   2. If two PCAHA teams are playing in the exhibition game, the home team is required to obtain the exhibition game number.
   3. If the two PCAHA teams playing in the exhibition game report to different League Managers, the visiting team shall notify its League Manager of the exhibition game number assigned to the game.
   4. If a PCAHA team is playing an exhibition game against a non-PCAHA team, the PCAHA team shall obtain an exhibition game number whether the game is at home or away.
   5. Games Against USA or Other Federations:
3. If a PCAHA team wishes to play an exhibition game against a team registered with USA Hockey, a Canadian team registered with a Member of Hockey Canada other than BC Hockey, or a team registered with another Federation of the IIHF, whether at home or away, the team shall first obtain an exhibition game number from its League Manager. The team shall then forward a permission request to the PCAHA Office, which shall apply on the team’s behalf for BC Hockey approval.

TOURNAMENTS:

4. A team wishing to participate in any tournament or jamboree must first obtain a tournament permission number from its League Manager. Failure to do so shall result in disciplinary action. (See also Section G(12) regarding conditions that apply during league play and playoffs). The Managing Director has the right to revoke or deny any tournament permission.
5. If a PCAHA team wishes to participate in any tournament outside the Lower Mainland District, the team shall first obtain a tournament permission number from its League Manager. It shall then forward a permission request to the PCAHA Office, which shall apply on the team’s behalf for BC Hockey approval.
   Note: Please complete the BC Hockey Interdistrict & USA Travel Checklist, available on the PCAHA website Forms page, and forward it along with the required information to the PCAHA Office.
6. 1. A request for permission to hold a tournament or jamboree must be in writing on a BC Hockey-approved form signed by the Association President and filed 30 days prior to the start of the tournament or jamboree with the BC Hockey Office. A request for permission to hold a tournament or jamboree must also be in writing on a PCAHA-approved application form along with a copy of the BC Hockey application form 30 days prior to the start of the tournament or jamboree and filed with the PCAHA Office.
   2. Failure to obtain tournament permission as required shall result in a fine or other disciplinary action.
   3. PCAHA tournament permission fees shall apply as follows:
   1. For each tournament permission – $100.00;
   2. For each division/category schedule within a tournament uploaded to Spordle Play (HiSports) – $25.00;
   3. For each roster uploaded to HiSports for non-BC Hockey teams not in HCR and Spordle Play (HiSports) – $10.00.
7. All tournaments/jamborees held under the jurisdiction of the PCAHA shall operate under PCAHA rules and regulations.
8. It shall be the responsibility of the tournament/jamboree host Association to view “Permission to Enter Tournament/Jamboree” forms and record the permission number of all PCAHA teams entered in the tournament/jamboree. It is also recommended that the host Association ask for a letter of permission from teams outside the PCAHA. Failure to confirm the eligibility of the participating teams shall result in a fine or other disciplinary action to the host association.
9. Tournament schedules shall be submitted to the PCAHA Office at least one week in advance of the start of the tournament. For multi-event tournaments, the schedule shall be separated by age division, category (“A” and “C”), and competitive level.
Note: As per HC Regulation J.10, “No Team or Player may compete in more than three (3) games in one day.”
10. For tournament/jamboree play, Associations are authorized to adopt a “mercy rule” as follows: if the goal spread between the competing teams reaches 5 (or 6), running time commences until such time as the spread is reduced to 4 (or 5), at which time stop time will once again commence. Minor penalties under running time shall be 3-minutes running time.
11. 1. In all tournaments or jamborees, teams must consist only of those players who are included on the team roster filed with the PCAHA Executive Director (except as specifically permitted under the Affiliate Player and Goaltender Exemption rules).
    2. The tournament/jamboree director shall be entitled to verify all rosters with the PCAHA Executive Director prior to the commencement of the tournament/jamboree.
    3. Any team or Association using players in a sanctioned tournament or jamboree who are not on the team’s roster (except as specifically permitted under the Affiliate Player and Goaltender Exemption rules) shall be liable to disciplinary action by the PCAHA.
12. Scholarship Tournaments

    The PCAHA U18 Scholarship Tournaments and the PCAHA U21 Scholarship Tournament shall be held annually by the PCAHA. Special eligibility rules will apply to these events, subject to annual approval by BC Hockey.

SPRING HOCKEY TEAMS:

13. 1. No PCAHA-registered team shall participate in a tournament or exhibition game against a non-registered “Spring Hockey” team.
    2. No PCAHA-registered team shall participate in a tournament or exhibition game against a BC Hockey-registered “Spring Hockey” team prior to the Monday following the conclusion of the BC Hockey Championships.

pg 111-112 PCAHA Rule Book

SECTION M – DETERMINATION OF STANDINGS

1. Points for games shall be 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. In addition, in each game, an additional point called the Sportsmanship Point shall be awarded to a team qualifying, should it achieve low penalty minutes as follows and provided the team incurs no Major, Misconduct, Game Misconduct, Gross Misconduct, or Match penalties in the game:
   • U11: 6 minutes or less.
   • U13: 8 minutes or less.
   • U15 (non-body checking): 10 minutes or less.
   • U15 (body checking): 16 minutes or less.
   • U18 (non-body checking): 12 minutes or less.
   • U18 (body checking): 18 minutes or less.
   • U21 (non-body checking): 12 minutes or less.
   • U21 (body checking): 20 minutes or less.
2. Standings will be determined as follows:
   1. Most points obtained.
   2. If two or more teams are tied for any position, standings will be determined by ranking the teams on the basis of most wins.
   3. If two or more teams are still tied after (b), standings will be determined by ranking the remaining teams on the basis of least losses.
   4. If two or more teams are still tied after (c), standings shall be determined by considering only those game(s) played by the tied teams against each other (head-to-head game(s)):
      1. Team with best winning percentage in these game(s).
      2. Team with the best percentage based on a goal differential to be determined by dividing the total number of goals for and against in these game(s) into the total number of goals for in these game(s). The team having the highest percentage will be awarded the higher position.

      Considering only head-to-head game(s) played among the tied teams:

      Goal difference percentage = Goals For / (Goals For + Goals Against)

   5. If still tied after (d), a Tiebreaker Game shall be played according to Section N(13) at the home of the team winning a coin toss or some other random method determined by the Managing Director and agreed to by both teams.

SECTION N – PLAYOFFS

1. 1. Playoff structure for each Minor league, U11 through U21, shall be determined by the PCAHA Executive Committee not later than January 15th of the current season. The PCAHA Executive Committee shall issue a detailed format and guidelines to govern playoffs in each division.
   2. The PCAHA Executive Committee may adjust the playoff formats set out in Section N(3), N(4), and N(5), below, to reflect variations in league structures and/or numbers of teams.
2. All “A” teams reaching the final playoff round shall upon request present its official Hockey Canada Registry team roster for all players and team officials to the PCAHA Playoff Supervisor for verification prior to the team’s first playoff game.
3. “A” Playoffs (U13 through U21):
   1. 1. The top sixteen (16) ranked “A” teams in U13, U15, and U18 Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 and all eligible U21 “A” teams shall participate in playoffs leading to qualification for the BC Hockey Championships.
      2. “A” teams not ranked in the top sixteen (16) may apply to participate in the playoffs leading to BC Hockey Championships or proceed to Presidents Series. A team ranked below the top sixteen (16) shall communicate its intent to participate in playoffs leading to BC Hockey Championships in writing to the Managing Director and PCAHA Executive Director by not later than Midnight, December 31st.
   2. Notwithstanding the Conference definitions set forth in Section A, for the purpose of playoffs all eligible teams shall be ranked on the basis of the regular season final standings, with Flight 1 teams ranked ahead of Flight 2 teams, Flight 2 teams ahead of Flight 3 teams, and so on.
   3. In U13, U15, and U18 Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3, all eligible teams shall form a single playoff group and shall play off according to the formats specified in (f), below. The PCAHA Champion team and the runner-up team shall advance to the BC Hockey Championships.
   4. In U13, U15, and U18 Tier 4 all eligible teams shall form a single playoff group and shall play off according to the formats specified in (f), below. The PCAHA Champion team shall advance to the BC Hockey Championships.
   5. In the U21 division the following format shall apply for all “A1” teams and any “A2”, “A3”, “A4”, etc., teams which opt into the playoffs leading to the BC Hockey Championships:
      1. Teams shall be seeded into two playoff groups. The 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 16th, 17th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 25th, 28th, 29th, and 32nd ranked teams (as applicable) shall form one group, and the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 10th, 11th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 27th, 30th and 31st ranked teams (as applicable) shall form another group. Teams shall play off within the seeded groups according to the formats specified in (f), below, and the champion of each group shall advance to the BC Hockey Championships. The playoff groups shall be referred to as “Blue Group” and “Gold Group”.
      2. Should the seeding formula in (i) result in placement of the teams of both designated “Final 4” host Associations in the same playoff group, the Managing Director shall have the option to modify the ranking of the lower placed of the two host teams by up to two ranking spots downward for purpose of placing the two host teams in different groups.
      3. The playoff group champion with the higher placing at the BC Hockey Championships shall be declared the PCAHA Champion.

      U21 “A2”, “A3”, “A4”, etc., teams which do not opt into the playoffs leading to the BC Hockey Championships will be placed in a separate and single playoff group and follow the formats specified in (f) below.

   6. Playoffs in each playoff group shall be based upon the following formats, depending upon the number of teams in the grouping:
      1. Playoff round(s) necessary to reduce the number of teams to eight (8) shall follow the Single Game Elimination format.
      2. The playoff round necessary to reduce the number of teams to four (4) shall follow the Four-Point Series format.
      3. The championship series shall be a hosted single round-robin involving the top four teams in the playoff group.

      Note: At the start of each playoff round all teams in each group shall be re-ranked according to final league standings determined by Section M.

   7. The championship series in each playoff group shall be completed not later than 10 days prior to the BC Hockey Championships.
   8. An Association President may apply to the Managing Director to have a U13, U15, U18, or U21 “A” team withdrawn from championship playoffs. Such an application must be communicated to the Managing Director and PCAHA Executive Director on or before the deadline for withdrawal established by BC Hockey. Any team withdrawing from playoffs after this date shall be subject to suspension, fine, and/or other disciplinary action
   Note: The deadline for withdrawal established by BC Hockey is December 31st. Application for withdrawal of a U13, U15, U18, or U21 “A” team from championship playoffs must be communicated to the Managing Director and PCAHA Executive Director on or before this date
   9. 1. Presidents Series playoffs shall be defined as playoffs not leading to qualification for BC Hockey Championships. In the U13, U15, U18, and U21 divisions the Managing Director shall structure Presidents Series playoffs as part of the general playoff format.
      2. The following teams shall participate in the Presidents Series playoffs (unless disbanded):
         • teams not participating in championship playoffs;
         • teams withdrawn from championship playoffs under the provisions of (h), above; and
         • teams eliminated during the preliminary rounds of championship playoffs, except that at the discretion of the Managing Director teams eliminated in the Four Point Series round under N(3)(f)(ii), above, in U13, U15, and U18 may be granted permission to withdraw from Presidents Series.
      3. Presidents Series formats shall, if possible, be round-robin format.
      4. If the Presidents Series Champion has been declared and there are meaningless games left that would be in the best interests of safety, ice allocation, or expense to be cancelled, the Managing Director shall have the ability to cancel the game.
   10. To facilitate scheduling, if time permits, up to one (1) week shall be left free between the end of league play and the start of playoffs.
4. 1. Associations wishing to host a round-robin playoff shall apply to the PCAHA Executive Director. If more than one Association applies to host the Conference or playoff grouping championship, the PCAHA Executive Committee shall select from among the competing bids.
   2. The remaining unassigned playoffs will be assigned by the Executive Committee.
   3. The host Associations must supply the Managing Director responsible with a schedule of ice times four weeks before the start of the series.
5. U11 “A” Playoffs: U11 “A” playoffs shall follow the same format as U13 and above except that:
   1. All teams shall remain within their respective regular season Flights and play off for a Conference championship in their Flight.
   2. There shall be no cross Conference Playoff round. The final level of playoffs shall be the Conference final.
6. Female Playoffs:
   1. Female playoff structure shall be determined by the Female Hockey Committee by December 15th of each season.
   2. Female playoff game times are subject to the modification of the playoff format decided by the PCAHA Female Hockey Committee by December 15th.
   3. Please refer also to Section J.
7. Minor “C” Playoffs
   1. All playoffs shall be limited to the Minor “C” leagues only. There shall not be any inter-league playoffs unless specifically sanctioned by the PCAHA.
   2. Each Minor “C” League (per Section A(3)(c)) shall determine the playoff format(s) to be used in the U11 through U18 divisions within the “C” League.
   3. If there are meaningless games left that would be in the best interests of safety, ice allocation, or expense to be cancelled, the Managing Director shall have the ability to cancel the game.
   4. All teams should have balanced schedules in which they play each other an equal number of times.
8. For divisions/categories assigned by the PCAHA, the Managing Director shall ensure that the Manager of the Referee Assigning Centre is advised of all playoff schedules.
9. As a general rule, a minimum of 48 hours’ notice of any playoff will be given. However, where circumstances are beyond the league’s control, teams must be prepared to play when requested.
10. Round Robin Playoffs:
    1. In a round-robin series, the standings shall be determined according to Section M, except that the Sportsmanship Point will not apply in the following series:
       1. the Minor “A” Conference or playoff grouping Championship (hosted)Round-Robin series, and
       2. any other “A” round-robin playoff series leading to qualification for BC Hockey Championships.
    2. No overtime shall be played in a round-robin series.(c) A playoff game in a round-robin series where the outcome is meaningless may be cancelled, at the discretion of the PCAHA Supervisor in charge of the series.
    3. Icetimes and period times for games in a round-robin playoff series shall be according to Section G.
    4. Notwithstanding Section N(10)(d), games in the following playoff series shall be played on the basis of three full, stop-time periods:
       1. Minor “A” Conference or playoff grouping Championship “Final 4” (hosted) Round-Robin series.
       2. Any other round-robin playoff series that the Executive Committee so designates.

       In the Conference or Playoff Grouping Championship (hosted) Round-Robin series, all games in a series shall be played using a consistent format for icetime length and period times.

11. Four-Point Series:
    1. Four-point series shall be held on the basis of 2 points for a win and 1 point for a tie. No overtime shall be played in a four-point series, except in the fourth game (if necessary).
    2. Wherever possible, each series of three games shall be played within 8 days, starting with the home team’s first available ice time, or Sunday to the following Sunday.
    3. All things being equal, the team with the higher standing in league play shall be the home team and provide icetime for the first and third games of the series while the team with the lower standing in league play will be the home team and provide icetime for the second and fourth games of the series.
    4. Playoff ice scheduling is to be handled by the participating Association’s Ice Scheduler, under the direction of the Managing Director. In the event that home ice is not available at a suitable time after receiving the ice submissions from both teams, the Managing Director may rule the first game to be played at the home of the team with the lower standing.
    5. Icetimes and period times for the 1st, 2nd, and (if necessary) 3rd games of the four-point series shall be played according to Section G.
    6. Notwithstanding Section N(11)(e), games in the following playoff series shall be played on the basis of three full, stop-time periods:
       1. Minor “A” Conference or playoff grouping Championship Final fourpoint playoff series (if any).
       2. Any other four-point playoff series that the Executive Committee so designates.
    7. In the event of a tie at the end of the series, a 4th game will be scheduled with the home team being the team with the lower standing in league play, thus equalizing the number of home and away games. This game shall be played according to Section N(13) – Tiebreaker Game.
12. Single Game Elimination Series:
    1. The home team in the series shall be deemed to be the team with the higher standing in league play. However, in the event that home ice is not available within a suitable period of time, the Managing Director may rule that the game be played at the home of the team with the lower standing.
    2. Every effort shall be made to start games on time and to avoid delays to best utilize the available icetime.
    3. The game shall be played according to Section N(13) – Tiebreaker Game.
13. Tiebreaker Game:
    A Tiebreaker Game shall have three full, stop-time periods. Section G(7)-Note (b) shall not apply. In the case of a tie at the end of the third period, overtime shall be played according to Section N(14). The home team, as determined per Section M(2)(e), shall provide sufficient icetime for three full, stop-time periods plus any overtime that may be necessary for a winner to be declared.
14. Overtime:
    1. In a tied game at the end of regulation time, there will be a one-minute rest and then a ten-minute stop-time sudden victory period.
    2. If still tied at the end of the first overtime period, there will be a 5-minute rest and then a ten-minute stop-time sudden victory period.
    3. If still tied, repeat (ii) until a winner is declared.
    4. Teams will change ends at the end of each period.
    5. There shall be no ice clean(s) except if ordered by the referee based on a determination by him/her that the ice condition has become a player safety issue.