Gear Requirements:
Helmets, gloves, and sneakers are required to participate in this tournament. Shin guards are optional, but strongly recommended. All participants must bring their own stick. Each team is required to provide their own jerseys or t-shirts and must bring both a dark and light colored option to differentiate between "home" and "away" teams. Home team wears dark.
Rules:
1. A face-off will begin each game and commence the start of the second half.
2. No goalie equipment or goalie sticks are permitted.
3. There will be one referee and one off-ice official for each game. Referees are in charge of puck reset, goals, and calling penalties. Off-ice officials are in charge of the scoresheet and scoreboard.
4. Referees have the discretion to award a penalty shot to the opposing team when a minor penalty is flagrant and/or a team is consistently playing in a reckless manner. A penalty shot will be taken from the center of the playing area and must be attempted within 30 seconds of the penalty shot being called. Anyone on the opposing team can take the shot. The team that is awarded the penalty shot will also be given possession of the puck following the penalty shot attempt (regardless of the outcome of the shot).
5. Any major penalty, which includes any action that could possibly injure another player, will result in that player being ejected from the tournament. The referee and/or an Off-ice official will determine major penalties.
6. Abuse of officials will be considered a major penalty. This includes yelling, swearing, or excessive arguing about calls.
7. No checking is allowed. Such action will result in a minor penalty unless deemed serious enough to be a major.
8. No slapshots allowed. Such action will result in a minor penalty.
9. Players cannot fall or lay on the ice in an effort to protect the goal area. Such action will result in a minor penalty.
10. Goaltending is not allowed. A player may not patrol or remain stationary in the crease area and act as a goaltender. A defender may deflect the puck in the crease area, with their feet outside the crease. The crease will be taped on the rink in front of each goal to clearly define that area. Goaltending also applies to offensive players in the offensive zone/goal as well.
11. Contacting the puck with a stick above the waist will result in a loss of possession.
12. Saucer passes (i.e. pucks that are lifted low, below the knee) are acceptable.
13. If a puck goes out of bounds, the last team to touch it loses possession. During restart, the defender must give his opponent 2-stick lengths of space.
14. There are no off-sides or icing calls.
15. Goals can be scored from any area of the rink.
16. Referees or off-ice officials will call out the score after each goal. This includes goals scored by players or awarded from minor penalties.
17. Teams must give their opponents 1/2 ice after a goal is scored or an infraction takes place.
18. In the event of a tie, during both qualifying and championship games, play will move to sudden death format. After the horn sounds, play will stop. A stick tap face-off will take place at center ice and play will continue for up to 5 minutes of overtime or until a goal is scored. If no goal is scored, the game will move to a sudden death shootout. Players will take turns taking penalty shots. A player is allowed to defend the net during the shootout attempts but must remain outside the crease. During any round where one team makes a shot, and the other team misses, the game is over and the team who made the shot wins. If both teams miss, or if both teams make the shot, in any round, rounds continue until the game is over. A player may not take another penalty shot until all other players on their team have taken a shot.
19. All games are running-time and substitutions can be made during play or while a puck is being retrieved. Substitutions must take place in the vicinity of the player’s bench. There is no stoppage of play after a goal is scored, or after a penalty is awarded. It is up to each team to ensure that there are only four players on the ice.
20. Players can only play on one team during weekend. If a player plays on more than one team, that player is removed for the duration of the event and ALL teams that the player played on will forfeit remaining games.
21. Rosters are final at 8:00 a.m. on the day of tournament play. No substitutions during the tournament are allowed. The five to seven players that are on your roster at 8:00 a.m. on the day of the tournament play must be the same players that play on your team throughout the tournament.
22. Players must show their Driver's License at check-in.
23. In the event of a forfeit during pool play of any division, the team who did not forfeit will receive a win and, for tie breaker purposes, will be assigned a goals for and goals against total for that game equal to the averages of their other pool play games. These will be assigned at the conclusion of the pool play round when advancement is being determined.
24. The Washington Capitals reserve the right to deny the use of offensive, vulgar, and inappropriate team names.
*rules based on USA Hockey's official Pond Hockey Championships tournament rules