Michigan Pond Hockey Sports Charities

• All players must be fully registered before entering the rink.
  
• Only registered players and MPHC officials and volunteers are allowed on the rinks.
  
• Each team will play 4 games, with championship rounds on Sunday.
  
• The rink measures approximately 150’ x 75’ (75% of regulation size).

• All players must wear helmets and hockey skates. Protective equipment is optional.
  
• No goalie equipment is permitted.
  
• All teams must have matching jerseys or uniforms. Players can only play on one team.

• Players can only play on one team.
  
• Players will be identified on the ice by their MPHC helmet sticker which is assigned during player check-in. Players without this credential are not allowed to play.
  
• Substitutions must be made by 10:00 a.m. on the first day of tournament play by emailing the change to Ed Gentile (ed.gentile@michiganpondhockey.com). No other substitutions throughout the tournament are allowed. The four to seven players that are on your roster at noon on the first day of tournament play must be the same players that play on your team throughout the tournament.

Scoring and Refereeing

• All games are running time and substitutions can be made during play (payers leaving the game must be at the snow boards before new skater can engage in play) or while a puck is out of play.
  
• There will be one off-ice pond official to monitor play (scoring, time, puck reset, and arbiter of major infractions and disputes). The off-ice official WILL NOT call minor infractions or penalties. It is the responsibility of the Team Captains to manage and control their players during the flow of the game.
  
• There are no overtime periods in regular play.  All ties at the end of regulation will be decided by next goal wins.   During championship games, teams will play a 3-minute overtime. The team that scores the most will be declared the winner. If the score remains tied at the end of the 3 minutes, play will continue unabated and the first team to score wins.
• Championship rounds shall be determined by win/loss record. Only the top tier of each division will advance to the championship round. The number of advancing teams will be based on how many teams are in a division and that will be announced once registration completes.  In the event of a tie, the tie breakers that will be used are in this order; total goals, goals against, (if still tied) coin flip.)

• All games are 40 minutes in length with two 20-minute halves.
  
• Teams skate 4 players at a time. But may have up to 7 players
  
• If a puck goes out of bounds, the last team to touch it loses possession. During restart, the defender must give his opponent two stick lengths of space.
  
• Players should not pursue puck out of play. Officials will have extra pucks and immediately spot a puck for play to continue. Puck chasers are provided.
  
• There are no off-sides or icing calls.
  
• Goals must be scored from the attacking side of center ice.
  
•  Except for the opening faceoff, teams MUST give their opponents ½ ice after a goal is scored or an infraction takes place. Team with the puck must move it quickly so the game is not delayed.  The defensive team can engage the team with the puck once all of its players have “tagged up” at center ice and the offensive team begins moving puck up the ice.
  
• A player may not patrol or remain stationary directly in front of the goal.
  
• A defender may deflect the puck in the crease area, but the defender must do so while continuing to move through the crease area, which is defined as a box extending 4 feet in from of the goal mouth.

Penalties and Loss of Possession

• Penalties will be called for rule infractions. Penalties are called on honor system. A minor penalty will result in a goal awarded to opposing team as well as possession of the puck.
  
• Any major penalty, which includes any action that could possibly injure another player (Fighting), will result in the offending player being ejected from the tournament. The team that received the ejection will play the remainder of the tournament short-handed (3 vs. 4). Off-ice Pond official will determine major penalties. This rule will be strictly enforced!
  
• Abuse of officials will be considered a major penalty. This includes yelling, swearing, or arguing about calls.
  
• No checking is allowed. Such action will result in a minor penalty unless deemed serious enough to be a major.
  
• No slap shots allowed. Such action will result in a minor penalty.
  
• Players cannot fall or lay on the ice in an effort to protect the goal area. Such action will result in a minor penalty.
  
• Players cannot lay their sticks down to protect the goal area. Such action will result in a minor penalty.
  
• Contacting the puck with a stick above the waist will result in a loss of possession.
  
• Raising the puck intentionally will result in a loss of possession.