JAM rules for Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey

There is only one format of Ice Hockey under JAM Rules. It is described in its entirety below.

JAM is for Everyone – Inclusion Statement

Our program offerings are designed to be inclusive for all members of the JAM community. Our goal is to create a welcoming gender policy that uplifts and supports each player where they are at. To ensure we can offer something for everyone, our programs may be offered in the following formats: Mixed-Gender, Women's, Men's, and Open.

Many of our league rules specify gender-based roster requirements, the goal of which is to ensure that each player has an equal opportunity to be included in gameplay.

Everyone participating in a JAM program is welcome to compete based on their gender identity and gender expression; regardless of their gender assigned at birth. Members whose gender identity does not align with the binary man/woman construct are welcome to play in all our mixed-gender and open programs.

Nonbinary, trans, genderqueer, and all other players who identify as a gender minority can count towards the roster minimums for either men or women in our mixed-gender leagues.

Game Time

All Ice Hockey games are approximately 50 minutes in length. Please arrive 30 minutes early to ensure your team is ready to go and to ensure you get the full use of your allotted ice time. Teams should be ready to play at their designated start time. Regardless of when your game begins your game will always end on time to allow the succeeding games to begin at their scheduled time.

Period Length: Three periods of play are 12-15-15 minutes in length, running time. Stop time will be in effect only during the final 30 seconds of the first and second period, as well as the last 3 minutes of the third period with a goal differential of 3 or less.

Time Keeping: Time Keepers and referees are responsible for game timing and score keeping. Please refer to the on-site score clock for time and score updates.

Defaults: A default will occur if any team cannot field a squad by the start of the first period

Players

This is a five on five league: Teams must have a minimum of 5 players to play. (An eligible team must have at least a goalie and 4 players or 5 players with no goalie)

Defaults: A default will occur if any team cannot field a squad by the start of the first period.

Exceptions: Captains may agree to waive the rules regarding minimum people but this should be decided before the game starts. IF IT IS AGREED THAT THE GAME COUNTS, IT COUNTS!

Eligible Players: Anyone who has signed the online waiver form and has fully registered with the JAM is eligible to play on any team. If any team is short on players they are well within their rights to invite members of another JAM team to join or temporarily join their team. This may happen more often with goalies, which is entirely acceptable.

Playing Area

All Ice Hockey games will take place in a regulation-sized hockey arena.

Equipment/Set Up

All players must wear full equipment. (Skates, Shin pads, pants, gloves, CSA approved helmet).
Chest/Shoulder protection are not mandatory but are strongly recommended.
Players must wear a half-visor or a full-face shield. Mouth guards are also highly recommended.
Goalies must wear full equipment, including pads and face & chest protection.
Water bottles and pucks will not be supplied by the league.

Uniforms

Teams are required to bring both light and coloured shirts to every game. Team colours are posted on the JAM website in your schedule. If two teams have the same colour the team captains should contact each other to ensure that each team knows what colour to wear.

Defaults: There is no default for players that don’t wear the right colour. However, that player must do everything they can to ensure it’s not confusing for the opposition. Whether this means wearing a pinny, a hat, a teammate’s shirt, etc. Under no circumstances can a player purposely deceive the opposition.

Ice Hockey 101

The following outlines the basis of the rules for JAM Ice Hockey Programs:

Eligible Players:

Anyone who has signed the online waiver form and has fully registered with the JAM is eligible to play on any team
If any team is short on players they are well within their rights to invite members of another JAM team to join or temporarily join their team. This may happen more often with goalies, which is entirely acceptable.

Line Changes:

A team can change their lines or substitute players at any time during the play of the game as long as the player coming off the ice waits for the exiting player to come off before taking their place in the game.
If ever a team is caught with more than 5 skaters on the ice at any time the referee will call a penalty for too many players on the ice.

Offside/Icings:

There is no red line for the purpose of the offside rule. In other words, two-line passes are allowed.
Offsides: An offside occurs when a player has entered the offensive zone before the puck or puck carrier.
Icings: Icing occurs when a player has shot the puck from their behind their own team's blue line.
If a player is between their blue line and the red line and they shoot the puck the length of the ice, no icing is called, and play continues.
Icings are waved off while a team is killing a penalty and can also be waved off by the referee at their discretion if they feel the puck has deflected off a team-mates stick or if the referee feels the clearing was simply a failed pass attempt.

Penalties:

Unsportsmanlike play WILL NOT be tolerated. This is a fun, non-contact league.
Incidental contact can often not be avoided and so it will be tolerated to a degree, but anybody checking of any kind will result in an unsportsmanlike penalty and potentially a misconduct penalty (under the referee's discretion).
All minor penalties, such as tripping, obstruction, holding, will be served for 2 minutes or less (minor penalties end when the power play team scores).
Major infractions, such as slashing, roughing or high sticking, will be served for 4 minutes and the full length of the penalty will always be served.
Any Match penalty, such as boarding, fighting or butt-ending, will lead to that player being ejected from the game and subsequently reviewed by the League (which may result in further league action) in addition to a 5-minute penalty that will be served in full by a team-mate. A player that receives a match penalty/game misconduct will also receive an automatic one-game suspension.
Any deliberate action by a defending player, including a goalkeeper, in their defending zone which results in the goal net being knocked from its position, shall constitute an act of deliberate delay of game penalty. If this action occurs in the last two minutes of regular playing time, or any time in overtime, a Penalty Shot shall be awarded against the offending team and the Minor penalty shall not be served.
When a penalty is called, the face-off will be held on the opposite side of the ice to the penalty box and players' benches, regardless of which side of the ice play was on when the stoppage occurred. This will allow the referee who called the penalty to leave the penalty and players bench area immediately after calling the penalty and go to the opposite side of the ice, thereby reducing the chances of getting into verbal conflict with unhappy players and escalating the situation.
Shorthanded teams may ice the puck without being penalized while killing a penalty.
A player will be ejected from the game when they have accumulated 3 penalties of any kind (even 3 minors) and a representative from their team will be asked to serve the time of that player's third penalty.
What the referee says/calls goes: Any arguing with the referees or scorekeeper will not be tolerated and could lead to an unsportsmanlike penalty or a game misconduct penalty.

Fighting:

At no time will fighting be permitted.
Fighting or exceptionally rough play will result in immediate expulsion from further league play and may result in lifetime league expulsion. Please see the JAM Policy sheet for our official policy on this subject.

Scoring:

The puck must cross the goal line to be counted as a goal.
When a goal is scored, a face-off will take place immediately at centre ice to restart play.
The offensive team may not purposely kick or hand pass the puck into the net, but the puck may coincidentally deflect off of a player on the offensive team on its way into the goal (These calls will be at the discretion of the referee).
Slapshots ARE allowed.
If a player commits a high sticking penalty while attempting to hit the puck into the goal the play will be called dead and any goal will not count.
No player (with the exception of the goalie) can cover the puck inside the crease. If a player ever covers the puck in the crease a Penalty Shot will be awarded to the opposition.
A game can end in a tie during the regular season. In the playoffs, a game that is tied at the end of regulation time is decided by a three-minute, 4 on 4, sudden death overtime period. If still tied, a shoot-out will commence; 3 players per team will be chosen to shoot for their team. The team with the most goals after the shootout will win. If this shootout ends in a tie, then teams will continue taking single shots until one team has scored (and the other team does not). The order of shooters must be maintained and players cannot shoot twice until the entire roster has been used.

Goalies:

Goalies must wear full protective gear. Face & chest protection included.
Goalies can be pulled at any point during the game to attain an extra offensive attacker.
No goalkeeper shall be sent to the penalty bench for an infraction which incurs a Minor or Major penalty. Instead, such a penalty shall be served by any player of the team who was on the ice when the infraction occurred.

Powers of the Referees:

The referees can end a game at any time if they feel either team is overly aggressive, persistently displaying unsportsmanlike conduct or has displayed a general violation of the rules of the game. This decision is solely at the discretion of the referee. If the decision is made to stop the game early, the score will be recorded as a loss for BOTH teams. In addition, both teams will be given an automatic warning (Refer to the JAM General Policy sheet for specific details on warnings). One exception to this ruling is if the referee has stopped the game because of the inappropriate play of only one team. Under these circumstances, the non-offending team will receive the win, regardless of the score at the time that the game is stopped. This is also at the discretion of the referee. Teams should be extra sensitive to this rule when a lead is exponential and the game time is winding down.

Regular Season Matches

Games can be tied during the regular season.

Playoffs Eligibility and Tiebreak

There must be a winner in a playoff match. In the event that the match ends in a tie, teams will partake in the following tie-breaker until a winner is determined:

A game can end in a tie during the regular season. In the playoffs, a game that is tied at the end of regulation time is decided by a three-minute, 4 on 4, sudden death overtime period. If still tied, a shoot-out will commence; 3 players per team will be chosen to shoot for their team. The team with the most goals after the shootout will win. If this shootout ends in a tie, then teams will continue taking single shots until one team has scored (and the other team does not). The order of shooters must be maintained and players cannot shoot twice until the entire roster has been used.

Rough Play

Any rough or physical play will result in immediate expulsion from further league play and may result in a lifetime league expulsion. Please see the JAM General Policy for our official guidelines on this subject. It is recognized that incidental contact between players is inevitable; however, all players should go out of their way to avoid creating an unsafe play. This rule supersedes all others.

Please note that on-site staff members and referees have full autonomy when supervising games. Games may be stopped entirely, players may be asked to leave the playing area or be removed from the game entirely under their discretion.

Alcohol

There are absolutely no alcoholic beverages permitted on JAM property. Any offenders will be asked to leave the league without refund. No exceptions.