JAM rules for Ice Hockey (4 on 4)

Ice Hockey 4 on 4 Rule Changes

The rules outlined below supercede any rules outlined under Ice Hockey Rules.

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 Procedure Changes

Structure: Games for the Fall 2021 season will be played in 1-hour game-slots — including a flood — with games featuring a three (3) minute warm-up, followed by three, run-time periods, where the clock will not stop under any instances. Periods will run as 15x15x12. There will be a two (2) minute intermission between periods, with no timeouts or clock stoppages during gameplay. If a game is tied after regulation, the game will be recorded as such with no overtime or shootout taking place.
Rosters: Teams can only have a maximum of 10 skaters attending the game each week, this is to satisfy the limit of 22 skaters on the ice that UCC has implemented for this season.
Venue: Players are not allowed to enter the arena more than 20 minutes before their game is scheduled to begin. All players must leave the arena no more that 15 minutes after the conclusion of their game. Teams will have use of changerooms, but the use of showers is strictly prohibited.
Switching Ends/Line Changes: Teams will not change ends for the second period. Line changes will be permitted either on the fly, or during a re-start after a whistle has been blown.
Gloves: Participants will be required to wear gloves on the ice at all times. In the event of a lost glove, that player will be required to retrieve their glove immediately from the ice.
Water Bottles: Participants will be required to have an individual water bottle while at the arena, keeping it on a designated spot on the bench.
Handshakes: Until further notice, handshakes and first-bumps shall not occur before, during, or after the game.
Spitting: Spitting is prohibited at any time while in the facility. Violators will be issued one (1) warning before being asked to leave the facility, should a second offense occur. So yeah, don’t spit!
End of Game: If a team is losing or tied at the end of game and is awarded one (1) or two (2) penalty shot attempts, even if the clock reads 0:00, the team will be permitted to take the attempts if the sum of the attempts allows for the team to either tie or win the game. (e.g. A team is losing 3-1 and is awarded two penalty shot attempts. They would be awarded the two attempts, and assuming they score on the first goal, they would subsequently be able to take the second attempt to try and even the score at 3-3.)

No Face-offs: For the Fall 2021 season there will be no face-offs. Easy enough, right? In order to facilitate this, there are several different re-start scenarios that players will need to be familiar with, which are outlined below.

1. START OF PERIOD

1st Period: The designated visiting team will start the 1st period with possession of the puck at the centre-ice dot. The four players on the visiting team will be required to set up behind the red line, while the four players on the designated home team will be required to set up behind their defensive blue line. Once the whistle goes, teams on both sides will be permitted to engage the puck.

2nd Period: The same scenario shall apply, with the change being that the designated home team shall retain possession to start the period.

2. GOAL SCORED

Scenario: In the event of a goal scored, the team that scored the goal will need to have all four skaters retreat behind the red line before being able to re-engage with pressure. While the team that scored the goal is retreating to the red line, the team that was scored on will re-initiate play by retrieving the puck from their goal and going the other way. Furthermore, the team that was scored on has the ability to press forward before the other team clears back to the red line, creating scenarios where teams will need to be quick to defend after scoring a goal.

Note: If the team that was previously scored on carries possession across the red line before each of the four (4) opposing skaters are able to retreat to the red line, players on the defending team will be able to engage the puck regardless of any teammates who have not yet reached the red line.

3. OFFSIDE/ICING

Scenario: In the event of a team going offside or committing an icing, the non-offending team will be given the puck at the centre-ice dot and will be considered to be in the offensive zone and will not be required to gain the blue-line.

Re-Start: The offending team will be required to take a position behind their own defensive blue line before being able to re-engage the puck on a re-start. If the team with possession chooses to retreat with the puck behind the red line, they will be required to re-gain the blue-line to create the attacking zone.

4. FROZEN PUCK/PUCK OUT OF PLAY

Frozen Puck/Offensive Puck Out of Play: Should the goaltender cover the puck for a whistle, or the attacking zone team be responsible for the puck going out of play, all four (4) skaters on the attacking team will be required to clear to the blue-line before being able to re-engage the puck. The defensive team will be required to advance the puck past the red-line in order to clear the defensive zone. Any turnover between the defensive blue-line and the red line will result in the other team remaining in the attacking zone.

Defensive/Neutral Zone Puck Out of Play: If no attacking zone has been established, or if the defensive zone team is responsible for the puck leaving the playing surface, the same player positioning as an offside/icing re-start will apply, with the non-offending team initiating possession.

PENALTIES

Let’s all play nice, but if a penalty should occur, here’s how it’ll work:

Penalty Shots: Any penalty call will result in a penalty shot being issued. A two-minute penalty will result in one (1) penalty shot being issued, a four-minute penalty will result in two (2) penalty shots being issued, with a five-minute penalty resulting in two (2) penalty shots and a game ejection. Players will not physically enter the penalty box during the Fall 2021 season.

Shooter: The player who is the victim of an infraction will be required to take the penalty shot(s). An alternate may be selected only in the event of injury, or an infraction not against another skater (e.g. Goaltender Interference, Too Many Men on the Ice)

Body Contact: Any intentional body contact that results from a player not playing the puck with their stick will result in a four-minute body contact infraction being issued, along with two penalty shots for the non-offending team.

Crease Violation: Any instance of a player intentionally entering the opposing team’s crease will result in a goaltender interference infraction being issued

Penalty Thresholds: Players will be ejected from the game if they accrue any combination of: (1) Two 4-minute penalties; (2) One 4-minute penalty, and two 2-minute penalties; (3) Three 2-minute penalties; or (4) One 5-minute major penalty.

Coincidental Penalties: In the event of a coincidental penalty, no penalty shots shall be awarded, and the following re-start scenarios shall apply: (1) If the penalties occur when a team has gained the attacking zone, the defensive zone team shall be granted possession starting from below the hash-marks. The offensive team will be required to clear behind the blue-line before they are permitted to re-engage once the whistle goes; or (2) If the penalties occur when neither team has gained the attacking zone, the team in possession of the puck when the whistle goes will be granted possession at the centre-ice dot during a re-start, following the same procedure set forth in the offside/icing re-start scenario.

10-Minute Misconduct: A 10-minute misconduct will result in the player being ejected from the game.

PENALTY SHOT SETUP

A penalty shot shall be initiated from the blue-line, at a point between the neutral zone face-off dots. The remaining three skaters on the attacking team must be positioned behind the red line against the boards, while the four skaters on the defensive team must stand behind their own goal-line in either corner.

Once the whistle goes, the player taking the penalty shot will be free to initiate their penalty shot

In the event of a goal, the team that took the penalty shot will be required to clear back to the red line. Once all four (4) skaters on the team are behind the red line, the attacking team is free to re-engage and pressure the puck. The defensive team will be responsible for retrieving the puck out of the goal and can initiate play immediately.

In the event of a save or a missed attempt, the team that took the penalty shot will be required to clear back to the blue line. Once all four (4) skaters on the team are behind the blue line, the attacking team is free to re-engage and pressure the puck. The defensive team will be responsible for retrieving the puck and can initiate play immediately. Should a puck leave the playing surface on a penalty shot, the defensive team will be given the puck below the hash-marks, with the shooting team required to retreat behind the blue-line before play resuming once the whistle goes.

For a penalty that requires two penalty shot attempts, the process will be repeated from the beginning for the second penalty shot attempt, regardless of whether or not a goal was scored on the first attempt.

Ice Hockey (Pre COVID Rules)

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

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 4 players to play. (An eligible team must have at least a goalie and 3 players or 4 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.