Sault 26 N U.P. Adult Hockey League Rules

All players shall be afforded the opportunity to review the rules of the league prior to play and during the season by visiting the website under the documents tab, or by obtaining a copy from their team captain.

Section 1. Rosters

  1. Minimum roster size will be twelve skaters plus one goaltender.
  2. Maximum roster size will be twenty five players total including goaltenders. There is no limit to the number of players that can dress for a game up to the maximum roster limit.
  3. Rosters must be submitted the Sunday prior to the start date of the season to allow for the building of rosters in the computer system.
  4. Adding of players will be allowed until the first game of the second half of the season
  5. A majority vote is needed to add any player.
  6. The first team a player plays with is considered that players original roster, that player is then assigned to that team and is not permitted to transfer teams, unless a traded is approved by majority vote.
  7. Once a player is released from a team the player cannot be added back to that roster for the rest of the season.
  8. If that player was released for violation of rules the player cannot be added to any roster for that season, additionally to be permitted back in the league after an ejection a majority vote will have to be obtained for re-entry into the league.
  9. Each team should elect one Captain and two alternate captains and annotate them on the master roster form prior to submittal.
  10. All players must be 26 years or older to play.
  11. Special consideration can be made for players under 26 to join given they have obtained a majority vote from the board members.
  12. A team can hold no more than 4 players under the age limit.
  13. Exception to this rule stands for the Lamplighters team which has a number of players under the age limit which allowed the leagues growth from 5 teams to 6 teams.
  14. Goalies are excluded from the age restrictions. Must be at least 18 to play goalie.
  15. All players under the 26 year age limit will be considered on probation until they meet the age requirements. The league will closely monitor players under the age limit to ensure they are following the rules set forth. If found in violation of major rules these players could be subject to expulsion from play and could also forfeit any fees/fines paid for participation. Expulsion from play for anything other than violation of the fighting policy requires a majority vote of the board members.
  16. Goalie Rules
  17. A team should have at least two goalies on their roster. (Not required but recommended)
  18. If a team does not have a goalie, the opposing team has the option of allowing the other team to play without a goalie or can impose a forfeit. If the missing goalie is in the locker room at game time the game can start with six skaters until the goalie reaches the ice.
  19. Once a game has an eight goal differential without a goalie the game is completed at that point. (No Discretion).
  20. Goalies will be permitted to play for other teams as long as they are not competing against the team that has them on the master roster.
  21. Goalies must play at least one regular season game to be eligible to play in the playoffs.

Section 2. Game-Times & Locker Room Procedure

  1. Each game will begin with a 5 minute warm-up which begins at the official designated starting time or once the Zamboni has cleared the ice and shut the doors whichever is sooner. The game shall begin immediately after the warm-ups.
  2. Games will consist of three fifteen minute run-time periods until the 3rd period. If a game in the 3rd period is within 2 goals the clock will stop on whistles within the last 5 minutes of the game.
  3. Each team is allowed one 30 second time-out per game.
  4. Mercy Rules
  5. 10 goals – in the event of a 10 goal deficit the losing team may invoke the right to a mercy. However the team may also decide to play the game in its entirety.
  6. Locker room procedures
  7. The team captains are responsible for the conduct of their players while on the facility.
  8. Locker room doors should remain locked when not occupied as the facility/league is not responsible for belongings contained within.
  9. Should a team captain discover that a locker room assigned to their team is not sufficiently clean, or there is damage to the locker room they should report it to the facility supervisor immediately.

Section 3. Gretzky Rule

  1. No player in any one game can score more than 3 goals. All goals tallied from that player(s) beyond 3 goals will be disallowed and a face-off in that zone will occur.

Section 4. Overtime

  1. If a game results in a tie after regulation, a short 3 man shootout will occur. If there is no determined winner at the conclusion of the 3 man shootout the game will result in a tie and both teams will receive one point.
  2. Determination of shootout players
  3. The same player cannot attempt more than one shootout until all players on the bench for that game have attempted a shootout. (This will be left up to the teams to monitor. Be honest and let all players have an opportunity to attempt a shootout.
  4. This rules does not exist for the playoffs
  5. In playoff games if the game ends in a tie then a 5 minute sudden death overtime period will ensue.
  6. If still tied after 5 min period, then a 2 minute period will be played sudden death.
  7. If still tied after 2 min period, then a 3 man shootout will occur to determine winner.
  8. Shootout will continue until a winner is determined.

Section 5. Standings

  1. Regulation Win = 2 Pts, Shootout Win = 2 Pts, Shootout Loss = 1 Pt, Shootout Tie = Both teams 1 Pt, Regulation Loss = 0 Pts
  2. If a tie in points occurs at the conclusion of the regular season then the following tie-breaking system shall be used:
  3. More Regulation Wins
  4. More Overtime Wins
  5. Fewer Regulation Losses
  6. Head-To-Head Record
  7. Fewer Goals allowed in all games
  8. In a 3-way tie , once one team wins a tie-breaker the system starts all over again with the remaining teams.

Section 6. Forfeits & League Fees

Forfeits shall occur when:

  1. A player plays that is not on the teams approved master roster that was turned in prior to the league starting or wasn’t approved by majority vote.
  2. If a team plays a player who is suspended.
  3. A team does not meet their financial obligation to the league.
  4. A team winning a game by forfeit will be credited a 5-0 victory.
  5. In the event of a forfeit, the winning team may use the game slot (one hour) for a practice. The team will have the option of allowing any players from the forfeiting team to participate. A minimum of six players from the winning team must be willing to use the game slot for practice in order for this to occur.
  6. A team that forfeits more than two games may be expelled from the league with a majority vote.
  7. Suspended players from the losing team of a forfeited game will not be credited for a game served. Suspended players from the winning team of a forfeited game will however be credited for a game served.
  8. League fee will consist of $2100 per team. Goalies should be considered free. However it is solely up to the team how they would like to split the cost between the players. The team captain will collect all money and waiver forms and submit them to the league the Sunday prior to the first week. The start date and all deadlines will be listed on the leagues website (

Section 7. Protests

  1. Referees have the final judgment on all calls on the ice. Only the captain or alternate captains shall talk to the Referees in regards to calls.

Section 8. Uniforms

  1. All Players, including goaltenders, must wear matching jerseys.
  2. By the 3rd week of the season a player will not be allowed to play without a matching jersey.
  3. Matching is defined by base color of the jersey.
  4. Each player shall have one number the whole season.
  5. Up to the 3rd week players can tape a number onto a jersey, please inform the referees who scored/assisted if the players to not have normal numbers. (No duplicates)
  6. All players should be properly numbered starting the 3rd week of the season.
  7. Returning teams will have preference of team jersey color.
  8. All players must wear full equipment with exception to Cage Masks, and Shoulder Pads. However the league recommend the proper wearing of all equipment for player safety.

Section 9. Helmets & Shoulder Pads

  1. Players must wear a helmet with a chin strap fastened. This applies to on the ice and on the players bench. Failure to comply can result in suspension of play for that game and until properly worn.
  2. Legal facemasks are optional, but strongly recommended.
  3. Shoulder Pads are also optional, but strongly recommended.

Section 10. Playoffs

  1. A player must play in at least 3 regular season games to be eligible to play in the playoffs.
  2. Any team using a player that does not meet this requirement will forfeit any playoff game played with that player.
  3. A list of eliglble players will be handed to the scorekeeper prior to the start of the playoffs.
  4. Playoff games shall not start with an illegal player.

Section 11. Penalties/Suspensions & Fines

  1. Referres will use USA hockey rules as a basis for referring a contest, with exceptions being made for any of the league rules which will supersede those rules.
  2. Offsides/Icing
  3. Two line passes are allowed
  4. Icing will be no-touch icing.
  5. Penalty times will differ from that of a normal hockey game to compensate for run-time clocks.
  6. Minor Penalty (3 minutes)
  7. Major Penalty (5 minutes)
  8. Fighting is not tolerated and will be handled aggressively by the league’s board members.
  9. Fighting suspensions will be covered on a one season basis from the date of the first fighting incident per player.
  10. Any player who drops their gloves attempting to create an altercation will receive a three minute minor penalty (delay of game) and may be assessed suspension/fines for aggressor behavior.
  11. In the event of a fight both players involved with the fight shall be suspended from play regardless of the situation and may be fined upon investigation of the incident.
  12. Each fight will be investigated separately and more players involved may be suspended from play or fined even though they were not given a suspension from the referees.
  13. The Referees call on the ice will carry the most weight in decisions by the league for suspensions/fines.
  14. Investigation of Fighting Penalties
  15. Each fight shall be handled separately and aggressively to ensure safety of all league players.
  16. During investigation of a fight the league will make a determination if an Aggressor penalty shall ensue.
  17. Aggressor penalties include a $50.00 non-refundable fine payable before taking the ice post-suspension from play.
  18. Aggressor penalties may or may not be handed down depending on the call from the referees and discussions of the league’s board members.
  19. Suspensions shall be as follows
  20. 1 game for non-aggressor fighting (1st offense)
  21. 3 games for non-aggressor fighting (2nd offense)
  22. Possible expulsion from league play and forfeiture of all/partial league fees (3rd offense)
  23. Aggressor Suspensions
  24. 1 game plus $50.00 fine (1st offense)
  25. 5 games plus $50.00 fine (2nd offense)
  26. Expulsion from league play and forfeiture of all league fees and fines. (3rd offense)
  27. Any player who receives a major penalty in the last 10 minutes of any game will receive an automatic game misconduct, and a one game suspension.
  28. Body checking is not allowed. Minor and Major penalties may be assessed for body checking.
  29. Major Penalites such as spearing, butt-ending, and slashing can carry one game suspensions.
  30. Any player who receives more than three 10 min misconducts in one season shall be suspended from league play.
  31. High Sticking
  32. The league considers any violent maneuver using the stick as a serious infraction.
  33. Any deliberate violent use of the stick will result in a major penalty and suspension from play for 3 games.
  34. Any accidental violent use of the stick will result in a major penalty and suspension from play for 1 game.
  35. The league’s board members also reserve the right to monitor and make decisions in the best interest of player safety on all actions involved in the playing of games within the league.
  36. In any and all suspensions/expulsions from league play the league reserves the right to revoke any player fees or fines incurred during league play.
  37. League Meetings and Rules
  38. The league will be represented by the captains from each teams and the 3 members that started the league.
  39. Any and or all rule changes/decisions will be made by majority vote between these members unless otherwise stated above. In the case of a tie the change/decision will be disapproved.

Board of Directors / Voting Members - Jason Teneyck – Engineers White, Kevin Atkinson – Engineers Black, Jason Wojnaroski – Engineers Black, Josh Mayer – Ice Hogs, Pete Pratt – USWA Local #13635, Taylor Staniewicz – Lamplighters, Nick Cicco – River Rats