NCJHA 2006-2007 Rules

(Note: These rules are also available in PDF and Miscorsoft Word format on the NORCAL Forms page.)

III. Team Registration and Fees

3.01 USA Hockey Team Registration. All teams must be registered with USA Hockey prior to participating in any USA Hockey activity.

3.02 Regular Season Teams. Any youth division team formed to play competitive games throughout the course of the regular fall and winter season at the Tier I, Tier II, A or B levels shall be classified a regular season team regardless of whether that team is playing within the NORCAL schedule. NORCAL shall assess each participating club annual dues in the amount of six hundred dollars ($600) per team for each team registered. Tier I teams and Mite teams participating in the NORCAL Mite exhibition schedule are assessed three hundred dollars ($300).

3.03 In-House Teams. Instructional or tryout teams formed primarily to play within a single club or association shall not be required to register with NORCAL and shall not be governed by these rules except as specified in Rule 1.04.

3.04 Special Teams and Tournament Teams. Special teams formed to compete in specific tournaments shall not be required to register with NORCAL and shall not be governed by these rules except as specified in Rule 1.04.

3.05 Girls'/Women's Teams Teams registered in the USA Hockey Girls'/Women's Division and not playing in the NORCAL playing schedule shall be treated by NORCAL as special teams even though playing for a state or national championship. Girls'/Women's teams playing in the NORCAL playing schedule will in all aspects be governed by these rules.

3.06 Preliminary Team Declarations and Ice Slot Designations. All clubs shall make a preliminary declaration of "A," and "B" teams along with designated ice slots for sixteen (16) games the appropriate ice allocation per team, (mite teams provide 8 ice slots), by August 14^thas required by the league.

3.07 Initial Team Registration Tier I and II Teams (August 15th deadline) All clubs wishing to field Tier I or II teams shall submit an initial properly completed team roster to the NORCAL Roster Manager and, if not previously submitted, a check for three hundred dollars ($300) per Tier II team or one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per Tier 1 team deposit to the NORCAL Treasurer by August 15. Tier I teams do not play within a NORCAL schedule and, therefore, do not submit ice slots. The number of ice slots to be submitted for Tier II teams will be determined by the NORCAL General Manager following the submission of initial team rosters and team deposits.

3.08 Initial Team Declaration and Registration A and B Youth Teams (September 1st Deadline). All club teams included within the NORCAL playing schedule must be declared to NORCAL by September 20.Initial team declaration shall consist of the following:

(1) Submitting to the NORCAL Roster Manager a properly completed team declaration form OR USA Hockey team roster.

(2) Submitting to the NORCAL treasurer a deposit of three hundred dollars ($300) for each team except one hundred fifty dollars ($150) per Mite team.

(3) Submitting to the NORCAL scheduler thirteen (13) game ice slots for each team or eight (8) game ice slots for each Mite team. Ice slots must be identified by date, start and end times, rink, and ice surface (for multi-surface rinks) and must be within the date and time scheduling guidelines established by NORCAL. Please see Section 5.02 part 1 for length requirements. All game slots must be for clean ice. Note that provisions in Section 5.10 affect requirements for submitted ice.

No team shall be accepted as declared until all three of the above are completed.

All teams declared as described above must complete team registration with NORCAL or be formally dropped according to the procedure found in Section 3.13. Registration shall consist of the following:

(4) Submitting to the NORCAL Roster Manager a properly completed USA Hockey team roster. This roster will be designated a team's preliminary roster. A preliminary roster will not be considered properly completed without original signatures in blue ink from all players and adults entered on the roster. Players' signatures are optional on Mite and Squirt team rosters. The preliminary roster must be received by the Roster Manager by September 30.

(5) Submitting to the NORCAL Roster Manager a properly completed USA Hockey full team roster or supplementary roster detailing changes to the team's preliminary roster. This roster (full roster and supplementary rosters if used) is designated a team's final roster. A final roster will not be considered properly completed without original signatures in blue ink from all players and adults entered on the roster. Players' signatures are optional on Mite and Squirt team rosters. In addition, the final roster submission must include credentials documents (birth certificate or USA Hockey defined equivalents) for all players on this roster who were not rostered on some NORCAL team the prior season. The final roster must be received by the Roster Manager by October 31.

3.09 Minimum Team Size To be included within the NORCAL schedule, a team must meet CAHA requirements for minimum team size at the time of final team roster submission.

3.10 Failure to Maintain Required Ice Slots. Any club that fails to provide and maintain the required number of home ice slots for its declared teams shall be fined five hundred dollars ($500) per ice slot shorted. Upon recommendation of NORCAL General Manager, the NORCAL Board may disqualify one or more teams from league competition if sufficient ice slots are not provided.

3.11 Late Declaration and Registration A and B Youth Teams Teams intending to play within the NORCAL schedule that miss any deadline in Section 3.08 are considered late. Late teams that complete the declaration requirements by September 30 shall have their schedule reduced by two (2) games and shall be fined two hundred dollars ($200.00). Late teams that complete the declaration or preliminary registration requirements between October 1 and October 31 shall have their schedule reduced by four (4) games and be fined three hundred dollars ($300). Late teams that complete the declaration, preliminary registration, or final registration requirements after October 31, but prior to CAHA deadlines shall have their schedule reduced by eight (8) league games and be fined six hundred dollars ($600). Opponents for reduced games shall be determined by a random draw of teams conducted by the NORCAL General Manager.

3.12 Addition and Deletion of Players Following Initial Team Registration. Names of players added to or deleted from a team roster must be received by the NORCAL Roster Manager at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to any added player participating in any USA Hockey game involving that team.

3.13 Dropping of Teams. A club or association that drops a team declared or registered for participation in the NORCAL schedule shall be assessed a penalty of three hundred dollars ($300) for each team dropped after September 30. Written notice of dropping a team must be made to the NORCAL General Manager and to the NORCAL Scheduler. In addition, any applicable penalties for game forfeiture shall be imposed when the dropping of a team requires cancellation of scheduled games within ten (10) days of the receipt of the drop notice by NORCAL.

IV. Individual Registration, Tryouts, and Player Movement

4.00 Individual USA Hockey Registration. All individual players, coaches, and managers must be registered with USA Hockey prior to participating in any USA Hockey activity.

4.01 Player NORCAL Registration. Each player must be properly registered for USA Hockey and included on a team roster submitted to the NORCAL Roster Manager before being permitted to play in any game. No player may be registered on more than one USA Hockey Roster at the Junior, Tier I, Tier II, "A," or "B" levels at the same time. Additionally, no player may be rostered on more than one team that is state and/or national championship eligible. This rule specifically prohibits the rostering of a player on a USA Hockey registered college team and any other A, B or Tier team in the state. Players registered on a USA Hockey Roster may, however, be simultaneously registered on an in-house team, special team, or a team registered within the USA Hockey Girls/Women's Division so long as such dual registration does not cause a player to be registered on two teams competing for the same championship.

4.01.1 New mite-age players must sign up to play at a rink no further than thirty (30) miles from their primary residence unless approved by NORCAL. If there is no rink within 30 miles of the player's primary residence, the player must sign up to play at the rink closest to their primary residence.

4.02 Coach NORCAL Registration. Each coach must be properly registered for USA Hockey before participating in any on-ice activity and, before being permitted to serve as a coach or assistant coach in any game, must have either (1) submitted a copy of his/her USA Hockey coaching card at the required level or (2) submitted the date and location at which the required USA Hockey coaching clinic will be attended.

4.03 Playing Within Age Classification. Each player must be registered only on teams at age levels for which he/she qualifies by virtue of USA Hockey birth year requirements. It shall be the responsibility of each club to verify that each player is of the proper age to play in a particular classification and to make sure that the player can properly play pursuant to applicable USA Hockey, CAHA, and NORCAL rules.

4.03.1 Playing Above Age Classification. NORCAL normally requires that, except for in-house teams, each player play only at the lowest age level for which the player qualifies under USA Hockey rules. However, NORCAL recognizes that there are individual players who are physically and mentally mature enough and skilled enough to participate competitively at an older age level. Any player who by birth is in the last year of his/her age classification may skate up one age classification following submission of a properly completed NORCAL "Consent to Skate Out of Age Division" form. However, any Mite-aged player may play on a squirt team for a club that has not declared or registered a Mite team and no consent form shall be required.

4.03.2 Playing Below Age Classification. Playing below the USA Hockey assigned age level is not allowed.

4.04 Penalty for Playing Unregistered or Improperly Registered Player. Any game in which

an unregistered or improperly registered player participates shall be forfeited by the offending team. Coaches are required to know the status of their players and are subject to suspension of up to 2 games for each game played by an unregistered or improperly registered player.

4.05 Joining A Team. A player has joined a team when that player or player's family has done

one or more of the following:

+ Signed a letter of intent, contract, roster, or other written agreement with a club, or paid money other than a separate tryout fee to a club by virtue of which the player is assigned or may be assigned by that club to a specific team. Either club or player may appeal to the NORCAL General Manager in case of a dispute as to whether or not a player joined a club or team.

+ Played or participated in a NORCAL-scheduled preseason, tournament, or regular season game with a team, unless specifically noted and otherwise signed by the coach on the game score sheet.

+ Practiced twice with a team, not including separate sessions designated as try outs.

4.06 Player Movement/Free Agency. During the period from the end of CAHA Playoff for "A" and "B" teams or the end of USA Hockey National Championships for Tier II teams until joining a team for the following season as evidenced by Rule 4.07, all players are considered "free agents."

4.06.1 Player Development Requirement. All NORCAL registered Squirt, Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget 16, and Midget 18 teams in both A and B divisions must meet the following minimum Player Development Requirement:

Each Team must roster a minimum of 50% of of its players from within its member club. A team in violation of the Player Development Requirement will be included in the NORCAL schedule and their games will count towards final standings but they will be ineligible for post-season playoffs including both NORCAL playoffs and CAHA playoffs.

Any team that falls below the PDR requirement during the regular season must achieve the minimum level by December 31 and maintain that level for the remainder of the season to maintain their post season eligibility.

In addition to the CAHA definition of players eligible to meet PDR, players who did not play for any NORCAL Tier, A, B, or House team during the previous season may be counted toward the team's PDR percentage.

A team may petition the NORCAL Board for an exception to the PDR to accommodate players who have been displaced from their previous team by a club not offering a team at the appropriate age or level or if the previous club is merged with the new club and the new club is recognized by NORCAL as a successor club.

To calculate the required number of players to meet PDR requirements, round to the nearest whole number.

4.07 Tryouts. Each club shall post its tryout schedule for Tier I, Tier II, "A," and "B" at its rink in a manner to give players other than its own members access to dates and times. In addition, each club shall provide notice of tryout schedules and requirements to the NORCAL General Manager at its earliest opportunity so that information can be posted on the NORCAL web site. The tryout start dates for Tier, A and B teams for the next season will be set in the January NORCAL Board Meeting of the current season. It is NORCAL's intent that tryouts for Tier teams be completed prior to the start of tryouts for "A" and "B" teams and that all tryouts and team assignments be completed prior to XXXXXXXXX.

4.08 Player Release. Players and their family undertake a serious obligation when they join a particular club by signing an agreement or letter of intent, playing in a league game, or practicing repeatedly with a team. A player wishing to change clubs after joining a team must obtain a release from the club, which he/she has joined (the "home club"). While nothing in these rules shall be construed to prevent a club from granting a release, the home club ordinarily is under no obligation to approve a personal preference release.

4.08.1 Personal Preference Release. A release at the request of a player or family for any reason other than competitive advancement is a Personal Preference Release. The home club and NORCAL must both approve a personal preference release. A $50 non-refundable application fee shall be paid by the player at the time of application to NORCAL for a personal preference release. The NORCAL General Manager may approve a release without the home club's approval if the home club fails to act within 5 days of receipt of a player's completed form.

4.08.1.1 Personal Preference Release Appeal. A player denied a personal preference release by the home club may appeal in writing to the NORCAL General Manager within five days of the denial of release. The General Manager shall convene a review committee comprised of three persons, including the General Manager, one club president, and one other member of the NORCAL Executive Board. The review committee shall issue its decision within ten days of the appeal.

4.08.2 Competitive Advancement Release. Upon proper completion of an application, an "A" or "B" level player shall be granted a competitive advancement release if the player meets all of the following conditions:

1. The player is in good financial standing with home team; the release does not reduce the size of the affected home team to below thirteen players or below one goaltender;

2. The released player moves directly to the roster of a receiving team at a higher competitive level not available to that player at the home club

3. The coach and club president of the receiving team have signed the release application.

Players granted a competitive advancement release must remain on the roster of the receiving team through the remainder of the NORCAL season and playoffs. There is no fee for a competitive advancement release.

4.08.3 Home Club Financial Guidelines for Competitive Advancement Releases. No NORCAL member club or association shall charge a player receiving a Competitive Advancement release any fees or dues exceeding the reasonable charges for tryouts, ice time used, and merchandise purchased.

4.09 Definition of Completed Release. The NORCAL General Manager will notify the player, the home club, and receiving club (if any) that a release is complete when all of the following conditions are met:

1. The appropriate release application is complete and fee (if required) is paid;

2. The player has been legally and completely dropped from the home club roster;

3. The release is approved by the NORCAL General Manager.

4.10 Penalties for Illegal Release. Any player who participates in a game or practice for a receiving team without a completed release in accordance with these rules is an ineligible player. It is the receiving team's responsibility to insure that any player is eligible to be added to its roster.

4.10.1 Any club allowing a player to play in any game before that player has a completed release will forfeit all games in which that player participates.

4.10.2 Coaches are required to know the status of any player they allow to attend a practice or to play in a game and are subject to suspension of up to 2 games for each practice attended or game played by an unregistered or improperly registered player.

4.10.3 A player who intentionally misrepresents his/her status to a receiving club will be suspended for no less than thirty days. The receiving team is still subject to game forfeitures and coach's suspensions for employing an ineligible player, regardless of any misrepresentation by a player or family.

4.11 One Release per NORCAL Season. No player shall be granted more than one release within a season.

4.12 Recruitment Restrictions. No club or team official shall attempt to recruit a player to an "A" or "B" team who played for another club "A" or "B" team in the previous regular season.

Permitted Activities: (1) Mailing of printed material to persons who have participated in summer programs, clinics, tryouts, or other special activities or who are past club members. However, such printed mailings may not include personalized notes or messages. (2) Invitations to individuals to participate in special activities (clinics, summer skates, special teams, pickup) which do not conflict with regular league play. (3) Recruitment of players to a Tier I team when such recruitment is not in violation with CAHA or USA Hockey rules. (4) Advertising unless blatantly targeted at another clubs' membership.

Activities Not Permitted: (1) Offering sponsorship, reduced dues, or other benefits to a prospective player to join a particular team or club. (2) Mailing printed materials for club tryouts to the mailing list of another club or to a USA Hockey mailing list. (3) Initiating contact with players or family members from another club for the purpose of promoting the club's program or otherwise enticing a player to change clubs. (4) Advertising directed specifically at the membership of another member club. (5) Encouraging or allowing members of your club to contact or continue contact with members or relatives of members of another NORCAL club when that contact is intended to solicit or arrange for a position on a team. (6) ) Encouraging or allowing players, parents or any person acting in place of a player or parent belonging to another club to initiate or continue contact when the purpose of the contact is to solicit or arrange for a position on a team other than from the player's current club.

Each club shall be responsible for informing its club and team officials of this rule and for adhering to the spirit of this rule by actively dissuading officials and other persons from engaging in prohibited recruitment. Upon filing of a written complaint by a member club, the NORCAL President shall appoint a Review Committee comprised of presidents or designated representatives of three non-affected clubs. The Review Committee shall conduct a hearing to investigate the charges and shall issue a penalty to a club and/or team found to be in violation of this rule. The penalty shall consist of forfeiture of one or more league games and/or payment by the offending club of a fine not to exceed the amount of dues lost for one season as a result of the recruitment. Additionally, an offending team shall forfeit any game in which the Committee determines an illegally recruited player has participated.

Tier recruitment shall be governed solely by CAHA rules. However, no team which has initially recruited as a Tier team shall, while retaining players recruited from another club, be permitted to participate in NORCAL league play as an "A" team or compete for an "A" championship.

"Block recruitment" at Tier II, "A" and "B" is not allowed. Block recruitment is defined as when: a) a club has within its rostered player base 25% or more players who were rostered with another single NORCAL member club during the previous playing season; or b) a team's roster contains 50% or more players who were rostered with another single NORCAL member club during the previous season. Exceptions, which must be approved by the NORCAL board, can be granted when the previous season's club does not offer a team at a particular age group or level, or in the case of a voluntary merger, or when a club is recognized by NORCAL as a successor club to a club that has ceased doing business, or at its discretion. A team or club in violation of the block recruitment rule will be included in the NORCAL schedule and their games will count towards final standings but they will be ineligible for post-season playoffs including both NORCAL playoffs and CAHA playoffs.

4.13 Player Financial Standing. Prior to August 1^st, any NORCAL club may submit to the NORCAL General Manager and Roster Manager a list of players not in good financial standing for the prior year's playing season. Lack of good financial standing shall be based upon failure to pay dues and/or other costs associated with playing on a regular season team. Players not in good standing shall not be permitted to participate in team tryouts or to participate in NORCAL scheduled games until the financial obligation is met. Any player remaining on the list following the beginning of the NORCAL regular season shall be considered an illegal player and such game shall be forfeit by the team with the illegal player. A game forfeited by reason of such an illegal player shall remain a forfeited game regardless of any subsequent finding on the merit of the player's inclusion on the list. The NORCAL General Manager may remove a player from the list and/or recommend Board action against a club that has failed to provide adequate and timely documentation of player accounts or has failed to make reasonable efforts to resolve a legitimate player account dispute. Any player who disputes a financial claim may appeal directly to the NORCAL General Manager who may allow the player to participate in tryouts and practices while the dispute is being resolved.

4.14 Player Movement Within a Club. A player who has been properly registered on a club's team may move to another team within that club provided all eligibility requirements are met and the player is properly re-rostered before the move takes place. A player may not, however, play for more than one Tier, "A" or "B" team within a club within a 48-hour period. A player violating this rule shall be considered an illegal player for all games in which he or she participated during the 48-hour period in question.

4.15 Player Movement Between Divisions. A player may move down a division (e.g., from "A" to "B," from Tier II to "A") until November 15. A player may move up to a higher division until December 31^st. Players who move between divisions after the deadlines must receive permission of the NORCAL General Manager and are ineligible to participate in NORCAL or CAHA post season play (playoffs and preliminary playoffs).

4.16 Hardship Goaltender Moves. Notwithstanding any other provision of these rules, if none of the rostered goaltenders for a team are able to play in one or more games during the season, the NORCAL General Manager may authorize use of a substitute goaltender from another NORCAL team provided there is a hardship determination by the General Manager. The General Manager has final authority in determining if a substitution shall be permitted and has final authority in choice of an available substitute goaltender best matched to the age and playing division of the team. Goaltender substitution from outside the Mite division shall not be permitted for Mite teams. All hardship goaltender moves must be approved by the General Manager prior to the game in which the substitution is to be made and must be reported by the team in writing to the NORCAL Roster Manager within two days after the date such game is played. Any non-rostered goaltender that plays in violation of this rule shall be considered an illegal player.

V. League Games and Schedule

5.00 NORCAL League Game Definition. A NORCAL League Game is a game arranged by the NORCAL Scheduler that is played in a club's required ice slot, or extra ice slot required by NORCAL, between teams of two different NORCAL clubs.

5.01 Game Scheduling and Supervision. All games between teams competing as a part of the NORCAL league schedule shall be scheduled by the NORCAL scheduler and be under the direction of the NORCAL General Manager and on-ice supervision of a certified and registered USA Hockey official.

5.02 Standard League Game. Standard league games shall be conducted as follows:

(1) A ninety minute time slot (required at PeeWee and older levels) or a seventy-five minute time slot on clean ice shall be scheduled for games. No ice cuts are required between periods. (Note that a 75-minute slot may be used for PeeWee games at the scheduler's discretion.)

(2) A properly completed score sheet shall be provided. All coaches shall appropriately sign the score sheet. The score sheet shall list the NORCAL Game Number, date, time, location, curfew time, and names of minor officials.

(3) For PeeWee and above, games shall be scheduled for three periods of 15 minutes stop time each. No more than five minutes shall be placed on the clock prior to the first period for warmups. One minute shall be placed on the clock between each period. No timeouts are permitted. No game shall count as a game unless at least two periods of stop time are played or unless the game is forfeited under the playing rules. Periods shall not be lengthened to take advantage of additional time that may be available.

(4) The home team shall provide minor officials including scorekeeper, timekeeper, penalty box attendants and shot counters

(5) A game may not be commenced without a minimum of six players. If a team fails to place six

players on the ice for the beginning of a game, the game shall not be played, and will be

reported to the NORCAL general manager as a potential forfeit.

(6) At the beginning of the third period if fewer than 30 minutes are left prior to the game curfew, the referee shall direct the timekeeper to place one-half of the remaining available minutes on the clock.

(7) If at any time following a stoppage of play during the third period, the amount of time remaining prior to curfew is less than the time on the clock, the referee shall direct the timekeeper to place the number of minutes remaining for the slot on the clock and go to running time.

(8) For Squirt and Mite games, the first two periods shall be fifteen minutes each. The third period shall be either fifteen minutes or half of the time remaining in the game slot, whichever is shorter. .

(9) No game shall count as a game unless at least two periods of stop time are played or unless the game is forfeited under the playing rules

(10) All NORCAL games require a minimum of one adult coach on each team's bench. If a coach is unable to continue in a game for any reason (or fails to appear), the team MUST provide a USA Hockey registered adult with credentials appropriate to the teams involved to serve as a temporary coach. Officials should provide a reasonable period of time to find a replacement. If no replacement can be found, the team without a coach will forfeit the game. The ice slot length may not be extended due to a delay resulting from a coaching change

(11) The score of a forfeit game shall be recorded as 1-0.

5.03 Scheduling of Games. All games played within Northern California by teams registered to NORCAL member clubs shall be scheduled by and referees arranged by the NORCAL Scheduler or the scheduler's representative. Teams that play most of their games outside the NORCAL schedule may request the Scheduler to designate a team official to schedule games with non-NORCAL teams directly.

5.04 League Scheduled Divisions. NORCAL shall schedule league games for the "A" and "B" Divisions for the Squirt through Midget age levels. Mite teams may be scheduled as a single playing division within NORCAL regardless of registration at the "A" or "B" level. A limited Tier II schedule will be established if two or more Tier II teams are registered at any given age level.

5.05 Pre-season. The NORCAL pre-season begins as determined by the NORCAL calendar and shall consist of exhibition games as scheduled for "A" and "B" teams by the league. The purpose of the pre-season is to provide a tune-up period for players and to allow league and club officials an opportunity to assess the competitive levels of the teams. During the preseason, all teams will be declared "B" until final team placement.

5.06 Final Team Placement. Following the second to the last weekend of pre-season play, the General Manager will present the team placements to the full NORCAL board. There shall be no late registration penalty for a team re-registering as a result of final team placement.

5.07. Regular Season Games. The NORCAL regular season shall consist of those games following the pre-season and designated by the NORCAL Scheduler to be Regular Season Games counting for playoffs.

5.08 Exhibition Games. Occasionally, the NORCAL Scheduler may schedule exhibition games for the purpose of providing extra games in playing divisions with a short schedule or at the request of the involved clubs. Exhibition games initiated by clubs must have ice slots provided outside the NORCAL-required ice slots. Games designated in the schedule as exhibition games will under no circumstances count towards final league standings.

5.09 League Standings. League standing shall be based upon points earned by play or forfeit (2 points for wins, 1 point for ties, and no points for losses) during regular season games which will normally include an equal number of games played among all teams in a playing division. In the event that there have not been an equal number of games played by each team (i.e., cancellation of game due to reasons beyond the control of the affected teams or an unbalanced schedule), standing shall be determined by each team's percentage of possible points earned (total points earned divided by two points for each game played or forfeited.)

5.10 Considerations for Scheduling of Pre-Season and Regular Season Games. The following considerations shall be followed by the NORCAL scheduler in scheduling pre-season and regular season games:

(1) Games shall normally be scheduled for Friday evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays. Friday evening games shall be scheduled only with consideration for traveling time considering evening traffic flow. Weekday games may be scheduled subject to the agreement of the affected Club presidents or representatives.

(2) Games shall not be scheduled to start before 7am or after 11:30 pm. Mite and Squirt games shall not be scheduled to start after 8:30 pm.

(3) Whenever possible, younger teams shall be scheduled for earlier time slots and older teams for later time slots.

(4) Although ice slots submitted by a club will normally be used for that club's teams, slots submitted for the NORCAL schedule may be used by the Scheduler for any teams as necessary, subject to the approval of the designated home team club and the club whose ice slot is used. Home games may be played at rinks other than the home rink. An equal number of home and away games is not a scheduling requirement, but will be maintained where feasible.

(5) If two games are scheduled on the same day, there must be at least four hours separation and there must not be more than one hour driving time between the rinks at which the games are scheduled.

(6) No games may be scheduled after 2:00 PM on Halloween for Mites, Squirts or Peewees, or at any time on Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas/New Years break, Martin Luther King weekend, or Presidents' Day weekend, or after Noon on Super Bowl Sunday.

(7) No Midget18 or Midget16 games may be scheduled on designated SAT Saturdays prior to 5:00 PM or on the preceding Friday evenings.

(8) No Bantam A, Midget16 A or Midget18 A games may be scheduled during NORCAL or CAHA Select Team tryouts.

(9) No games shall be scheduled to create a playing conflict for players participating in a NORCAL-sponsored special tournament team.

(10) Consideration should be given to scheduling at least two games (e.g., Saturday afternoon or evening and Sunday morning) when travel distance necessitates an overnight stay.

(11) A Scheduling Committee chaired by the NORCAL President and comprised additionally of the NORCAL General Manager, NORCAL Scheduler, and the president or designated representative of each club participating in the NORCAL "A" or "B" schedule shall be convened prior to November 1^st to review and approve the schedule for the balance of the playing season. Once approved, the regular season game schedule shall be considered final unless changes must be made for factors outside the control of the league.

(12) No schedule change shall be made in regular season games without the approval of the NORCAL General Manager.

(13) No scheduling consideration shall be made for any NORCAL team or individual player for participation in any non-NORCAL league or event not already described in this rule. without

Ice slots provided to the league for scheduling of games have some additional restrictions. A club with 3 or fewer teams must provide an additional 8 game slots for scheduler use. Any club with teams affected by SAT blackouts must provide a minimum of 2 Friday or Sunday slots for games for each such team, after the Thanksgiving break.

5.11 Protective Equipment. Each player must wear approved protective equipment as specified by all applicable rules for the duration of each game while on the ice, players' bench, or penalty box. Referees will check out every player prior to each game. Players who report to their team after the referee's checkout may not go on the ice until a supplemental check has been completed. It is the responsibility of the team coach to make certain that players comply with this rule.

5.12 Team Book. Each head coach or other designated team official shall be responsible for having available at all games a team book. The required contents of the team book are dictated by USA Hockey, CAHA, and the NORCAL Registrar. It normally consists of the following items:

+ A photocopy of each player's birth certificate

+ A notarized "AKA Form" for any player who goes by a name other than that shown on the birth certificate

+ Proof of legal residency for any player born outside the U. S.

+ A properly executed "Playing Up" form for any player playing out of age category

+ Consent to treat / health history for each player

+ Waiver of liability for each player, coach and manager

+ Signed USA Hockey Code of Conduct for each player, coach and manager

+ USA Hockey certified coaches card for each coach (note that other than Advanced or Master level, must be recertified every three years)

+ Official Team Application, which must be signed by the USA Hockey registrar after November

+ Official Team Roster, which must be signed by the USA Hockey registrar once final roster certification takes place

+ Release forms for any player who moved from a different club this season

+ Game sheets for all completed games

+ Other documents that from time to time may be required by the General Manager or Roster Manager

The NORCAL President, NORCAL General Manager or Roster Manager may inspect team books at any game. Any deficiency shall be reported to the NORCAL General Manager who, in turn, shall notify the affected club president. Deficiencies must be corrected, or a written plan of correction approved by the appropriate General Manager, within seven days of notification. Failure to make the team book available at the game or failure to comply with this rule by correcting deficiencies within the seven-day correction period will result in forfeiture of games played while not in compliance.

To avoid forfeiture of games and prevent loss of original documents, teams are advised to carry a working game book with copies of all documents to games and maintain an original game book to be used for credentials check prior to post season play.

5.13 Game Forfeit for No Show/Refusing to Play. All teams are required to be present for all regularly scheduled NORCAL games (including exhibition games). Games not played will result in forfeiture by the team(s) responsible for canceling. Teams that incur forfeits must:

(1) Pay the ice costs for the full ice slot and allow the non-offending team to occupy the ice (if available);

(2) Pay for any actual referee costs; and

(3) Pay a penalty of $50 assessed by NORCAL.

However, if the team's absence was due to an "act of God," as determined by the General Manager, the forfeiture penalties shall not apply and the game may be rescheduled by the General Manager.

Any team that refuses to play, or refuses to continue play during a game (unless circumstances show the refusal to be appropriate), may be subject to the same penalties as a No Show. Disagreement with on-ice or off-ice officials will never be accepted as a valid reason for refusal to continue play.

5.14 Non-NORCAL Game Notices. At least 7 days before a game is played against any team not registered with NORCAL, the team must file a Non-NORCAL Game Notice with the General Manager. An online form will be available on the NORCAL web site, and will include the sponsoring organization, contact information for the sponsoring organization's tournament director, and a schedule of games to be played. A Non-NORCAL Game Notice must be filed for any team who hosts a team from outside the league as well. The penalty for failure to submit a proper and timely Non-NORCAL Game Notice shall be $100. NORCAL game numbers must be acquired from the NORCAL scheduler for all games with non-NORCAL teams.

5.15 CAHA Travel Permit. Before a team may travel outside of the State of California for the purposes of playing games or a tournament, the CAHA Member Services Director must issue a travel permit according to the policies contained in the CAHA Rules.

VI. Penalties, Suspensions, Appeals, Protests

6.01 Minor, Major, and Misconduct Penalties. Minor, major and misconduct penalties called by on ice officials are not subject to further review.

6.02 Game Misconduct Penalties. Game misconduct penalties called by on ice officials are not subject to review except for procedural errors. There shall be no review of the official's judgment in issuing a game misconduct penalty. The club president may make any request for review to the NORCAL General Manager. In making such a request, the club president must provide a copy of the game score sheet containing the game misconduct penalty in question. Request for review must be made within 24 hours of the end of the game in question.

6.03 Serving Game Misconduct Penalties. USA Hockey rules require that a player or coach receiving a game misconduct penalty serve a suspension during the next already scheduled game played by the team for which the player was playing when the penalty was incurred. NORCAL requires that a player or coach receiving a game misconduct during a league or playoff game be suspended for the next league or playoff game of that team. (Note that in some instances a player or coach may be required to sit two games to meet both USA Hockey and NORCAL requirements.) NORCAL suspensions may not be served in games between teams from the same club unless both teams are playing in the same division for the same NORCAL championship. If a player or coach receives a game misconduct penalty during a team's last regular game (league or playoff) of the season, any unserved suspensions shall be served by that player or coach during the first league game(s) (pre-season or regular season) of the following year, even if that person changes teams or clubs. A player or coach receiving a game misconduct penalty during a regular season game while playing or coaching for a team to which he/she is not normally assigned shall serve the suspension during the next regular season game of the team on which he/she is a member. A player or coach serving a suspension must comply with the game sheet requirements specified in Section 1.05. A player or coach serving a game misconduct may, but is not required to, attend the game as a spectator. A coach serving a game misconduct may not be on or near the players' bench, may not serve as a minor official, and may not in any way give direction to his team even from the stands or through a third party. Violation of this rule may result in forfeiture of the game and supplementary discipline. A player or coach serving a game misconduct shall not engage in any disruptive behavior before, during, or after the game while attending as a spectator.

Any coach that is found to have the wrong player or coach serve a suspension will be subject to supplementary discipline, game forfeiture, and a minimum 3-game suspension.

6.04 Match Penalties. Any match penalty shall be reported to the NORCAL General Manager within 48 hours. The Head Coach of the team that incurs a reportable penalty is responsible for making the required reports to NORCAL. Failure to report an occurrence of such a penalty may result in additional penalties for the coach and/or team. Under USA Hockey rules, a player or coach receiving a match penalty may not participate in any USA Hockey activity (practice or game) for 30 days or until a hearing has been held. The hearing body may impose suspension or probation up to one year or may impose other conditions.

6.05 Violation of Suspension. In the event that any player or coach in violation of NORCAL, CAHA or USA Hockey rules illegally participates in a game while suspended, the General Manager shall suspend the offending individual for the next two scheduled games following discovery of the illegal participation. (If the team does not have additional scheduled games, the General Manager shall designate the additional games to be served.) The game in which the suspended player or coach participated shall be ruled a forfeit. The General Manager shall investigate the violation, and, in flagrant cases, instruct the Penalty Review Committee to hold a hearing to consider supplementary discipline.

6.06 Causing a Disturbance When Removed or While Suspended. Upon written complaint to the General Manager, any player or coach who creates a disturbance during a game for which he/she has been removed or is suspended shall be referred to the Penalty Review Committee for supplementary discipline.

6.07 Exceeding Three Game Misconducts. If the number of accumulated game misconducts for a player or coach exceeds three (3) within a season on any NORCAL team or teams, the player or coach shall be automatically subject to Supplementary Discipline under rule 6.12.

6.08 Penalty Review Committee Hearings. The NORCAL Penalty Review Committee shall consist of the Penalty Review Chair appointed by the President (normally the Vice President), the NORCAL General Manager, Vice President and at least two other members appointed by the President or by the Penalty Review Chair. The Committee shall meet as needed at a time and place to be set by the Chair. Any penalties pending review prior to NORCAL or CAHA playoffs shall be held prior to playoffs.

6.09 Conduct of Penalty Reviews. Penalty review hearings shall be conducted in a closed and informal setting. Persons coming before the penalty review committee shall have the right to be accompanied by representative(s) of choice, except that the number of such representatives may be limited to parents/guardians, coach, club representative, and one other person. Persons under review may submit written material and/or call witnesses in their support. Videotapes may be submitted for review by the Penalty Review Chair and, with the prior approval of the Chair, may be shown at the hearing; however, responsibility for providing viewing equipment shall rest with the person submitting the videotape. The Penalty Review Chair shall provide each person under review with a clear statement of the specific behavior being reviewed, the rule under which the behavior is being reviewed, and the range of penalties under consideration. The Penalty Review Chair shall issue a written decision within five days of the review hearing. In the event that a player and/or coach fail to attend a scheduled review, the Penalty Review Committee may conduct its review and issue a decision in their absence(s).

6.10 Game Protests. Game protests must be presented to the General Manager by Tuesday 9pm for games played during the immediately preceding seven-day period (Monday through Sunday). A non-refundable fee of one hundred and fifty dollars ($150) must accompany any such protest. Only protests for games that count toward final rankings will be allowed. Protests based on disagreement with a referee's judgment will not be accepted. Only protests filed in writing by the protesting club president or designated NORCAL representative (or alternate NORCAL representative if the club president is unavailable) shall be considered. Upon due consideration, the General Manager's decision shall be either "the game stands as played" or "the game will be replayed."

6.12 Supplementary Discipline. In addition to the suspension imposed under these rules, the NORCAL General Manager may, at the conclusion of the game, at his/her discretion, investigate any incident that occurs in connection with any game and may assess additional suspensions for any offense committed before, during the course of a game, or any aftermath thereof by a player or Team Official, whether or not such offense has been penalized by the referee or not. See Section 6.13 to understand how any suspensions or sanctions issued by NORCAL may be appealed.

6.13 Right of Appeal. Any suspension or sanction issued by the NORCAL General Manager (except for suspensions for violation of playing rules), by the NORCAL Penalty Review Committee, or automatically under these rules may be appealed. The route of appeal shall be 1. To the full NORCAL Board; 2. To CAHA Dispute Resolution Procedure; 3. To USA Hockey via Bylaw 10 of the USA Hockey Annual Guide. Nothing in the rules should be understood to deny any member their right to appeal. Please refer to Section 10 of the USA Hockey By-laws, the CAHA Dispute Resolution Procedures, and the NORCAL By-laws for complete information. In short, any suspension issued under these rules can be appealed to the full NORCAL Board, and beyond that to CAHA Dispute Resolution.

VII. Player and Spectator Decorum

7.00 Post Game Altercations. Any post game altercation or disturbance, on or off the ice, shall be investigated by the involved Club's President and a written report shall be submitted to the NORCAL President and General Manager within 48 hours of the incident. This report shall include the names of all persons, players, coaches and spectators involved and the steps taken to prevent further incidents of this nature.

Penalties for participants in post game altercations or disturbances will be severe.

Instigators (May be from either or both teams): 5 game suspension

Other participants: 3 game suspension

Coaches automatically receive a two-game suspension. They may receive additional sanction as a participant or as an instigator .

The teams may be put on probation and a second incident will result in the suspension of the team for the remainder of the playing season. It is the responsibility of the home team to ensure the safety of the players, coaches, spectators and officials before, during and following the game. A police report will be made on any spectator who physically interferes with a player, coach, team or league official on or off the ice.

7.01 Leaving the Penalty Bench or Players' Bench. Any player leaving the penalty bench or player's bench during an altercation shall receive a Match Penalty It is the responsibility of the coach to maintain team discipline on and off the ice. The on-ice officials may consult with the off-ice officials to determine the identity and order of players leaving the bench.

7.02 Spectator Decorum. Any person in the stands during a NORCAL game is expected to display civil behavior. Anyone causing an unreasonable disturbance in the stands may be asked to desist or leave the arena by the on-ice officials. The home team club officials may be called on to help control the situation, and are expected to cooperate fully with the on-ice officials. If the situation cannot be dealt with in a timely and civil manner, the on-ice officials may, at their sole discretion, direct the players to the player bench and suspend the game until the matter is resolved. Further, the rink personnel may be asked to call the local police to help control the situation.

7.03 Noise Makers. No spectator may use a noisemaker of any sort at any NORCAL game.

VIII. League Playoffs

8.00 Tier II. For any age division in which more than one team is declared, each team shall be required to play each other team at least two times between December 1^st and 25 days prior to the start of the CAHA Tier II championships, as announced by CAHA. These games shall be used to determine seeding, if necessary, for state playoffs with team rankings determined by the number of game points earned by play or forfeiture (2 points for win, 1 point for tie, no points for loss). If two or more teams are tied in points at the end of the series, then the General Manager shall structure a playoff with each tied team playing each other tied team once to determine relative seeding.

Once team declarations have been made, the General Manager shall advise the clubs of how many ice slots must be made available to play these games. The clubs involved must then provide the times and dates of available slots to the General Manager by no later than November 1, so the required games can be scheduled.

If any team in a Tier division with two or more registered teams elects not to compete toward state or regional playoffs, such team must provide the General Manager with written notice of such election by no later than October 15^th. Any team so electing shall not be included in the games for seeding and will not be eligible to compete in state or regional championships.

8.01 "A" and "B" Playoffs. Playoffs at the "A" and "B" levels shall be conducted to determine the first and second place teams from among the four top ranked teams at the Squirt, Peewee, Bantam, and Midget levels at the end of regular season play. The format of each playoff shall be a round robin followed by a championship game. The General Manager shall determine seeding for the round robin based upon final season standings. The General Manager shall issue rules governing each playoff and the playoff schedule of games prior to the playoff.

8.02 Team Eligibility for Playoffs. From among all duly registered "A" and "B" teams having played at least 17 games (not less than 10 of which must be played within the NORCAL regular season playing schedule as evidenced by the proper submission of completed game sheets), the top four ranked teams in each division shall advance to participate in playoffs. Team rankings shall be determined as specified in Rule 5.9 above.

In the event that two or more teams are tied for end of season standings, ties will be broken in accordance with the USA Hockey Annual Guide, with the further provision that in cases involving unbalanced schedules, winning percentage will be used rather than total points. The tiebreaker process to be followed can be found in the USA Hockey Annual Guide Bylaw XII, TOURNAMENT GUIDELINES O(3) (e).

Teams registered to a club not in good standing or a team ineligible to participate in CAHA playoffs finishing the season with a record that would otherwise allow them to advance to the NORCAL playoffs will not advance. The eligible team with the next-best record will advance to the NORCAL playoffs instead. However, the foregoing notwithstanding, a team based outside California but participating in a NORCAL regular season division and with USA Hockey registration and in good standing shall NOT be excluded from NORCAL playoffs solely by reason of non-membership in CAHA.

8.03 Player Eligibility for Playoffs. A player must be duly registered and have participated in at least 7 games of that team (not less than 6 of which must have been played within the NORCAL regular season schedule) to be eligible to participate in NORCAL playoffs. Any player who is ineligible for participation in CAHA playoffs shall also be ineligible for participation in NORCAL playoffs.

8.04 Obligation to Participate in Playoffs. All teams eligible for participation in NORCAL and CAHA playoffs are required to participate in all playoff games. Failure of a team to participate in playoffs may result in disciplinary action against the offending club and/or its members including barring the offending club's teams from participation in future playoffs.

8.05 CAHA Championships. State playoffs are conducted by CAHA and are governed by separate rules. The essential features of those rules for eligibility are as follows:

(1) Teams, players, and coaches must be properly registered and in good standing.

(2) Teams must have played at least 20 actual games in the current season (not counting forfeits).

(3) Each participating player must have played at least 10 actual games with the qualifying team.

(4) Properly completed game sheets must be provided.

Youth (boys and girls)	Girls and Women
Mite (1998 and younger)	10 or under (1996 and younger)
Squirt (1996-97)	12 or under (1996 and younger)
PeeWee (1994-95)	14 or under (1992-93)
Bantam (1992-93)	16 or under (1990-91)
Midget16 (1990-91)	19 or under (1987-89)
Midget18 (1988-89)	Senior (18 or older)
Juniors (20 or under)
Seniors (18 or older)