Rules

TORHS Hockey follows the rules set forth in the RHA Rulebook. Additional highlights and TORHS-specific rules can be found below.

Highlights include:

Teams: Teams may roster up to 15 players (including skaters and goalies) with a maximum of 2 goalies.
Player Eligibility: Once a player participates in a TORHS Hockey Regional Qualifier, they are eligible to play in the National Tournament. See Roster Rules for a detailed explanation.
Official Rosters: See Roster Rules for official TORHS Hockey rules regarding rosters.
AAA, AA, and A Levels: If a youth division has six or more teams, it may be seeded into 2 levels at a regional tournament. Further, some Regional tournaments and Nationals may be divided into AAA, AA, and A levels of competition. The ‘A’ Level offers a division for the developmental grassroots and all-star recreation teams.
Deliberate Forfeits: Any team found deliberately forfeiting a scheduled game in a regional championship or national game will result in an 8-0 scoring and an official hearing with regard to future eligibility.
Tiebreakers: Head-to-head is the ultimate or highest method of breaking the tie. Tiebreaker Rules:
- If two teams are tied with the same record, then the result of their game against each other (Head to head) will be used to break the tie.
- If two teams are tied and they DID NOT play each other, the team with the highest Goal Differential wins the tiebreaker.
- If three or more teams are tied, and one team has won the Head to Head competition against the other two tied teams, then the team that has beaten the other two teams has won the tiebreaker. The remaining two teams will be compared using the Head to Head rule, first, and then go thru the remaining steps, if necessary. If one team has lost to the other two tied teams, then that team loses the tiebreaker and the other two teams will now be compared beginning with head to head.
- If three or more teams are tied and no team has beaten the other tied teams Head to Head, then the teams will be seeded by Goal Differential first. After that, Goals Against. After that, Coin Flip.
- At our Regional events only, before we use the coin flip as a tiebreaking factor, we will have a 5-minute mini-game to break the tie. This is not a sudden-death game. It is a complete five-minute stop-time mini-game. If this game ends in a tie, then we go to a three-man shootout. This tiebreaker will only take precedence if the game will decide who makes it into the playoff round, or if it will decide at what competition level the teams will play at in the playoff round.
- At our National event only, before we use the coin flip as a tiebreaking factor, we will have a 5-minute mini-game to break the tie. This is not a sudden-death game. It is a complete five-minute stop-time mini-game. If this game ends in a tie, then we go to the next tie-breaker, which is a coin flip. This tiebreaker will only take precedence if the game will decide who makes it into the playoff round, or if it will decide at what competition level the teams will play at in the playoff round.
All round-robin games will be decided using a best of 3-Man Shootout format. The visiting team shoots first. If still tied after the first round of 3 it will go to a sudden death format. This continues until all players on the shortest bench have participated. After the shortest bench has gone through all of its players, teams are then permitted to use a player that has already participated. The team winning the shootout will receive 2 points. The non-winning team will receive 1 point. For the purpose of tracking goals for and goals against, the score will be recorded as one more for the winning team than the score was at the end of regulation. For example, if the score was 3-3 going into the shootout, it will be recorded as 4-3 in favor of the team winning the shootout, but in the standings, points will be rewarded as noted above.
Overtime: In playoffs and championship games at Regional Qualifiers and Winter Cup, the following will apply: Overtime will be 5 minutes in duration with teams playing 3 on 3 plus goalies. Goaltenders will switch ends for the start of overtime. If teams are still tied after overtime, each team will select 3 skaters and they will compete in a Best of 3-Man Shootout(s) format. The visiting team shoots first. In playoffs and championship games at Nationals, the following will apply: after regulation teams will play continuous 4 on 4 sudden death overtime until there is a goal scored.
Point Format: Teams will be awarded 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an overtime or shootout win, and 1 point for an overtime or shootout loss.
Carryover penalty: In an overtime game, a carryover penalty will be played in the same format as regulation. For example, if a team is down a man heading into overtime, the team will maintain a 4-on-3 advantage at the start of overtime. Teams will go to 3-on-3 at the first whistle following the penalty. However, if a penalty is called during overtime, teams will play 3-on-2.
Racial Slurs: We have a no-tolerance policy on the use of any racial slurs. Players will be issued a match penalty and will have a hearing with the tournament directors.
Girls: Girls playing hockey on a boy’s team shall be allowed to play down one year of eligibility.
Game Format – Regional Events:
- 3-minute warm-up
- 1-minute intermission
- 2 x 15-minute periods of running time
- Stop clock last 2 minutes within 1 goal
Game Format – OC Classic, Winter Cups & Nationals:
- 3-minute warm-up
- 1-minute intermission
- 2 x 12-minute periods of stop clock
Time Outs: 1-minute time out per game.
There will be an 8-goal mercy rule in effect.
Start Time: Teams must be prepared to start 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time.
Slapshots are allowed in all divisional play.
All players must have at least 3 wheels on their skates in order to participate in any tournament game.
Protesting a Game: If a team would like to submit a formal protest, they may do so by submitting their protest in writing along with a $75 fee to a TORHS Hockey Tournament Director. The money will be returned if the protest is deemed to be valid.
Suspensions: All suspensions shall be served in the division where the infraction took place before that player is eligible to play in ANY games in other divisions, but, will not be required to serve more games in another division than the allocated original suspension. *Suspensions at a regional event may carry over to the national event. Suspensions handed out at the national event may NOT be served at the regional level.*
- Example: Player A is suspended for three (3) games in 18UAAA during the championship in that division. Player A is scheduled to play in D1 and 21UAAA. Player A cannot serve said suspension in 18UAAA until the following year's national event. Therefore, Player A will not be eligible to play in D1 until three games have been served in that division AND not eligible to play in 21UAAA until three games have been served in that division. Player A will still be required to serve the three-game suspension in 18UAAA, as well. If player A ages out of 18U, then the suspension will follow that player to his next appropriate division and THAT will now become the official suspension. In this case, since 21UAAA is being played AFTER 18UAAA, the suspension would have been served within the 21U division.
- Player B is suspended for one (1) game in 16UAA. Before his/her next 16UAA game, Player B is scheduled to play three (3) games in 18UAA and two (2) games in 14UAAA. Player B would serve the following:
  - One (1) 18UAA game
  - One (1) 14U AAA game
  - One (1) 16U AA game