ICE HOCKEY REGULATIONS

Last Update 14/12/16

1. Organization

a.      The Ice Hockey Committee to the 20^th Maccabiah will be responsible for the Ice Hockey competitions of the 20   ^th Maccabiah, subject to the approval of the Sport Department.

b.      The Ice Hockey competitions will be conducted according to the rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) with the exception of a no body checking rule in all Masters Games (see Section 6 below for more details). Participation in the competition is open to any player who has been duly registered with Organizing Committee of the 20^th Maccabiah, and was issue with a participant card.

c.       Each country may enter one team for the males' open competition, one team for the juniors boys' youth (1999-2000) competition, and one team for the masters' male (40+) competition.

d.      Each team for the Ice Hockey competitions may consist of a total of 22 players.  This must include a minimum of two goalies dressed for every game. Teams may bring and dress additional goalies but may not exceed the 22 player maximum. There will be no alternates or additional players permitted.

e.      Each team must bring two sets of game shirts in different colors to each game.

2. Venues and times

a.      The sport department of the 20^th Maccabiah will determine the venues and times of the Ice Hockey competitions and teams will be notified accordingly.

b.      All games (Junior, Open, and Masters) will consist of 3 periods of 20 minutes each in duration.

c.       For games in which a winner must be determined (semifinals, bronze, and gold medal games) a sudden death overtime period will be played and if no goal is scored, a game winning shots (GWS) competition will be held. The specific format for overtime sessions and the game winning shots procedures will be provided to teams in advance of the tournament.

d.      The games will be played with pucks as specified in the International Rules and Regulations.

3. System of competition

SYSTEM A: With the participation of up to 3 teams;

a.      The competitions will be played on a league basis of a double round robin.

b.      Teams will be ranked according to their achievements with two points awarded for wins, one point for ties, and 0 points for losses.

c.       The first two teams in the league will compete for the title: "20^th Maccabiah Champion".

SYSTEM B: With the participation of 4 or 5 teams;

a.      The competitions will be played on a league basis of a single round robin.

b.      Teams will be ranked according to their achievements (see system A for point system).

c.       There will be a semifinal round in which teams will be matched #1 vs. #4; and #2 vs. #3. The winners of the semifinal round will play for 1^st place and the remaining two teams will play for 3^rd place.

In the event that two teams are tied in points following the round robin competition, classification will be determined as follows:

Step 1 – Results between the tied teams in head-to-head games.

Step 2 -- Goal differential in games played between the tied teams (only applies in double round robin format).

Step 3 – Fewest numbers of goals allowed in round robin competition.

Step 4 – Fewest numbers of goals allowed against teams in rank order of finish.

Step 5 – In the event that teams remain tied, a coin toss will be held to determine finals classification.

In the event of tie in points between three or more teams, classification will be determined by creating a sub-group amongst the tied teams.  The tie-breaking process outlined above will be applied until one team is eliminated at which time the remaining teams will be ranked by again applying the above steps in order.

4. Referees

A one referee, two linesmen system will be used for all juniors and Open games.  A two-person system will be used for all Masters Games. Officials will be appointed by the organizing committee and selection of the game officials for individual games will be made by the Ice Hockey Coordinator with input from the lead official.

5. Equipment

The IIHF rule book will serve as the basis for all equipment related requirements with the exception of the following. All players participating in the junior level competition will be required to wear full face protection as specified by the IIHF. All players in the Open and Masters Competition will, at a minimum, be required to wear IIHF approved half-shield facial protection.

6. No-Checking Rule for Masters

In the Masters competition, body check is not permitted in any area of the ice.  Body checking will be deemed to have occurred when a player’s intent is to gain possession of the puck by separating the puck carrier from the puck with a distinct and definable moment of impact. Angling a player is permissible. Angling is a legal skill used to influence the puck carrier to a place where the player must stop due to a player’s body position.  Incidental contact, when two players collie unintentionally may also occur.

Penalty for body checking – A minor, major, or disqualification, at the discretion of the referee.

7. General

a.      These regulations are but one part of the complete 20^th Maccabiah Regulations, and must be read along with the instructions found in “Basic Regulations and Disciplinary Procedures”.

b.      In the event of a discrepancy between the regulations written here and those appearing in the “Basic Regulations”, the regulations written here will apply and be binding.