2024 RULES & REGULATIONS
2024 MISSISSAUGA EARLY BIRD AA HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
Rules are subject to revision/correction at any time at the discretion of the Tournament Committee.
This Tournament will be conducted under the more rigorous rule interpretations
as specified by Hockey Canada and enforced by the GTHL.
2024 Tournament Sanction#:6004
TEAMS UNABLE TO COMPETE DUE TO COVID PROTOCOLS
Specifically, as it applies to COVID-19 rules as issued by Ontario Health, should a team be required to remove themselves from the tournament, due to Covid protocols, after the deadline for admitting teams has passed, and a replacement team cannot be found, each game that this team was scheduled to play in the Round Robin, will count in the standings as a 1-0 win for the opposing team. That opposing team, can use this vacant game slot as a practice session for their team.
CONTACT INFORMATION REGARDING GAMES RESULTS DURING TOURNAMENT
****** ROUND ROBIN AND PLAYOFF SCHEDULES AND MATCH UPS AND GAME RESULTS WILL BE POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE AT www.mississaugaearlybird.com. PLEASE DIRECT ALL INQUIRIES REGARDING ONLINE GAME RESULTS, STANDINGS AND PLAYOFF ROUND MATCH UPS TO Mike Loschiavo at 416-843-9259 or at [email protected] ******
TRAVEL TEAMS - Tournament Sanctioned Hotel Accommodations: As a condition of acceptance, travel teams will be required to register and stay at a Mississauga Early Bird approved hotel. See Hotels page for a list of sanctioned hotel locations.
ON ICE OFFICIALS - On-Ice Officials are provided by the GTHL. Their rulings cannot be disputed or over-ruled by the Tournament Committee.
REGISTRATION - All teams must register before their first game, so please allow enough time, at least 60 minutes.
SANCTION - This tournament is sanctioned by the Hockey Canada and the Greater Toronto Hockey League. The Sanction Number for this tournament is 6004.
1. Suspension Notification - 2024-2025 OHF Minimum Suspension List – Minor Hockey: Notice of all suspensions during the tournament, will be forwarded (with a full report of the circumstances) to the league officials. The tournament Rules/Discipline Committee may require players and team staff to appear at hearings into these matters.
2. Travel Permit: Teams must be registered with HC or International affiliates (and/or their Provincial/State affiliates). Proof of registration must be available upon request. Participating teams must produce a sanction permit or letter or permission to participate in the tournament from their HC or International affiliated branch.
3. Player Eligibility: All players including affiliates should be registered on the 2022-24 HCR 3.0 system. All players must have an approved HC/or equivalent player's card or roster sheet available for inspection by Tournament officials. Team managers will submit a team list of players eligible to play to Tournament officials and will have the necessary supporting documentation (valid roster sheet) available for examination by Tournament officials at the time of initial registration. This includes AP’s. No player will be permitted to compete if not on an approved and official roster sheet or card.
In the event, due to potential issues and/or backlog with the HCR 3.0, that roster sheets may not be available at the time of tournament registration, the team may be required to sign a Waiver (as issued by the GTHL) that states their players are bonafide at that age level and have committed to that team. The Waiver will also verify that every player and member of the coaching staff is properly insured to play. In lieu of a Waiver, a team may only be required to submit a valid HCR 3.0 Roster OR, an HCR 3.0 Registered player list OR, a manager produced player and bench staff list. In the case of the third option, the honour system will be in place.
4. Composition of Teams: Each team may play up to nineteen (19) properly registered and affiliated players per game, however, only (17) seventeen players may skate and two (2) goaltenders may dress for each game.
5. Team Colours: Home team wears white. Sweater Changes (if necessary) will be decided by the toss of a coin. It is preferable for teams to have two contrasting sets of sweaters.
6. Home/Visiting Teams: Home/Visiting teams are predetermined for round robin play. The Home team in the playoffs, will be decided by the Tie Breaking rule (see 19 below) with the higher team being the Home team
7. Mandatory Equipment: Helmets, throat guards and face masks are compulsory for all players. Face masks and helmets, as approved by HC (Canada), HECC (USA) and IIHF (International) must be worn during this tournament
8. Dressing Rooms: Only players, team officials named on the team list and Tournament officials will be permitted in team dressing rooms, unless Covid restrictions need to be applied.
9. Game Sheets: The game sheet must be completed by both teams twenty (20) minutes prior to game time.
10. Game Officials: All referees and linesmen officiating in the tournament will be certified and registered by HC. Minor officials will be assigned by the tournament.
11. Time and Conditions of Play: Warm-up time, not to exceed 3 minutes, will be determined by the referee in consideration of available time. Teams not ready to start play at the scheduled time and/or when the referee calls the players to centre ice for the initial face off, will be subject to a delay of game penalty and possible forfeit of the game.
12. Game Timing - All levels are stop time:
- Minor Atom U10 and Atom U11: 10-10-12 minutes
- Minor Peewee U12 and Peewee U13: 10-12-12 minutes
- Minor Bantam U14 and Bantam U15: 12-12-12 minutes
- Minor Midget U16, Midget Jr U17, Midget U18: 12-12-15 minutes
13. Overtime: There will no overtime games in the Round Robin
13.1 Quarter Finals (if applicable): One five minute stop time period, 3 skaters plus goaltender, change ends. Sudden victory. Shoot-out if necessary.
13.2 Semi-Finals: One ten minute stop time period, 3 skaters plus goaltender, change ends. Sudden victory. Shoot-out if necessary.
13.3 Finals: Stop time sudden victory, Ten minute periods until a goal is scored, 3 skaters plus goaltender, change ends each period.
13.4 Shoot-Out: Select three players per team. Teams shoot alternately and all three shoot. If no winner, continue in sets of one, using different players. Goalies must be those who were last used in overtime. Flip of coin decides which team shoots first. Continue rotation in same order until there is a winner. If one team completes its player rotation before the other because it has fewer players, without a winner, both teams will be allowed to revert to their starting sequence and to repeat that sequence.
14. Mercy Rule: Please note, in round robin games, if the third period begins with, or at time during the period, it reaches a five goal lead by either team, that period will be played in running time, without stopping the clock. Time will continue to run throughout the period, regardless of further scoring changes. In the quarter-finals, semi-finals, or finals if the spread in the score is five goals at the start of the third period, or at any time during the period, it reaches a five goal lead, by either team, the game shall be running time. If the goal spread in the score reverts to a three-goal difference, the game clock will return to stop time unless the score becomes a five-goal spread again, in which case the running time will resume.
15. Time Out: Each team is entitled to one (1) thirty second time-out per game in the playoffs, including any quarter final, if applicable. No time outs are allowed during the round robin games.
16. Body Checking: This is a AA tournament. “A” teams will only be accepted if their jurisdiction has body checking regulations similar to those in the GTHL. For AA, body checking is permitted at all age groups except Minor Atom U10 (12), Atom U11 (11), Minor Peewee U12 (10) and Peewee U13 (09).
17. Early Game Starts: Games may start earlier than the advertised time if both coaching staffs agree. No game will start more than 15 minutes early.
18. Standings: Each team is guaranteed 4 games. For all age divisions, points will be awarded as follows:
WIN - 2 Points • TIE - 1 Points • LOSS - 0 Points
19. TIE BREAKERS
For all age divisions, ties in standings will be resolved as follows:
1. The winner of the game between the two tied teams will advance, or …..
2. If that game ended in a tie, or the teams did not play each other, the team with the better record of goals for and against (goals for divided by goals for plus goals against, with the higher percentage winning) will advance, or …..
3. If there remains a tie, between 2 teams that played each other, the team that scores the first goal in the game between the two tied teams will advance, or …..
4. If there remains a tie, between 2 teams that did not play each other, the team with the most wins will advance, or
5. In the event of a tie among three (or more) teams, group standings will be determined as per (2) above, and if a tie still exists, then the provisions of section (1) and (3) above, in that order, will be applied, or …..
6. If all of the above result in a continuing tie, the standing will be resolved by the flip of a coin.
These rules will be applicable to all relevant placings (i.e. 1st, vs 2nd, vs 3rd, vs 4th).
20. Round Robin and Playoff Formats
1. If the age group has 8 team entries, the round robin and playoffs will operate as follows:
- There will be a Group A with 4 teams and a Group B with 4 teams
- In the Round Robin, each team in Group A will play the other 4 teams in Group B
- The top 4 teams, regardless of their Group standings, will advance to the semi-finals
- According to the Tie Breaking rules in 19 above, the teams will be seeded from 1st to 4th
- The 1st place team will play the 4th place team and 2nd place will play 3rd place
- The 2 winners will advance to the finals.
2. If the age group has 10 team entries, the round robin and playoffs will operate as follows:
- There will be a Group A with 5 teams and a Group B with 5 teams
- In the Round Robin, each team will play the other 4 teams in their Group
- The top 2 teams in each Group will advance to the semi-finals
- 1st place in Group A will play 2nd place in Group B and 1st place Group B will play 2nd place in Group A
- The 2 winners will advance to the finals
3. If the age group has 13 teams, the round robin and playoffs will operate as follows:
- There will be a Group A with 5 teams, a Group B with 4 teams and a Group C with 4 teams
- In the Round Robin, in Group A, each team will play the other 4 teams in their Group
- In the Round Robin, in Groups B and C, each team will play the other 4 teams in the other Group
- The 1st place team in Group A will advance to the semi-finals
- The two teams with the best record from Groups B and C, will advance
- The highest ranking Wild Card from all 3 Groups will also advance to the semi-finals
- According to the tie breaking rule in 19 above, teams will be seeded from 1st to 4th
- The 1st place team will play the 4th place team and the 2nd place team will play the 3rd place team regardless of division
4. If the age group has 15 team entries, the round robin and playoffs will operate as follows:
- There will be a Group A with 5 teams, a Group B with 5 teams and a Group C with 5 teams
- In the Round Robin, each team will play the other 4 teams in their Group
- The 1st place team in each Group will advance to the semi-finals
- The highest ranking Wild Card will also advance to the semi-finals
- The 3 Group winners will be seeded 1st, 2nd and 3rd according to the Tie Breaking rules in 19 above, and the Wild Card will be seeded 4th
- The 1st place team will play the Wild Card and the 2nd place team will play the 3rd place team
- The 2 winners will advance to the finals
5. If the age group has 16 team entries, the round robin and playoffs will operate as follows:
- There will be 2 Divisions
- Each Division will have 2 Groups with 4 teams in each Group
- In the Round Robin each team will play the 4 other teams in the other Group in their Division
- The top 2 teams in each Division, regardless of their Group standings will advance to the semi-finals
- The teams will be seeded based on the Tie Breaking rules in 19 above
- The 1st place team in Division 1, will play the 2nd place team in Division 2 and the 1st place team in Division 2 will play the 2nd place team in Division 1
- The 2 winners will advance to the finals
6. If the age group has 18 team entries, the round robin and playoffs will operate as follows:
- There will be 2 Divisions.
- Division 1 will have 2 Groups of 5 teams.
- Division 2 will have 2 Groups of 4 teams.
- The 2 Groups in Division 1 will play the other 4 teams in their Group.
- The 2 Groups in Division 2 will play the other 4 teams in the other Group
- Division 1, the top team from each Group will advance to the semis
- In Division 2, the top 2 teams, regardless of their Group standings, will advance to the semis
- The teams will be seeded based on the Tie Breaking rules in 19 above
- The 1st place team in Division 1 Group A, will play the 2nd place team in Division 2, and the 1st place team in Division 1 Group B, will play the 1st place team in Division 2
- The 2 winners will advance to the finals
7. If the age group has 20 team entries, the round robin and playoffs will operate as follows:
- There will be 2 Divisions.
- Each Division will have 2 Groups of 5 teams.
- In the Round Robin, each team will play the other 4 teams in their Group
- The top two teams in each group advance to the 1/4 finals
- A1 vs B2 - B1 vs A2 - C1 vs D2 - D1 vs C2
- 4 winners advance to semi-final
- Winner of A1 vs B2 plays winner of C1 vs D2
- Winner of B1 vs A2 plays winner of D1 vs C2
- The 2 winners will advance to the finals