40th Annual Walter Gretzky Girls Hockey Tournament 2022 – Tournament Rules
Tournament Rules
OWHA Rules shall apply EXCEPT as listed below
Registration
- Teams are to register at the Wayne Gretzky Centre. Team packages are to be picked up at the Tournament Office at Wayne Gretzky Centre.
- A copy of your OWHA participant registration must be available on request (Roster)
- Arena guidelines for each arena are posted on the homepage of our website www.bgha.ca (City rules apply for Lions Park, Civic, Wayne Gretzky Centre, County rules apply for St George (South Dumfries), Brant Sports Complex)
Playing Rules and Tournament regulations are those of Hockey Canada and the OWHA EXCEPT:
- Teams must be available to play ten (10) minutes prior to their scheduled time.
- Semi and Championship games can start 10 minutes early IF the ice and officials are ready.
- For Representative Teams – Home team will wear LIGHT jerseys
- For all teams: In the case of sweater conflict, the home team will change.
- All teams must be ready to go on the ice as soon as the Zamboni is off and door is shut at which time the two-minute warm up will start.
- At the completion of each game both teams will line up on their respective blue lines for the presentation of the Player of the Game awards. Each team is responsible to designate to the referee a player of the game from his or her own team. Try to make the selection as objective as possible so the same player does not receive the award in multiple games.
- The designated visiting team will leave the ice first upon direction of the referee and the home team will remain at their bench until the direction of the referee.
- Only arena personnel, referees, conveners and timekeepers will be allowed behind the area of the timekeeper’s box.
Suspensions
- Intent to injure or fighting penalties will result in the player being expelled from the game and the remainder of the tournament. OWHA penalties and suspensions also apply.
- OWHA rules require suspensions to be served in the next scheduled game. Therefore, a player or coach receiving a suspendable penalty must serve it during the tournament regardless of their leagues additional requirements. It is the responsibility of the teams coaching staff to confirm player/coach eligibility after any suspendable penalty. Due to variations in league rules, any player or coach under suspension entering the tournament is ineligible to participate in the tournament unless first cleared by the Tournament Committee. Either of the above violations will cause the offending team to automatically lose the game in which either of the above occurred. If the offending team loses the game, the score will stand. If the non-offending team loses the game, the score of the game will be recorded as one goal greater for the non-offending team than the offending team’s score. Both the offending participant and the head coach of the offending team will be suspended for the remainder of the tournament.
Timeouts
- NO timeouts are allowed in round-robin play.
- One thirty-second timeout will be allowed in Semi-final and Championship games
- Ø Timeouts are NOT allowed in overtime.
Game Lengths
- Each Team will play a minimum of four games.
- All U9 and U11 division games will consist of three (3) periods of 10, 10, 12 stop time.
- U13 A, BB, B, C, HL, U15 BB, B, C, HL and U18 B, C, HL will consist (3) periods of 10, 10, 12 stop time.
- U13 AA, U15 A, U15 AA, U18 AA, U18 A, U18 BB Intermediate A and Senior A games will consist of (3) periods consisting of 12 minutes – 12 minutes and 15 minutes, with a flood between the 2nd and 3rd period.
- U18 AA Final game will be 15-15-15 with a flood between the 2nd and 3rd period. U13AA, U15AA, U15A, U18A, U18BB final games will be 15-15-12 with a flood between the 2nd and 3rd period.
- If the goal spread in the third (3rd) period reaches 7 goals, the clock will run until the spread is less than 7. There is a 7-goal spread for all tournament games for standings.
Overtime
- Regular tournament games will be allowed to end in a tie.
- All championship, and semi-final games play to a winner. In the event of a tie at the end of regulation time a sudden victory 5 minute overtime will commence. Teams will play 3 on 3. Players may be changed at any time. Goalies may be “pulled” at any time and a substitute player from the bench may be used. Teams do not change ends for Overtime or Shoot-Outs. If still tied a shoot-out will occur.
- Each team must designate 3 Shooters (S1, S2, S3) on the game sheets prior to the start of the game.
- Any player serving a penalty at the end of overtime will not be eligible to participate in the shoot-out. All players except the shooter and the goalies will remain on the bench. Once a player has shot they will go to the penalty box area. Shooters from both teams will shoot at the same time starting at centre ice. All 3 shooters from each will shoot (any player serving a penalty at the end of overtime is not eligible to participate in the shootout. If player S1, S2 or S3 is serving a penalty when overtime ends then the team must select an alternate shooter). If still tied, each team will designate one shooter (other than S1, S2, or S3) at a time until all players on the game sheet (except goalies) have shot. You will continue this process until a winner is decided.
- Penalties will carry over from regulation and overtime periods. Non-offending team will add a skater.
Standings
- Teams will be awarded 2 Points for win; 1 point for a Tie; 0 points for a loss.
- Divisions that have an uneven number of teams registered (and only if a team has to play an extra game over the others in the division), game(s) will not count towards their point total, their first 3 games played will be the only points tallied in their total.
- There is a 7-goal spread for standings for all tournament games.
- BREAKING of a Tournament Tie:
Note: In case of more than two teams, tie-breakers will follow the numerical order until all ties
are broken.
i. Points (in round robin)
ii. Wins (in round robin)
iii. 2 Teams- Wins Between (in round robin) (not applicable for 3 way tie)
iv. Differential (in round robin)
v. Least Goals Against (in round robin)
vi. Most Goals For (in round robin)
vii. Coin Toss
*Please note that the website tie-breaker calculation does not reflect the above rules and therefore a team MUST use the above tie breaker formulas to determine a team’s ranking, REGARDLESS OF THE WEBSITE RANKINGS. Please contact the tournament Chairman with any questions or clarification needed.
Protests
- A Tournament Committee will hear protests. No protest will be heard regarding a referee’s decision. A $200 deposit, that will be returned if your protest is successful, must accompany all protests. A protest may only be heard if it is brought to the attention of the tournament chairperson or their delegate within thirty (30) minutes of completion of the game in question. A formal written submission can follow the initial notification. A hearing and ruling will be completed prior to the teams next scheduled game.
- All decisions made by the Tournament Committee are final.
U9
- We will have an option for U9 teams to register as Rep or HL
- U9 teams can register for ½ ice or full ice games (depending on what their team is eligible for- this is the teams responsibility to register for the correct game type)
- All U9 teams will play the same amount of tournament games
- There will be no semi/final or medal games
- Half ice games will consist of a 3min warm up, and two 20 minute periods- run time
- Half ice game will have a 1-minute shift change buzzer
- Full ice games will consist of a 2minute warm up, and 3 periods 10-10-12
Miscellaneous
- Awards will be presented to all Champions/Finalists in all championship games. Both teams will line up on their own blue lines for the presentation of medals. However should games be behind schedule we may be forced to hand out awards in their respective dressing rooms.
- There will be no handshakes after games this year, teams are encouraged to tap sticks as an alternative.
- All players and team officials must sign the game sheet prior to each game.
- Flooding of the ice will occur at the end of each game and may be deferred at the tournament committee’s discretion.
- Please bring game sheet labels for ALL games as we cannot get them printed this year and electronic game sheets will not be used.
- Referee’s decision is final and is not subject to appeal or grievance.
- Tournament officials’ decision is Final and Binding.
- Teams cannot cancel 30 days prior to tournament as per OWHA rule
- No helmets off while players are on the ice at any time including any pictures-insurance policy. Anyone on the ice for your team must be insured through Hockey Canada (ie no parents on ice to take pictures)
- Play fair, Play hard and have FUN!
® Walter Gretzky 32ndAnnual Girls Hockey
Tournament 2013