play.

2. All players must be a minimum 18 years of age to qualify for league registration.

3. Any player is permitted to play for multiple teams and multiple divisions.

4. Each player must play 1/3 of the regular season games for their team in order to qualify to play for that

team in the playoffs.

a. Any player playing for a club team will be credited 0.5 games towards higher division teams in

that club.

b. There will be absolutely NO exceptions made to the number of qualification games required for

playoffs without a doctor’s note stating the injury, date of occurrence, and the date of return.

5. All players must be prepared to produce picture ID upon the request of league officials at any league

sanctioned game (regular season or playoffs). Any player failing to produce valid ID upon request shall be

considered an illegal player, and result in an immediate forfeit for their team.

6. Any number of players can be added to the roster before the start of the game providing they have

brought with them or previously submitted signed copies of the ‘Player Registration and Liability Waiver’.

1. The league administration reserves the right to change the division of any team at any time during the

season to ensure divisional parity.

2. Any team that is moved to a different division due to a realignment will assume the schedule of the team

with which they are replacing.

3. All scheduled games are subject to arena ice availability. In some cases, due to mechanically difficulties or

administrative error, facilities are forced to cancel bookings with the NCHL. The league reserves the right

to reschedule any effected games to the best available alternate booking at the time of cancellation.

Following any schedule change, team GM's will be notified as soon as possible and are responsible for

ensuring the new game information is distributed amongst their team-mates.

4. Due to the ongoing necessity of divisional realignment, seeding of teams prior to the playoff season will

be determined in order by the following:

a. Divisional win percentage (only games played against teams that are in the current division will

be included in the divisional win percentage)

b. Head to head record

c. Fewer penalty minutes

d. Goal differential

e. Coin toss

1. All participating members of the league are required to wear full equipment (i.e. CSA approved helmet,

shin pads, elbow pads, etc.) while on the ice.

2. Shoulder pads and facial protection (i.e. cage and/or visor) are highly recommended but not required.

3. All teams are required to have both matching Dark (Home) and Light (Away) team jerseys.

a. A plain jersey consistent in color with the base color of their team’s jerseys will be accepted as a team

jersey.

b. Any jersey with another team logo, or dissimilar in color will not be acceptable.

deemed a forfeit.

4. All jerseys must have distinct contrasting 8”-12” numbers clearly marked (sewn, screened, sublimated, or

heat-sync) on the back. Taped numbers are not permitted.

5. Team representatives must ensure that all players’ names and numbers are clearly recorded on the game

sheet.

6. Special arrangements may be made between team representatives and league administration to allow

their team to play with one uniform set while their second set is in production.

a. Teams with only one set of uniforms are responsible for checking for uniform conflicts.

b. Visiting teams that wear a similar color to their opponents’ home jersey must contact the home

teams GM to ask if they would be able to wear their white jerseys for that game.

c. If the Home team is also in possession of only one set of jerseys, (same or close in colour) the visiting

team will be responsible for acquiring a temporary set of white jerseys.

d. The League office may be able to provide a loaner set of jerseys based on availability, if not, teams

must find their own. Please contact league administration at least one week prior to the game for

which jerseys are required.

1. Body checking is prohibited.

2. Incidental contact may or may not result in a penalty based upon the discretion of the on-ice officials.

1. Fighting is prohibited.

2. A first fighting offence will result in an indefinite suspension.

3. Any player suspended for fighting must attend a disciplinary review before they will be permitted to play

in the NCHL again.

4. A second fighting offence will result in permanent expulsion from the league, with no chance of

reinstatement.

5. Fighting majors will be called based on the discretion of the on-ice officials. All Fighting Majors will be

reviewed by the NCHL head office.

6. Any player who leaves the players’ bench in the midst of an on ice altercation will be suspended for the

next game and will be placed on probation for the remainder of the current season.

7. Verbal abuse of any official will result in the assessment of a 10-minute misconduct penalty based upon

the discretion of the on-ice officials.

8. Physical abuse of any official will result in expulsion from the league.

1. Teams shall not accumulate greater that five penalties (infractions – i.e. double-minor counts as two) per

game. For any team’s sixth, seventh and eighth penalty:

a. A penalty shot will be awarded to the opposing team.

b. Penalized players shall not be permitted to take a penalty shot; In addition, the offending player will

serve the duration of their penalty in the penalty box and their team will play shorthanded.

c. If off-setting/coincidental penalties are called, NO penalty shot will be awarded, and the penalties will

still count in the overall penalty accumulation.

2. A ninth penalty by any team in any given game will result in immediate forfeiture of the game.

3. Penalty shots are to be taken by the player that the infraction occurred against.

4. Teams shall not accumulate greater than 30 minutes in penalty minutes per game. Any penalty beyond

the 30-minute accumulation limit will result in immediate forfeiture of the game by the offending team.

5. By forfeiting, the offending team relinquishes all individual player points recorded in the game resulting in

a win for the opposing team. All penalties will remain intact.

6. All team and individual player points scored by the opposing team will remain intact and be recorded.

7. If both teams exceed the accumulation limit simultaneously the score will be recorded as 0-0 and points

will not be recorded for either team.

8. Teams shall not accumulate greater than 300 penalty minutes during the winter season or 150 penalty

minutes during the summer season. Exceeding the limit will result in forfeiture of the NCHL playoffs for

that season.

1. Individual players may not accumulate greater than three penalties (infractions) per game. A fourth

individual player penalty will result in ejection from the game after which the offending player may be

suspended for a minimum of one game.

2. Individual players may not accumulate greater than two stick infractions per game. A third stick infraction

penalty will result in ejection from the game after which the offending player may be suspended for a

minimum of one game.

3. Individual players may not receive more than one-ten minute misconduct penalty per game. A second

misconduct penalty in any given game will result in ejection from that game after which the offending

player may be suspended for a minimum of one game.

4. Winter Season (Playoffs included)

a. Any player who accumulates a total of 30 penalty minutes during the winter season will be

suspended for the next consecutive game.

b. Any player who accumulates a total of 40 penalty minutes during the winter season will be

suspended for the next two consecutive games.

c. Any player who accumulates a total of 50 penalty minutes within during the winter season will be

suspended for the remainder of the current season, and must attend a disciplinary review with no

guarantee of reinstatement before being permitted to play in the NCHL again.

5. Summer Season (Playoffs included)

a. Any player who accumulates a total of 30 penalty minutes during the summer season will be

suspended for the two next consecutive games.

b. Any player who accumulates a total of 40 penalty minutes during the summer season will be

suspended for the remainder of the current season, and must attend a disciplinary review with no

guarantee of reinstatement before being permitted to play in the NCHL again.

6. All penalty minutes assessed during the regular season will carry over to the Playoffs of that season.

1. Any player who incurs a single 5-minute major penalty will automatically receive a 10-minute misconduct

penalty, will be ejected from the game and will be suspended for a minimum of one game.

2. Any player who incurs a second 5-minute major penalty during their probationary period (see below) may

be suspended for a minimum of 5 games.

3. Any player who has been ejected from a game must leave the ice and/or bench/penalty box immediately,

after which any remaining penalty time for the offending player is to be served by another teammate that

was on the ice at the time of the offence.

4. Any player who has been ejected from a game will accumulate 10 minutes towards their total individual

player penalty minutes, which will be regarded in the accumulation of the individual player penalty

minute threshold/maximum as well as the team accumulation for that game.

5. Any player who has been ejected from a game may be suspended for a minimum of one game.

6. Any player assessed 4 penalties will also receive a 10 minute misconduct penalty. This Misconduct will be

added after the game and will not count against the team for that game.

1. Any player who has been ejected from a game and/or suspended will remain on probation for one year

from the date of the offence.

2. Any player who is currently on probation as a result of a suspension and/or any other violation of league

rules may be

a. Suspended for any number of games at the discretion of the general manager of the league during

the regular season including playoffs and/or

b. Permanently expelled from the league

3. Any individual player suspensions incurred will carry over into the playoffs and/or the next consecutive

season.

4. Any player who receives a full season suspension for any reason; fighting, individual penalty minute

accumulation or otherwise, will remain suspended indefinitely pending a disciplinary reinstatement

hearing.

5. It is the personal responsibility of each suspended player to make arrangements with league

administration for a disciplinary reinstatement hearing.

6. A players suspended for any reason as a result of his/her actions during a game will not be permitted to

play for any team in the NCHL until the suspension has been served in full.

7. Any suspension assed will carry through subsequent seasons.

8. Any player who attempting to play while suspended will suspended indefinitely from the league.

1. All teams are required to have a goaltender present and on the ice at the beginning of each game. Game

play will not commence until both designated goaltenders, wearing regulation certified goaltender

equipment have been dressed.

2. If a team’s goaltender is not present at the scheduled game start time, that team will be allowed a 10-

minute grace period. If the goalie is present at the arena and in the process of getting dressed prior to

expiration of the 10-minute grace period, the goaltender must be on the ice and the game shall

commence no later than 15-minutes after the scheduled game start time. If the goaltender is not on the

ice before the 15 minute allotment the game will be recorded as a forfeit.

3. In the event that a goaltender does not come on to the ice until after the allotted 5-minute warm-up has

expired no further warm-up will be permitted.

4. Goaltenders shall be permitted to wear ‘Cat-Eye’ type goaltender masks. By doing so, they assume all risk

inherent therein and agree to take full responsibility for any injury or harm caused to themselves while

wearing such equipment. In addition they must agree to waive any liability whatsoever from the NCHL,

league administrators or the league governing body.

5. Goaltenders are encouraged, but not required, to wear a team jersey consistent with that of their

teammates; it is recommended that goalies NOT wear the same colour of their opponents.

1. All games will be comprised of three 14-minute ‘stop-time’ periods.

2. In instances where the permit time for the ice has 5 minutes or less remaining and there is more than 2

minutes of playing time on the clock, the next whistle will result in the game clock being dropped to 2

minutes.

3. The centre red line will not be regarded in any instances of icing or offside calls. Should any player of a

team, equal or superior in numerical strength to the opposing team, shoot, bat or deflect the puck from

behind their own blue line beyond the goal line of the opposing team, play will be stopped and the puck

faced-off at the end face-off spot of the offending team, unless on the play, the puck will have entered

the net of the opposing team, in which case the goal will be allowed.

4. Automatic icing may be called or waived off based upon the discretion of the on-ice officials.

5. Any player ejected from an NCHL game may or may not receive a 10 minute misconduct based on the

discretion of the on-ice officials.

6. Each team will be permitted to take one 30-second time-out during the course of any game, regularseason

or playoffs. This time-out must be taken during a normal stoppage of play.

7. If at the end of regulation time, the score is tied, each team will be awarded one point in the league

standings. Each team will each then designate 3 shooters for a shoot-out. The team scoring more goals in

the shootout will be declared the winner, and the winning goal will be recorded as an OT goal. If at the

end of the shootout the teams are still tied the game will be recorded as a tie.

8. No player in the penalty box at the end of regulation time will be permitted to participate in the shootout.

9. For a shoot-out to take place there must be 3 minutes remaining on the permit time.

The NCHL reserves the right to add to and/or amend the official league rules at any time as deemed necessary or

appropriate by league administration.