USL House Rules for Player Conduct and Safety

 

ALL PLAYERS AND REFS ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE RULES THOROUGHLY.  WHILE THIS WILL TAKE SOME OF YOUR TIME, IT WILL ELIMINATE A LOT OF DISCREPANCIES AND DISAGREEMENTS.

INTRODUCTION

The Ultralight Senior League will enforce a rigid “no-contact” policy where all contact, whether intentional or accidental, and any aggressive play or behavior will be penalized.  Let's review - intentional OR ACCIDENTAL contact = penalty.  Got it?  Also, the USL does not permit “riding” a player off the puck.  Riding is NOT permitted and will be penalized.  In addition, ANY stick contact to another player is prohibited and will be penalized.  The ONLY allowed "stick play" is to lift an opponents stick, PROVIDING you do not make contact with his/her hands.  All aggressive types of behavior other than hustling to out-skate your opponents will be not only penalized, but also might exclude you from further participation in the league.  The USL is intended for typically older players who wish to reduce the risk of self-injury or injuring other players, and who enjoy a clean game of hockey.  If you do not wish to comply, don’t participate.  A mature, adult, very sportsman-like attitude is required.  Verbal abuse of another player or referee is strictly prohibited.  A mature, adult friendly ATTITUDE in the best interests of the safety of your fellow players is recommended.  Only registered Ultralight Senior League players are permitted to participate in league games.  If a team is short-handed players, they may ONLY invite other currently registered USL players to play for them.  The majority of players from both teams must agree to the supplemental player arrangement; specifically, the players who are then ready to play the game must agree that the substitute players will not too greatly tilt the strength of one team over the other.  If necessary, a swap or exchange of players between the two teams for that game should be made to keep the game balanced.

Our goal is to have more games per month and at better time slots.  For this, we will pay a slight premium.

Mt. Lebanon Ultralight Senior League follows USA Hockey rules and standards with some in-house additions.  In addition to the usual waiver, the USL House Rules for Player Conduct and Safety document must be signed in order to be an official member of the league.

AGE

Players must be at least 40 years old to participate in the league (NO exceptions will be made).

EQUIPMENT

All players must wear full equipment including an ice hockey helmet with full facemask, shoulder pads, shin guards, elbow pads, ice hockey gloves, hockey skates and girdle or ice hockey pants. Internal mouthpieces are strongly recommended.  Remember, this is a play at your own risk league.

LEAGUE RIGHTS

The League Management reserves the right to institute any rule or policy change it sees fit to facilitate the smooth operation of the league.

Game duration will be three, 20-minute periods with a running clock.

Time outs — Time permitting, and at the discretion of the referees (based on score), there will be two time outs per team allowed per play-off game.  Regular games will only have one time out per team.

Overtime: During Regular Games a tie score will result in a tie, unless it is the last game of the evening and the refs permit overtime.  Overtime will be 5 minutes, and if the tie is not broken, then the game remains a tie.

PLAYOFFS — Tie score will result in 5-minute sudden death overtime, five on five.  If the score is still tied after five minutes, a shoot out will proceed, with winner being determined by first unanswered goal.

Any violation of these rules that results in any suspension from the league is a suspension without a refund.

DRAFT MEETINGS-- Whenever possible, the draft selection committee will attempt to accommodate all player, team or buddy match-up requests at the time of the draft up to a maximum of three players (see New Buddy System below).  Specific team or player match-ups will not be guaranteed to any player that registers after the draft has been conducted.  This is to ensure the balance of the league.

NEW BUDDY SYSTEM- Since we expect this be a unique league, no doubt friends will want to play with friends.  We encourage this type of camaraderie, but not to the point that there is no longer interchanging of players from season to season, or such that one team or group of players always dominates the standings.  The new “buddy system” will work like this:  A player may request at sign-up to be placed with ONLY TWO buddies, such that ONLY THREE FRIENDS CAN BE GROUPED TO PLAY TOGETHER on the same team.  Trying to link buddy groups with more than 3 players will not be accepted at the draft, since it will offset the balancing of teams and it makes the draft process too tedious for the draft meeting volunteers.  The draft committee will have the final say when grouping players together before each session.  Once the draft committee becomes familiar with this process, additional accommodations in some or few situations “may” be permitted (i.e., where the committee sees fit to allow possibly two friendly, evenly-weighted groups on the same team).  Since the league will be initially small in player numbers we cannot anticipate how the first round(s) draft processes will work out, so your acceptance of and patience with the new buddy system is requested.

TEAM LEADERS- The draft committee or David Hornack will randomly select at each draft meeting three team leaders for each team (a Captain and two Assistants).  Leaders will serve as player and league conduct judges if and when any infringements develop.  If appointed leaders are not available at game time, then any other players on the two teams may serve for that particular game.

 

RULES

ICING

Icing in the Senior League is from within the defensive blue line.  There is no red line in the Sr League.

(9-2-2009 amendment/addition)  Any player arguing with a ref will receive a two-minute misconduct penalty.  If the argument is initiated after a penalty is called, then the two-minute misconduct will be added to the first penalty.  In addition, any two players arguing with each other will also result in a two-minute misconduct penalty for BOTH players.  As with all penalties, these new adjustments (or games calls) are at the sole discretion of the refs.

PENALTIES

Any player who receives two minor penalties in one game will be given a warning.  A third minor penalty will result in a 2 minute penalty plus a 6 minute misconduct.  At this point, 2 players must go to the penalty box; the player who received the penalty and one more player who was on the ice at the same time. The penalized team will play at full strength after the first 2 minutes of the 3rd penalty is served, providing there are no additional penalties.  Any major penalty or a fourth minor penalty is an automatic ejection from the game; these penalty minutes though not served in the box, count toward the offending player’s cumulative total penalty minutes.  If the offending player gets ejected, another player from the same team who was on the ice, must serve the minor penalty for the offending player; these penalty minutes do not count for the non-offending player.  Team leaders and referees will confer AFTER the game is over as to whether or not a player’s actions were too aggressive for USL play.  In addition, depending on the infraction, a player could receive a one game suspension, and possibly be expelled from further participation in the league.

Any player who accumulates 12 minutes in penalties will receive a one game suspension.  If suspension is not served for the offending player’s next game, any additional penalties will be accumulated toward total penalty minutes.  Any player who receives a cumulative total of 20 penalty minutes, he/she shall be suspended from play in that season and possibly the next.   Any player matching or exceeding the 12- and 20-minute limits shall serve the appropriate (one-game or permanent) at the beginning of the next season, i.e. in some extreme cases, penalties carry over into the next season.

A minor penalty will result in TWO minutes served in the penalty box.  Double minor penalties will be 4 minutes.  Major penalties, while resulting in automatic game ejection, will count as at least 6 minutes toward your season tally.  A Match Penalty is an automatic ejection from the game, and subsequent games until a league committee meeting can be held to determine a course of action.  Match penalties would include: fighting or any blatant or hostile act toward another player with visual intent to harm.  A Misconduct penalty is an automatic ejection from the game, and will count as at least 10 minutes toward your season tally.  Game misconducts will also carry a one game suspension.

A minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct shall be assessed to any player who:

- Openly disputes or argues about any decision made by an official.

- Uses obscene or vulgar language, including swearing, in a boisterous manner whether or not directed at any one individual.

- Visually demonstrates any sign of dissatisfaction with an official’s decision.

If such player persists in any of these behaviors they shall be assessed a misconduct penalty.  Further misbehavior will result in a game misconduct and one game suspension.

Fighting is, of course, prohibited.  Players who engage in fighting will be immediately ejected from the game and suspended from further participation in league games.  The USL committee members, team leaders and referees will be part of this decision process.  Ultimately, players will be notified by Dave Hornack of their suspensions.

Players who do not separate when ordered by the officials will receive unsportsman-like conduct minor penalties in addition to whatever penalties have already been incurred.  Continued misbehavior will result in a misconduct penalty followed by a game misconduct (ejection from the game) if the behavior persists. 

Players who do not obey the instructions of an official will receive a misconduct penalty.  Further refusal on the player’s part to comply with the official’s instructions will result in a game misconduct. 

Penalized players will report directly to the penalty box.  Failure to do so will result in additional penalties including a minor penalty for unsportsman-like conduct, followed by misconduct and finally a game misconduct. 

Unsportsman-like conduct within the facility, on or off the ice, will not be tolerated and will result in suspension from participation in further league games.  Suspensions will range from one game to the remainder of the session, or permanent exclusion, depending upon the severity of the incident.  

Touching or threatening an official is prohibited.  Violations will result in suspension from participating in league play up to permanent expulsion.

Verbal abuse of the officials will result in a minor penalty for unsportsman-like conduct.  Persistence in such behavior will result in a misconduct penalty followed by a game misconduct if the abuse continues. A player may not leave his feet, or dive to stop the opposition’s play, whether playing the puck or touching the puck or not, this type of aggression or interference shall be deemed a penalty.  If you dive at and take out someone’s skates, whether you play the puck first or not, it is a penalty.  So, do not intentionally leave your feet.

A goalie may not trip players while attempting to play or stop the puck (some rare exceptions for in-the-crease incidents).  Goalies may not touch other players or intentionally dive at their skates on a break away.  Skaters may not crash into the goalie.  Contact with a goalie is prohibited.

Slew-footing and kneeing will be major penalties.

If you accidentally trip and knock someone down, it is a penalty. 

If a player gets around you and a break away or near break away situation develops, let them take the shot, otherwise a major tripping penalty will be called.

Any slashing motion toward another player may be deemed a penalty, even if there is no contact.  Chopping or coming down on any part of another player’s stick is a penalty.  When sweeping your stick to knock the puck away from a player in control of the puck, the sweeping motion must be done with the stick blade on the ice at all times – a swing starting from mid air is prohibited.

Lifting a stick to avert puck possession is permitted.

Poking at the ribs, sides, elbows, or hands of another player ahead of you (with or without the puck) is a penalty.  Any contact with the stick to the body of another player is a penalty.

Defenseman (and forwards) may not use their stick to move another player.

Permissible activities: An example of what might be occasionally permissible contact would be when in front of the net, while both opposing players are standing still with their stick blades on the ice, standing against each other, and leaning on each other to attempt to slowly move or reposition the other player (A slow steady push; not a shove or sharp bump).  Additionally, If an opposing player is racing toward the net with the puck, the defending player may place himself in the path of the rusher, but by no means may the defending player raise his stick, check, collide with momentum, or make contact with the rushing player.

Shooting the puck out of the rink from within the defensive zone is a delay of game penalty.

If two players are racing for control of a loose puck, both players should slow down to avoid collision and use sticks not bodies to get the puck.  Your apparent visual intention to yield determines a penalty or not.  If a collision occurs, the referee will determine who, if anyone, gets a penalty.
 

SUMMARY

League safety motto is: “I will go out of my way to get out of your way”.

That is, if someone really wants the puck badly, let them have it.  Remember – safety and exercise first, then try to win at the expense of nobody but your own.