RULES AND REGULATIONS
2024 - 2025
GENERAL
1. All disputes will be settled by the Grand River Local League (GRLL). In areas where GRLL League Rules and Regulations do not cover then Hockey Canada (HC) and Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) Rules and Regulations will apply.
2. Team Roster:
(A) As at December 31st of the current playing year:
U21 18 & 19 years as at December 31
U18 15, 16 & 17 years as at December 31
U15 13 & 14 years as at December 31
U13 11 & 12 years as at December 31
U11 9 & 10 years as at December 31
U9 8 years as at December 31
U8 7 years as at December 31
(B) All players and team officials participating in the league must be electronically Team Rostered with the OMHA. All team‘s electronic rosters not submitted to the Regional Director for approval within three (3) weeks after the start of the centre’s schedule of the current playing season will not be eligible for further play in the GRLL. No changes will be allowed to the electronic rosters after February 10th of the current playing season.
(C) All teams will be allowed to electronically roster up to six (6) players from lower age categories in their centre, (local league players only). Players are allowed to roster as an Affiliated Player (AP) with one team only. No changes will be allowed to the electronic Affiliated Players’ rosters after midnight of January 15th of the current playing season.
3. All players will be OMHA local league players only. No representative (Rep/MD) electronic rostered players allowed.
4. Affiliated Players:
Affiliation of players to follow OMHA regulations for all team members – players and goaltenders. Affiliated Players may be brought up to older age categories on the understanding that:
(A) The Affiliated Players may bring the total team number of skaters to only:
a) 12 for U9 to U15 inclusive, and
b) 13 skaters for U18 and U21.
NOTES:
1. There is no AP’ing for any teams playing cross-ice or ½-ice hockey. U7 cannot AP to U8. U8 cannot AP to U9. U9 can AP to U11 only after the U9 teams start playing full ice hockey.
2. A player on the shorthanded team is not to lose ice time because of an “AP” player.
(B) A skater is a player other than a goaltender.
(C) Commencing the 2023-2024 hockey season there are no longer special rules allowing a goaltender to cross-over from one team to another team in the same division in his home centre.
5. In the case of game reschedules, except for conditions beyond reasonable control (e.g. snow storm) a minimum of 72 hours’ notice is required. Exceptions will be decided by the GRLL Convenor.
6. If a team does not show up without a valid excuse, the defaulting team’s centre could be charged a fee to cover the cost of all game officials. Exceptions will be decided by the GRLL Convenor.
GAMES
7. All U9 full ice, U11, U13 and U15 will use at least three 10-minute stop time periods (10-10-10). U18 and U21 games are recommended to be minimum 10 – 10 – 15 stop time periods. All U8 games and U9 half-ice hockey will be two – 22 minutes run time periods or as the ice time allocation allows.
8. Teams will be allowed one 30 second timeout in all full ice hockey games.
9. OMHA approved electronic game sheets will be used to record details of the games.
10. The game sheet will have only the names of the players who are playing. Any late players will be allowed to add their names to the game sheet after the game has started. Any extra name(s) on the electronic game sheet that did not play will be deemed as an illegal player(s). The appropriate penalty will be an automatic one (1) game suspension for the electronically rostered coach who was registered as the head coach on the electronic game sheet of the offending player(s).
CONDUCT AND GAME EJECTIONS & SUSPENSIONS
11. Any player that accumulates three penalty infractions in a GRLL game will be ejected from the game immediately. The penalized player shall not serve the third penalty, they must go directly to the dressing room and a player that was on the ice at the time of the infraction must serve the penalty. NOTE: A double minor (e.g. double minor for Butt Ending) will count as one penalty infraction.
12. In addition to the OMHA Minimum Suspension List, players accumulating thirty (30) penalty infractions in GRLL play will be suspended for the remainder of the season. NOTE: A double minor (e.g. double minor for Butt Ending) will count as one penalty infraction.
13. All Match Penalty Reports will go to the appropriate OMHA Regional Director as outlined in the GRLL Guidelines.
PLAYOFFS
14. Except for call up Affiliated Players, all players must have played a minimum of 50% of his/her league schedule to which they are eligible to participate in the Round Robin Playoffs and Division Final.
15. In Round Robin Playoffs different “A”, “B”, “C” and “D” categories may be established if the numbers of teams warrant it (see tie breaking procedures). Teams tied for advancing position to the Division Final shall play another game with the winner advancing (see tie breaking procedures). This game shall include one (1) 10 – minute sudden victory overtime period.
16. Division Final:
Division Final will consist of a best of three games series. Prior to commencement of the first game a Playoff Agreement (contract) must be signed by both Centres and/or Teams. The agreement will consist of Game Dates, Times, Location, Period Length, Time Outs, Overtime, Referee System, and Breaks Between Periods. The First-place team in Round Robin play will be awarded game three/extra game in the Final Series. Teams will be awarded 2 points for a win. All games that are tied at the end of regulation time will go to a one 10-minute sudden victory overtime period. Games that remain tied after the overtime will result in a single point being awarded to each team. Where there is no defined winner at the end of a series an additional game shall be played in the centre with the least number of games in that series. The next team to win will win the Final Series.
17. Grand River Local League Tie Breaking Procedures:
(A) Regular Season Standings:
Step 1: Head-to-Head Competition.
Step 2: Most Wins.
Step 3: Coin Flip.
(B) Round Robin Playoffs:
If at the conclusion of the Round Robin Playoffs, there is not a defined First or Second place winner an additional game will be played to determine the final seeding. Tiebreaker games must have a winner. Tiebreaker games tied at the end of regulation time will have one 10-minute sudden victory overtime. If still tied at the end of the overtime period there will be a shootout.
Shootout:
a) 3-player shootout following overtime period. The 3 players are selected at the conclusion of the overtime period.
b) Shooters will alternate, with the home team electing to shoot first or second.
c) If a winner is not determined after the 3-player shootout the remaining eligible players will shoot one at a time until a winner is declared. No player can repeat until all eligible players of the team with the least eligible players have taken one attempt.
d) Once all eligible players of the team with the least eligible players have taken one attempt any shooter can be selected.
e) Shoot out continues until a winner is determined.
f) An ejected/suspended player or a player with an unexpired penalty at the end of overtime is not eligible to shoot.
Step 1: The game shall be hosted by the centre who was the winner of their Round Robin game. This centre also gains home ice.
Step 2: If still tied, the team with most wins’ gains home ice.
Step 3: If still tied after applying Step 1 & Step 2 then the team with the best Goal Average gains home ice. The Goal Average is determined in the following manner; Total Number of Goals For divided by the Total Number of Goals (For and Against).
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NOTE: Only the tied teams’ head-to-head scores will be used and if tied then all Round Robin scores will be used.
EXAMPLE:
Goals for = 10 Goals against = 4
Percentage = 10/ (10+4) = .714
NOTE: The higher percentage (1.0 being the highest attainable) gains home ice.
Step 4: If still tied, regular season standings will be used for final seeding.
NOTES:
A. If at the conclusion of Round Robin Playoffs two (2) teams are tied for First seed (place), Step 1 through Step 4 (without the additional game) will be applied to determine the seeding for the best-of-three games Division Final.
B. If three (3) teams are tied for First seed (place), a tie breaker game will be played to determine the final seeding. The highest seeded team will gain home ice for the Championship series and play the winner of the Second and Third seed game. The Second seeded team will gain home ice for this tie breaker game.
C. If four (4) teams are tied for First seed (place), the teams will use Step 3 or Step 4 to determine seeding (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) – First (1st) vs Fourth (4th), Second (2nd) vs Third (3rd) with the highest seeded team gaining home ice. The winners of these games will play for the Championship with the highest seeded team gaining home ice.
D. If three (3) teams are tied for Second seed (place), two (2) tie breaker games will be played to determine final seeding. The highest seeded team will gain home ice for the game and play the winner of the Second and Third seed game. The second seeded team will gain home ice for this tie breaker game.
E. If four (4) teams are tied for Second seed (place), the teams will use Step 3 or Step 4 to determine seeding (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th): First (1st) vs Fourth (4th), Second (2nd) vs Third (3rd) with the highest seeded teams gaining home ice. The winners of these games will play a second game with the highest seeded team gaining home ice to determine the final second seeded team.
Updated: May 10, 2016
September 13, 2016
May 9, 2017
May 8, 2018
May 7, 2019
September 29, 2021
September 27, 2022
January 2, 2023
September 4, 2023
October 11, 2023
September 19, 2024