Rules

Roster – Maximum of 17 players.

Jerseys – All players must wear matching jerseys with individual # on the back

Skates – All players must have 4 wheels on each skate in order to play.  Any player losing a wheel during the game will not be allowed to continue play unless the wheel is replaced.

Helmets – All players must wear their helmets on the rink at all times.  This includes the warmup period and the handshake line at the end of the game.  All players must have a fastened chin strap attached to their helmet during league play.

Add/Drops – Teams have until May 6 to make any free personnel changes to their roster.  On May 7 teams will be allowed to add a player but MUST permanently drop a player from their roster. Effective May 7, teams MUST go through the Free Agents list to find an available player before adding a free agent NOT on the list. After a team has played 3 regular season games, any add/drops must be submitted in writing to the league for approval.  All roster moves made after the April 19 roster submission will be tracked and documented on the league website.

Any player under 18 (DOB = 1991 or earlier) MUST wear a full face shield/cage and mouthpiece at all times.   Players under 18 also must have a “Playing Up” form filled out and signed by Parent/Guardian.  Any player without this form will be unable to play.  There are NO EXCEPTIONS

 League

Regular Season – 13 games with no cross-division games.  Teams will only play other teams in their division (D1) (D2)

Playoffs – The top 6 teams in each division will qualify for playoffs.  The top 2 teams will receive byes to the semi-final round.  Teams ranked 3-6 will play a one game elimination round with the winners advancing to the best of 3 semi-finals.

Tiebreaker Order – Points, Wins, Head to Head,  Fewest GA,  Most GF

Determination – (D1) Top 2 teams will be ranked 1 and 2.  Teams finishing 3-6 in points will be ranked 3-6.   (D2)  Winners of East and West will be ranked 1 and 2 based on points.  The next 4 teams in rank based on points (regardless of alignment) will be ranked 3-6.

Qualification – Players must play in four (4) regular season games in order to be eligible for playoffs

Games

Games consist of two (2) halves of twenty (20) minutes in a stop time format.  Clock will switch to running time if a team holds a lead of 10 goals or more.

Teams will begin game on the opposite end of their bench.  This will ensure teams are closer to their bench in the second period

Tie games – Any game in the regular season ending in a tie will be decided by a 3 man shootout.  Any game in the playoffs ending in a tie will be decided by sudden death overtime

Shootout – The team that scored the game tying goal will have the choice to shoot first or second.  All players must be on their bench with the exception of the shooter.  Goaltenders may remain in their goal creases while their team shoots.  If after the 3 rounds no winner is decided, it will go to a sudden death format (round for round) until there is a winner.  A player may NOT shoot twice unless every player on his team has taken a shot.   The shooter may not touch the puck or progress past the center line until the referee’s whistle is blown.  Goaltenders may not leave the crease until the shooter has touched the puck.  Shootout goals and saves do NOT count in player or team statistics.  The winner of the shootout will receive two (2) points in the standings. The loser will receive one (1) point.

Penalties

Chin Strap/Mouth guard infraction (USAHIL Section 304a Protective Equipment)

For the first mouth guard (under 18) or helmet strap violation by each team, the player shall be ruled off the surface until the completion of the ensuing face-off, and the Referee shall warn the Coach, or in absence of the Coach, the Captain, that all subsequent violations by an player of that team will result in a minor penalty being assessed to the offending player

Minor Penalties – Any player receiving five (5) minor penalties in one game will be assessed a game misconduct.  Double Minor penalties count as two separate minors.

High-Sticking – Because the NYRHL does not mandate full facial protection for players over 18 years, any player receiving a high-sticking penalty will also receive a ten (10) minute misconduct.  This is under USAHIL rules.

Fighting – The NYRHL does not condone fighting on any level.  A player receiving a fighting major will also receive a game misconduct.  The player will be unable to play the rest of the game and will have to serve a mandatory suspension of up to two (2) games based on league decision.  A player receiving a second fighting major after the initial suspension will serve a mandatory minimum three (3) game suspension which can be extended as the league sees fit. 

Leaving Bench – Any player that leaves the bench during a fight will be assessed an automatic game misconduct and serve a mandatory one (1) game suspension.  If player leaving the bench incurs any penalties, the NYRHL reserves the right to extend suspension at its discretion

Game Misconducts – Any player receiving a game misconduct will be ejected from the game the misconduct was earned and will have to serve a minimum one (1) game suspension.  If the game misconduct is the result of a malicious penalty that referees deem intentional (slashing, cross-checking, boarding, elbowing, etc) the NYRHL reserves the right to increase the length of suspension.  Any player under suspension for a game misconduct may NOT appear on the rink or team bench during a game.  Player may be in attendance but must sit in the stands.  Any suspended player in the audience behaving detrimentally can be asked to leave by the referees.  Refusal to comply can result in an increased suspension for the player.  It is recommended that a suspended player not attend a game when the opponent is the team the misconduct and suspension was assessed against.