The Eastern Regional Silver Stick tournament is sanctioned by USA HOCKEY and THE INTERNATIONAL SILVER STICK HOCKEY ASSOCIATION, INC. The tournament will be conducted under the rules of those governing bodies, with the exceptions as described herein.
CREDENTIALS
All teams must be properly registered with USA HOCKEY. Either the team manager or the head coach must submit a copy of a current USA HOCKEY team roster form 1-T that has been approved / signed by your District Registrar.
GAME PROCEDURES
Teams are required to be on the ice at the listed game time, or they will be charged with a forfeit. Each team must be prepared to play 15 minutes prior to their scheduled game, in case the tournament is running ahead of schedule. You will be notified by the tournament marshals at the rink if your game will be starting earlier.
Warm-up time before each game will consist of three (3) minutes for all age levels. The warm-up time will commence when the Zamboni has left the ice, the gates are closed and referees are on the ice. No team is to take the ice without referee approval. Violation of this will result in a 2 minute delay of game penalty.
| Level | Max Game Duration | Period LEngth | Minor Penalty | Misconduct | |
| 8U | 65 min | 12/12/12 | 1 1/2 MIN | 8 min | |
| 10U/12U/14U/16U/18U | 75 min | 10/15/15 | 2 MIN | 10 min |
Players Bench – only team players and a maximum of four (4) team officials will be permitted in the bench area.
Each team will designate one (1) player as Team Captain. The on-ice officials will communicate, when necessary, exclusively with the designated Team Captain or the Head Coach. Extensive delays caused by coaches and/or players will result in a minor penalty for delay.
If one team is leading the other by six (6) goals during the third period, the game clock will go to running time, until such time when the lead is less than six (6) goals. The only exceptions to the running time procedures will be during injuries, assessment of penalties, and when a goal is scored. Running time in these situations will resume after the ensuing face-off.
Off ice officiating (time clock) will be done by HCYHC (Howard County Youth Hockey Club) approved personnel only. The home team will supply an off ice official for scorekeeping if determined by HCYHC. Each team must provide their own penalty box coverage.
Penalties
All minor penalties at the 10U level will be 1 ½ minutes in duration. Major penalties will be four (4) minutes in duration, and Misconduct penalties will be eight (8) minutes in durations. All minor penalties at the 12U/14U/16U/18U level will be 2 minutes in duration. Major penalties will be five (5) minutes in duration, and Misconduct penalties will be ten (10) minutes in durations.
Any player or coach removed from any game by the referee for a Game Misconduct penalty shall not be permitted to participate in that team’s very next game and must have a meeting with the Tournament Discipline Committee prior to their next scheduled game.
When a Match or Gross Misconduct penalty is assessed, the incident shall be reported immediately to the Tournament Discipline Committee. The player shall be suspended for the remainder of the tournament. Those suspensions shall be reported to the USA HOCKEY DISTRICT and the home league of the player of team official.
ZERO TOLERANCE – FAN BEHAVIOR
Profanity or excessive taunting will not be tolerated from players, team officials, parents or fans. Players and team officials will be assessed penalties in accordance with USA HOCKEY’S ZERO TOLERANCE philosophy. Spectators guilty of the above will be asked to leave the facility.
ZERO TOLERANCE – FIGHTING MAJOR
Any player that receives a fighting major in the tournament is banished from the rest of the tournament.
ARTIFICIAL NOISE MAKERS
The use of artificial noisemakers such as air horns, cowbells and coin-filled bottles is strictly prohibited during Silver Stick games. This rule will be enforced by the tournament staff.
NO PROTESTS
No protests will be permitted under any circumstances. The decision of the tournament director is final in all cases.
GAME OFFICIALS
All on ice officials are USA HOCKEY registered. A two man system will be used in all games. The Tournament Director has the option to utilize a three man system for Midget games (one referee & two linesmen).
UNIFORM COLORS
The home team (as randomly selected by the Tournament Committee) will have the first choice as to color of jerseys it will wear.
LOCKER ROOMS
Locker room assignment will be posted at the front of the rink and at the check in table. A team official must be present before players will be allowed access to the locker room. Locker rooms must be cleaned of all tape, trash and other articles before the team vacates the locker room. A trash receptacle is located in each room. PLAYERS MUST DRESS IN THEIR ASSIGNED LOCKER ROOM.
DIVISIONS
8U B – one 6 team divisions
8U A – one 8 team division
10U Rec – one 4 team division
10U B – one 4 team division
12U B – one 12 team division
14U B – one 6 team division
10U A – one 12 team division
12U A – one 13 team division
14U A – one 16 team division
U16 A – one 8 team division
U18 A – one 6 team division
10U AA – one 6 team division
12UAA – one 8 team division
14U AA – one 8 team division
U16AA – one 12 team division
U18AA – one 10 team division
ROSTERS
The roster that you submitted online to the tournament website is your official roster for the tournament. There are no changes to that roster after November 22nd.
No player may be rostered for more than one team in the tournament.
No player that is rostered for the 2019-2020 season on a Tier 1 team is eligible for the tournament.
CHAMPIONSHIP DETERMINATION
Tournament results are posted at each rink on an ongoing basis throughout the duration of the tournament. Tournament Divisional standings will be decided on a point system. Points are awarded on the basis of the following:
2 points for each game won
1 point for each game tied
0 point for each game lost
FORTEITURES
The winning team will be awarded two (2) points. A forfeited game will not be used as a determining factor in a tie breaking situation.
PLAYOFF ELIGIBILITY
No player may play in any playoff games without having played in at least one of their teams round robin games.
TIMEOUTS
There is one timeout per team allowed per game.
PLAYOFFS
In divisions with 4 teams or less, the top team in the round robin standings moves on to the championship game. Seeds # 2 and # 3 play in a semi-final game.
In divisions with 5 to 14 teams, the top 4 teams in that division move on to the playoff round. The # 1 seed will face the # 4 seed in one semi-final and the # 2 seed will face the # 3 seed in the other semi-final. The winners of the two semi-final games will then meet in the championship game for that division.
In divisions with 16 teams or more, the top 8 teams in that division move on to the playoff round. The # 1 seed will face the # 8 seed in one quarter-final, the # 2 seed will face the # 7 seed in another quarter final, the # 3 seed will face the # 6 seed in another quarter final, and the # 4 seed will face the # 5 seed in the other quarter final. The winners will move on with the highest seeded remaining team facing the lowest seeded remaining team in one semi-final, and the other two teams facing each other in the other quarter final. The winners of the two semi-final games will then meet in the championship game for that division.
TIEBREAKERS
If two or more teams in a division have an equal number of points, their position in the standings will be determined by:
- Winner of head-to-head between tied teams (only if two teams are tied)
- Fewest total goals allowed in tournament play
- Lowest total penalty minute total in tournament play
- Coin Flip
WITHDRAWALS
If a team withdraws prior to the start of the tournament or during the tournament, it will be up to the discretion of the Tournament Director as to how to reformat the schedule to insure a three game minimum for the remaining teams in that division. Entry fees for any team that withdraws will not be refunded.
OVERTIME – SEMI-FINAL AND CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES ONLY
There is no overtime in round robin play.
Should any of the tournament semi-final or championship games result in a tie at the end of regulation time, a five (5) minute sudden death overtime period shall be played. That five minute sudden death overtime period will be played 3 vs. 3. If a penalty occurs during the overtime, it will go to a 4 vs. 3 format. If the same team takes two penalties, it will go to a 5 vs. 3 format. If after the overtime the game is still tied, a five (5) player shootout will be held. Before the shootout, each Head Coach will give the referee a list of the five (5) shooters, listed in the order of taking the shot. A coin toss will determine which team will shoot first. The team that wins the coin toss may elect to shoot first or shoot second. In the case of a tie following this shootout, a sudden death shootout will then take place. The same shooters may be used in the sudden death portion of the shootout, but no shooter can shoot two times in a row.
FINAL DECISIONS
In all cases, the decision of the Tournament Director (or attending rink Tournament Marshal) is final.
SCHEDULES
All schedules are final as of November 20, 2020. Please check our website prior to the tournament at www.howardhuskies.org for any updates.