League Charter

Rules of Play

UHL games are played with a continually running clock.

Time is stopped in the final minute of the game under the following conditions:

1.  Game is tied

2.  One team leads by 1 goal

3.  When a team scores to pull within 1 goal.

Warm-up time is 3 mins.

If a dispute arises during a game, it is up to the two referees after consulting with the team captains to decide the dispute.

-- SUBSTITUTIONS --

Substitutions are allowed during the game using players from the other teams.

1. Substitutes must have a lower skater rating than the player they are replacing, adhering to the original draft order.

2. The captains for both teams participating in the game in question must agree to the substitution.

3. Teams must report substitutions to the scorekeeper.

-- CHECKING --

The Unorganized Hockey League is a light checking league. This means stick-on-stick checking and minor body contact in front of the nets or along the boards.

1. Deliberate body checking (hip checks, shoulder checks, running someone into the boards or other aggressive hitting) is not allowed. Players who engage in this conduct will be penalized for three minutes.

2. Any two-handed whack, slash or hook to the body earns a three-minute minor.

3. Obstruction of a player not in control of the puck is not allowed – the result is a three-minute minor penalty.

-- ILLEGAL PASSES --

1. If a player uses his glove to pass a puck to a teammate outside the defensive zone, play is stopped and a face-off is held at the point of the infraction. Hand passes in the defending zone are allowable – but the puck must be played in the defensive zone.

2. If an attacking player uses his glove to pass the puck to a teammate in the attacking zone, play is stopped and a face-off is held outside the blue line.

3. A player is allowed to knock the puck down with his glove and play it himself. A teammate may not touch the puck before he plays it.

4. A player is not allowed to knock the puck to a teammate with a “high stick” (stick above shoulder level). If this occurs, play is halted and treated in the same manner as a glove pass (see #1)

-- FACE-OFFS --

Face-offs will be held after all stoppages of play:

1. At the beginning of every game

2. After every goal

3. When goaltenders freeze the puck

4. After all Penalty calls

5. Following icing and offside plays

6. When the puck is covered by a player’s body (note: deliberately closing a hand over the puck to stop play or scooping the puck beneath the body can result in “delay of game” penalty)

7. When the puck deflects off the glass and out of the playing area (face-off is held at the point of the deflection, except if offensive team deflects puck in defensive team’s zone -- face-off is then held over the blue line)

8. In the event of an injury to a player (note: if injury occurs to a defending player while an attacking team has possession in the attacking zone, face-off is held in the circle closest to where play has stopped.)

9. When the puck hits the arena ceiling

10. If a goaltender loses his mask during the course of play

11. When a net becomes accidentally dislodged during the course of play

12. If a puck is gloved or high-sticked by one player to another teammate

13. If the puck ends up trapped in the netting outside the goal (if last touched by the attacking team, face-off is held outside the blue line)

Note: If the puck deflects off the ice surface, hits the netting above the glass and bounces back onto the playing surface, the puck is still in play and the game continues.

Note: All faceoffs are held on the closest face-off “dot” in the zone. For example, if puck deflects out of play in a defensive zone by the defensive player, face-off is held on closest dot in that zone.

Note: Slapshots (shots taken by winding the stick up above shoulder height) are forbidden inside the face-off circles or closer. This infraction will be treated in a similar fashion to “icing” with the face-off brought back to the offending team’s zone.

-- OFFSIDE PLAYS --

1. Any player from the attacking team precedes the puck over the opponent’s blue line. Position of the player’s skates determines the legality of the play. If a player has one or both skates on or behind the blue-line, the play is onside and legal. If both skates are over the blue line before the puck enters the offensive zone, the play is offside.  The exception to this rule is a player may enter the zone skating backward and his feet may precede the puck into the zone as long as the player has clear possession of the puck.  

The ensuing face-off is held outside the blue line.

2. The puck is dumped into the attacking zone with teammates still inside the blue line. Referees are allowed to delay the offside call, allowing either the defensive team to advance the puck out or the offensive team to clear the zone. All offensive players must have both skates outside the blue line to have “cleared the zone”.

-- ICING --

Icing will be called when a defending player clears the puck from behind his team’s blue line the length of the ice to ease pressure from the attacking team. Again, the center red line is not used. The puck must cross the red goal line at the far end of the ice for icing to be called. If the clearing attempt goes on goal or the goalie touches the puck before it crosses the red goal line, icing is nullified. On icing, the face-off is held in the guilty team’s zone in the face-off circle closest to where the infraction originally occurred.

-- DISALLOWING GOALS --

Goals will be disallowed by the referees if one of the following occurs:

1. Puck is deliberately kicked, high sticked (above shoulder) or gloved into the net by an attacking player (deflections off skates, sticks, bodies, gloves are legal however. The only provision for disallowing the goal is that it must have been deliberately kicked, high sticked or thrown into the net)

2. An attacking player is in the crease with the goaltender prior to the puck entering the crease. if this player has been pushed or moved into the crease by a defending player, this goal will be allowed.

3. Attacking player interferes with the goaltender in the crease by lifting his stick, knocking him down, etc.

NOTE: Players who skate into the crease and interfere with the goaltender in any manner are subject to an interference penalty from the referee

-- PENALTIES --

1. All penalties will be served by the offending player(s) in the penalty box -- whether minor (3 minutes) or major (5 minutes) penalties.

2. Players who square off and start shoving matches automatically serve three minutes apiece in the penalty box.

3. Fighting penalties will receive an automatic game misconduct and two-game suspension. Two fighting penalties in the year will result in the UHL review board meeting to decide whether to expel the player.

3. Attacking player interferes with the goaltender in the crease by lifting his stick, knocking him down, etc.

4. Deliberate high sticking is an automatic five-minute major penalty. Any high sticking penalty that draws blood is a five-minute match penalty and automatic game misconduct. If deemed deliberate, a two-game suspension results. If not deliberate, the Board will review for possible suspension.

5. Any deliberate attempt to injure an opponent receives an automatic five-minute match penalty plus game misconduct and two-game suspension. The League Board of Review will then meet to determine expulsion from the League.

6. Penalties will be called for deliberate two-handed whacks, hooks, slashes… rough body checking, tripping, elbowing, interference, holding, highsticking, boarding, roughing, delay of game by deliberately falling on or covering the puck to stop play, closed glove over the puck, dislodging the net deliberately... and any other normal hockey infractions. This includes diving to draw penalty calls! Tripping penalties will be called for diving at a player and taking his feet out from underneath him – even if the puck is touched before the skates!

7. Crease violations will be enforced – if contact is made with the goaltender in the crease without being pushed, shoved or tripped into him, a three-minute penalty will be called for interference.

8. Players who verbally abuse officials, or excessively argue about penalty calls are subject to a 10-minute unsportsmanlike misconduct penalty – for a total of 13 minutes. Any profanity used with the Official may result in a game misconduct (referee’s discretion) and one-game suspension.

9. Players who break or throw their equipment in protest over penalty calls, or shoot the pucks deliberately at opposing players in protest over penalty calls will serve an additional 10 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. A second occurrence in the same game receives an automatic game misconduct.

10. Checking from behind into the boards is an automatic five-minute major penalty; if it is ruled deliberate or with intent to injure, player receives a game misconduct and a two-game suspension.

11. Use of any profanity with the Officials over a call will be penalized and subject to a game misconduct (at referee’s discretion) and a one game suspension.

12. Physical abuse of UHL referees results in immediate game misconduct penalty... plus a review by the League Board for suspension/expulsion.

13. Any player serving a major penalty stays in the penalty box the full five minutes, no matter how many goals the opposing team scores. A player serving a minor penalty is allowed to rejoin his team if the opponents score a goal while having the man advantage -- if offsetting penalties are called, both players serve the full three minutes regardless of the number of goals scored.

14. As we have a continually running clock, penalty time begins on the ensuing face-off.

15. Off-setting penalties will not force the teams to play shorthanded. Both offenders will be allowed to return to their benches after their three minutes have expired.

16. Referees will be allowed to “delay” penalty calls so as not to disrupt the flow of play. This allows the fouled team to pull their goaltender for an extra attacker. Once the offending team touches the puck, play is halted and the penalized player serves his full three minutes.

17. Goaltenders do not serve penalties called against them, yet a member of the team on the ice at the time of the infraction must serve the penalty time; the player will be designated by that team’s captain. Any goalie who receives a game misconduct must leave the game.

18. Players who demonstrate constant lack of sportsmanship and who do not adhere to league rules and regulations are subject to expulsion.

19. The referee has the authority to call penalties and game misconducts prior to and after a game.

-- PENALTY SHOTS --

Penalty shots are awarded for the following:

1. Tripping/hauling down a player on a breakaway.

2. Pushing or nudging the puck with a hand/glove in your goal crease, or in any way falling upon the puck in your own goal crease (excluding the goaltender).

3. Deliberately covering the puck to halt play in your own zone in the last minute of play (excluding the goaltender).

4. Deliberately throwing a stick, glove or any piece of equipment at an attacking player to “break up” a play. If this occurs when an attacking player has a shot at an empty net (vacated by the goaltender for an extra attacker), a goal is automatically allowed to the attacking team.

5. Deliberately dislodging the net from its proper place in the last minute of play.

In executing a penalty shot, the puck is brought to center ice where the fouled player takes possession and moves in on the goaltender (after the signal to begin from the referee). The goaltender is not allowed to leave his crease until the attacking player touches the puck. If the attacking player overskates the puck, fans on the initial shot attempt, loses control of the puck, the penalty shot attempt is complete and a face-off is held in the defensive zone. If the goalie thwarts the penalty shot attempt, a face-off is held in the defensive zone. No rebounds are allowed. If the penalty shot is successful, a face-off is held at center ice in the usual fashion.

-- Playoffs --

Playoff competition is held the last two weeks of the season:

1. Elimination Round: Regular season 1st place will play 4th and 2nd will play 3rd.
2. During the 2 week playoffs, ties will not be allowed. A shoot out will be utilized to resolve a tie game:
3. The captain of each team selects three players for the shoot-out.
4. Best of three shots (one by each player) for each side determines the winner.
5. If still tied after the three shot shoot-out, players from all teams will rotate through the shoot-out until the tie is broken.
6. Each team must have equal number of shoot-out chances.
7. Any player in the penalty box at the end of regulation is ineligible for the shoot-out.
8. Consult the schedule for start times.