Section Two

Teams

Rule 201 Composition of Teams

(a) A team must start a game with six players on the ice. Any time that a team has been reduced to less than four players, the game shall be declared a forfeit. A maximum of twenty players, including goalkeepers, shall be permitted to play in a game.

Below Juniors-The maximum number of players, excluding goalkeepers, shall not exceed 18.

For Juniors only-A maximum of eighteen players, plus not more than two goalkeepers, shall be permitted to play in a game.

(b) Each team shall appoint and designate on the scoresheet a Head Coach prior to the start of the game. The Head Coach shall be in control of and responsible for the actions of all team personnel.

For Juniors only-Each team shall appoint and designate on the scoresheet a Head Coach and an Assistant Coach prior to the start of the game. The Head Coach and assistant coach shall be in control of the responsible for the actions of all team personnel. Additionally, both coaches shall be registered with USA Hockey.

 Rule 202 Captain of Team

(a} One Captain shall be appointed by each team, and he alone shall have the privilege of discussing with the Referee any questions relating to interpretation of rules which may arise during the progress of a game. He should wear the letter "C," approximately three inches in height and in contrasting color, in a conspicuous position on the front of his sweater.

If the Captain is not available due to injury or an imposed penalty, another player may be designated to act as Captain.

(b) The Referee and Official Scorer shall be advised prior to the start of each game, the name of the Captain of the team and the designated alternate. This information will be added to the score sheet

(c) No goalkeepers shall be entitled to exercise the privileges of Captain.

(d) Any Captain or player who comes off the bench and makes any protest or intervention with the Officials for any purpose shall be assessed a minor penalty under Rule 601fal, Abuse of Officials.

A complaint about a penalty is NOT a matter "relating to the interpretation of the rules" and a minor penalty shall be imposed against any Captain or other player making such a complaint.

Rule 203 Players in Uniform

(a) At the beginning of each game the Manager or Coach of each team shall list the players and goalkeepers who shall be eligible to play in the game. This list shall be given to the Referee or Official Scorer, and no change shall be permitted in the list or addition thereto shall be permitted after commencement of the game, except as permitted under Rule 203(b).

 (b) Except for Juniors-However, if the Referee deems the omission as an inadvertent clerical error, a rostered player or goalkeeper may be added to the score sheet during a stoppage of play after commencement of the game. The offending team shall be assessed a bench minor penalty for each such addition.

No roster deletions are permitted under this rule, and maximum roster size under Rule 2011a} shall limit the number of allowable additions.

(c) Each team shall be allowed one goalkeeper on the ice at one time. The goalkeeper may be removed and another player substituted. Such substitute shall not be permitted the privileges of the goalkeeper. A goalkeeper may be substituted for by another goalkeeper during play with full goalkeeper privileges.

(d) Each player and each goalkeeper listed in the lineup of each team shall wear a visible individually identifying number at least ten inches high on the back of his sweater.

The number may be eight inches in the Midget and Bantam classifications, and six inches in height in the Squirt, Pee Wee, and Mite classifications.

All players of each team shall be dressed uniformly.

(e) It is recommended ( required for Juniors} that each team have on its bench a substitute goalkeeper who shall be fully dressed and equipped to play.

When the substitute goalkeeper enters the game he will take his position without delay and no warm-up shall be permitted, except when either team uses its Time-out under Rule 637(e).

(f) Except when the goalkeeper(s) is/are incapacitated, no player on the playing roster in that game shall be permitted to wear the equipment of the goalkeeper. If a team's goalkeepers is/are unavailable to continue a team must immediately appoint a temporary goalkeeper (see Glossary) or place an additional skater on the ice with none of the goalkeeper's privileges.

(g) For Juniors only-All teams must dress a minimum of eleven competitors lone goalkeeper and ten skaters) for all games. The only allowable exceptions to this rule are for weather problems, team sickness, and/or suspensions. Any violations of this rule are to be brought to the attention of the Discipline Committee by the opposing Team Officials and the Referee. Suspensions and/or fines may result from an infraction of this rule.

(h) For Juniors only-Should a skating player be suspended because of a game misconduct penalty after the midway point of the third period or any part of overtime, his spot may not be filled on the game roster by another player. The team must play the next scheduled game with a "short" roster. If the goalkeeper is suspended his spot on the roster may be filled by another goalkeeper.

(i) For Juniors only-Each member club should dress two goalkeepers for each League game. However, in the event of injury or sickness to one of the goalkeepers and no additional goalkeeper is on the Protected List or Active Roster, the League will institute emergency procedures to assure that a back-up goalkeeper is furnished for a League game. The emergency procedure may involve the use of the opposing team's back-up goalkeeper during the game if an injury occurs to a goalkeeper who is playing in a game and a member club does not have a back-up dressed. The member club with the injured or sick goalkeeper shall have five days to add another goalkeeper to the Protected List to give them a minimum of two goalkeepers who are fit for play.

Rule 204 Playing Lineup

(a) Upon the Referee's signal prior to the start of a period and following any stoppage of play, the visiting team shall promptly place a lineup on the ice, ready for play and no substitution shall be made from that time until play has been resumed. The home team may then make any desired substitution which does not result in the delay of the game.

If there is any undue delay by either team in changing lines, the Referee shall order the offending team or teams to take their positions immediately and not permit line changes.

(Note) When a substitution has been made under the above rule, no additional substitution may be made until play commences except when any penalty is imposed.

 (b) For Juniors only-Prior to the start of the game, at the request of the Referee, the Manager or Coach of the visiting team is required to name a starting lineup to the Referee or the Official Scorer.

(c) For Juniors only-Prior to the start of the game, the Manager or Coach of the home team, having been advised by the Official Scorer or the Referee of the names of the starting lineup of the visiting team, shall name the starting lineup of the home team which information shall be conveyed by the Official Scorer or the Referee to the Coach of the visiting team.

(d) For Juniors only-No change in the starting lineup of either team as given to the Referee or Official Scorer, or in the playing lineup on the ice, shall be made until the game is actually in progress. For an infraction of this rule a bench minor penalty shall be imposed upon the offending team, provided such infraction is called to the attention of the Referee by the opposing team Captain before the second face-off in the first period takes place.

Rule 205 Change of Players

(a) Players may be changed at any time from the players' bench, provided that the player or players leaving the ice shall always be at the players' bench and out of the play before any change is made.

{Note) if, in the course of making a substitution, either the player entering or leaving the game deliberately plays the puck with the stick, skates or hands or checks or makes any physical contact with an opposing player while the retiring player is actually on the ice, then the infraction of "too many players on the ice" will be called.

If, in the course of a substitution, either the player entering the play or the player retiring is struck by the puck accidentally, the play will not be stopped and no penalty will be called.

(b) A goalkeeper may be changed for another player at any time under the conditions set out in this section.

(Note) When a goalkeeper leaves his goal area and proceeds to his players' bench for the purpose of substituting another player, the rear Linesman shall be responsible to see that the substitution made is not illegal by reason of the premature departure of the substitute from the bench (before the goalkeeper is within ten feet of the bench). If the substitution is made prematurely, the Linesman shall stop the play immediately by blowing his whistle unless the non-offending team has possession of the puck, in which event the stoppage will be delayed until the puck changes hands. There shall be no time penalty to the team making the premature substitution but the resulting face-off will take place on the center face-off spot. Where play has stopped with the puck in the offending team's defending half of the ice, the face-off shall take place at the point of the stoppage of play, unless otherwise covered in these rules.

 (c) If there are less than two minutes remaining in either regulation time or anytime during overtime and a minor or bench minor penalty is imposed for deliberate illegal substitution, such as too many players on the ice or leaving the penalty bench too soon, a penalty shot/optional bench minor-shall be awarded against the offending team in lieu of the minor or bench minor penalty.

(Note) The intent of this rule is to award a penalty shot/optional bench minor only when the extra player(s) are "deliberately" put on the ice. When a substitution error is made and there are too many players on the ice the normal bench minor penalty shall be assessed regardless of the time remaining in the game.

(d) A player serving a penalty on the penalty bench, who is to be changed after the penalty has been served, must proceed at once by way of the ice and be at his own players' bench before any change can be made.

 (e) During a stoppage of play a goalkeeper may not go to his players' bench without the permission of the Referee unless he is substituted for by another player or goalkeeper. When a substitution for the goalkeeper has been made under this rule, the goalkeeper shall not resume his position until play resumes, except that he shall be permitted immediate reentry into the game when any penalty is imposed.

(f) For a violation of this rule a bench minor penalty shall be imposed unless otherwise provided in the Playing Rules.

 Rule 206 Injured Players

(a) When a player, other than a goalkeeper, is injured or compelled to leave the ice during a game, he may retire from the game and be replaced by a substitute, but play must continue without the teams leaving the ice.

(b) If a goalkeeper sustains an injury or becomes ill he must be ready to resume play immediately or be replaced by a substitute goalkeeper. No additional time shall be allowed by the Referee for the purpose of enabling the injured or ill goalkeeper to resume his position. (See also Rule 205|e).)

(c) The substitute goalkeeper shall be subject to the regular rules governing goalkeepers and shall be entitled to the same privileges.

(d) If a penalized player has been injured he may proceed to the dressing room without the necessity of taking a seat on the penalty bench.

If the injured player receives a minor penalty the penalized team shall immediately put a substitute player on the penalty bench who shall serve the penalty without change.

Except for Juniors, if the injured player receives a major penalty, the penalized team shall place a substitute on the penalty bench immediately and no replacement for the penalized player shall be permitted to enter the game except from the penalty bench, provided that should the penalized player return to the game before his penalty has expired, he may replace the substitute player on the penalty bench during a stoppage of play.

For Juniors only-If the injured player receives a major penalty, the penalized team shall place a substitute player on the penalty bench before the penalty expires and no other replacement for the penalized player shall be permitted to enter the game except from the penalty bench.

The penalized player who has been injured and been replaced on the penalty bench shall not be eligible to play until his penalty has expired.

For a violation of this rule a bench minor penalty shall be imposed.

(Note) No substitution on the penalty bench is required under this rule for any player(s) who have been immediately substituted on the ice under Rule 402Kfl-coincident minor penalties and/or Rule 403(c)-coincident major penalties.

(e) When a player is injured so that he cannot continue play or go to his bench, the play shall not be stopped until the injured player's team has secured possession of the puck; if the player's team is in possession of the puck at the time of injury, play shall be stopped immediately, unless his team is in a scoring position.

(Note) In the case where it is obvious that a player has sustained a serious injury, the Referee and/or Linesman may stop the play immediately.

(f) A player other than a goalkeeper, whose injury appears serious enough to warrant the stoppage of play, may not participate further in the game until the completion of the ensuing face-off.

(g) A player or goalkeeper who is obviously bleeding shall be ruled off the ice immediately if observed during a stoppage of play. If observed during play, play shall be stopped immediately, and the bleeding player or goalkeeper then ruled off the ice. Said player or goalkeeper shall not be allowed to return to play until the bleeding has been stopped and the cut or abrasion covered. It is required that any affected equipment/uniform be properly decontaminated or exchanged.

Likewise, if an on-ice official is bleeding, at the next stoppage, said official shall seek treatment to stop the bleeding and cover the cut or abrasion before continuing. It is required that any affected equipment/uniform be properly decontaminated or exchanged.