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RULES & GUIDELINES

Tournament Rules

  1. All players must wear CAHA-certified helmets. Skates, elbow pads and shin pads are mandatory.

  2. All teams must have available a light home jersey and a dark away jersey for all games.

  3. Players are only allowed to lift the puck, no more than 12” off the ice. Raising the puck at a greater distance will result in the puck being awarded to the opposing team. (Change of possession where the infraction occurred). For round robin games, where there are no officials, fair play by all participants will prevail in determining this rule.

  4. No slap shots.

  5. There will not be any offsides or icing calls.

  6. Goals must be scored from the attaching side of centre ice.

  7. No player can fall or lay on the ice in an effort to protect the goal area. (Goaltending)

  8. Aside from the opening face-off, teams will be required to give their opponents half ice after a goal, or change of possession will take place. After each goal, the team on defense must wait for the opposition to crossover half to resume play of the game.

  9. Pucks shot over the snow banks will result in the opposition gaining possession at the area of infraction. Defenders must give the in-bounding team 2 stick lengths to resume play. Extra pucks will be available from the scorekeeper should the puck leave the ice surface. Defenders must give the in-bounding team 2 stick lengths to resume play. It would be greatly appreciated if the extra players on the sidelines can retrieve the out of bound pucks.

  10. All infractions such as tripping, hooking, slashing, and body contact and elbowing will result in a change of puck possession. Again, fair play by all participants will prevail in determining this rule when officials are not present. 

  11. All major infractions such as fighting, swearing, intent to injure, and abuse of participant or official will automatically result in ejection of that player/players immediately from the tournament.

Administrative Guidelines

Team Registration Fee

The team registration fee is $700. A minimum down payment of $300 is required to process the registration and is non-refundable. If the tournament is canceled due to weather conditions or other reasons beyond the control of On The Pond Canada, the following options are available:

  • Option 1: The full $700 will be carried over to the next year’s tournament (2026).

  • Option 2: Teams can choose to receive a 50% refund of their registration fee ($350), with no amount carried over to the following year.

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Player Eligibility and Disqualification

Any player who violates the set criteria for their division will result in the ejection of both the player and their team from the tournament. No refund will be provided for teams or players disqualified for rule violations.

 

Team Rosters

A player can only play for one team. Original team rosters will determine player eligibility, and teams cannot add players to their roster after the first game. To ensure no defaulted games, teams are allowed to play with a minimum of two players, while the opposition will have three players on the ice.

 

Organizing Committee Rights

The organizing committee reserves the right to:

  • Add or remove rules as necessary, and all teams will be informed of any changes prior to the start of the tournament or individual games. For example, extreme cold weather conditions may result in adjustments to game lengths or the tournament schedule.

  • Prohibit any player or team from participating if they are deemed to pose a safety risk.

ON THE POND! CANADA

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