OTIHL, Inc. Draft League Rules
The OTIHL, Inc. (OTIHL) encourages clean, challenging, and competitive games. We recognize
that hockey is a contact sport but put the well-being of our players above all else. All OTIHL
games generally follow USA Hockey rules for ice hockey with the following notable exceptions
and points of emphasis:
1)
Participation: No player may participate in the OTIHL game without completing and
signing the OTIHL, Inc. Player Agreement and the Assumption of Risk & Release of
Liability forms.
2)
Rosters:
1. Players: Player rosters are selected by the captains through a draft at the beginning of the
season. No player may be on the roster of two teams.
2. Goalies: Goalies will not be assigned to specific teams. They will be rotated through the
six teams. Goalies may substitute for another goalie if and only if the team’s originally
scheduled goalie is not able to attend. Goalies from outside the OTIHL may be used if
approved by the OTIHL and only if no other OTIHL goalies are available.
3. Teams: In the event that a team is expected to be short players for any particular game, it
will be the team captain’s responsibility to arrange for substitute players. The opposing
team’s captain must be notified of the substitution prior to the start of the game. All
substitute players must be currently on an OTIHL roster. Non-registered substitutes will
not be permitted. Player Substitution Rule: a team can only add subs if they have less
than 10 players available for a game. Subs can only be used to increase a roster to 10
players. Players can only sub for a team twice during the season. This will allow for
more players to be used as subs. Subs must be based on equal or lesser skill level of the
player being replaced. Captains must notify the league office the next day when a sub is
used. The league office will track the amount of times players sub for teams.
3)
Equipment: Each player is required to obtain and wear protective hockey equipment
during any and all OTIHL sponsored games, practices, or evaluations.
1. Protective equipment: Equipment must be designed for ice hockey and include: shin pads,
elbow pads, padded hockey pants (no sweat pants), hockey gloves, protective cup,
shoulder pads, and helmet.
2. Helmet: All OTIHL players must wear a properly fastened H.E.C.C. approved hockey
helmet at all times while on the ice surface, bench, or penalty area. THE OTIHL
STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THAT ALL PLAYERS WEAR AN APPROVED FULL
FACIAL MASK.
4)
Officials
1. Inquiry: No player other than the captain, or designated captain for that game, may request
details of a call from any referee.
5)
Season: There will be a player evaluation session and team draft the first week of the
season. Team captains will be designated in advance of the evaluation session. Draft
rules will be agreed upon by a consensus of the four captains and OTIHL officials. The
season will consist of 13 regular season games for each team. Points will be awarded as
follows: 2 points for a win, 1 point for ties and 0 points for losses. Regular season shootouts: When a regular season game ends in a tie, there will be a 3 player per team shootout. The team that wins the shoot-out gets 2 points, the loser gets none. If tied after the
shoot-out, the game ends as a tie and both teams get 1 point each. Captains need to
expedite the shoot-out so as not to waste a lot of time. Captains should have their shooters
selected in advance of the game ending. Players can only shoot once during the shoot-out
(no repeat players).
Team captains will be responsible to report game results to OTIHL officials. League
standings will be posted each week at the rink during games. At the conclusion of regular
season, all teams will make the playoffs. The playoff format will be single elimination.
The first tie breaker for season standings will be total Goals Against. The second will tie
breaker for season standings will be head to head records. The third tie breakers will be
Goals For.
6)
Game Play
1. Game format
1. Duration: A game will consists of three periods of 17 minute running time play.
There will be no official time keepers for games. A player from one of the teams
will set the clock at the start of each period and tally goals.
2. Player and Goalie Attendance: Teams must have a minimum of 4 skaters and a
goalie to start the game. The game clock will start after a two minute warm-up and
the team will have until the end of the first period to get a goaltender on the ice. If
the goaltender or 4th skater is in the building before the end of the period he will be
permitted to dress but the second period will run until he is dressed. A four minute
delay of game penalty will be assessed at the start of the game.
The clock will run for the entire first period, on and off ice officials must be present.
If no goalie or 4th skater is available, the game is declared a forfeit and the nonoffending team gets the victory. Teams that play shorthanded, due to only 4 players
being present, do not get the benefit of icing the puck without a faceoff being called
as this is not a penalty situation.
3. Warm-ups: A Warm-up period begins at the start of the ice session and goes
for two minutes. Players are encouraged to arrive early and stretch prior to the
warm- up period.
4. Face-offs: Players must line up for face-offs promptly. Referees may drop the puck
to continue if either team delays lining up.
5. At the end of the first or second periods, if an offensive zone faceoff is called with
10 seconds or less on the clock, the clock will stop for the faceoff to occur.
6. Stop Time at the end of the game: if the score is within 2 goals (ex. 4-2) then the
last two minutes of the game will be stopped time on whistles.
7. Icing: Blue line icing with no touch-up is enforced.
8. Timeouts: each team will be allowed one 30 second timeout per game. Timeouts
cannot be used during shoot-outs.
2. Checking: No checking is permitted.
3. Penalties:
1. All penalties will start to run at the drop of the puck on the next face-off. Penalties
will run on the clock. Faceoffs after penalties will take place in the defensive zone
of the player committing the penalty. If a matching penalty is assessed, the faceoff
will take place at the spot of the infractions.
2. Minor penalties: Minor penalties are two minutes running time. A player from the
ice must serve a penalty for a goalie. Penalties also expire if the non-penalized
team scores.
3. Coincidental minors: When opposing teams incur simultaneous minors, the teams
continue to skate even strength, but penalized players may not return to the ice
until the first whistle after their penalty expires.
4. Major penalties: Majors are five minutes and expulsion from the game. The
offending player must serve the penalty.
5. Misconducts penalties: Misconducts are 10 minutes. The offending player must
serve the penalty.
6. Game ejection penalties: Referees may eject a player from a game, at any time, if
that player is deemed to be behaving in a way that interferes with the playing
and/or enjoyment of the game by other players, or the player’s removal is
necessary to maintain control of the game. The OTIHL understands that players
occasionally have a “bad day” and ejected players are considered to be warned by
the OTIHL, but not suspended. A second ejection within one the season will result
in a permanent expulsion from the OTIHL.
7. Fighting: Fighting for any reason, as the initiator or the retaliator, will result in
ejection from the game and a permanent expulsion from the OTIHL.
8. Intent to injure: Any player that attempts to or intentionally injures another player
or OTIHL official will be ejected from the game and permanently expelled from
the OTIHL.
9. Face-offs After Penalties: After a penalty is called, the faceoff will be in the
defensive zone of the team that was penalized.
7)
Overtime
1. Regular season shoot-outs: When a regular season game ends in a tie, there will be a 3
player per team shoot-out. The team that wins the shoot-out gets 2 points, the loser gets
none. If tied after the shoot-out, the game ends as a tie and both teams get 1 point
each. Captains need to expedite the shoot-out so as not to waste a lot of time. Captains
should have their shooters selected in advance of the game ending. Players can only shoot
once during the shoot-out (no repeat players). Tied games will not have overtime. Each
team will be awarded 1 point.
2. Playoffs: A five minute sudden-death running time overtime shall be played. If there is no
winner, a five player shoot-out is used (no player can shoot more then once). If there is no
winner after the shootout, sudden-death shooting is used, which will repeat until a winner
is determined. In sudden death shooting rounds each team will have an opportunity to
shoot and the same player can shoot multiple times for his team.