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Youth Dek Hockey League Rules & Regulations

Faqs

Age Divisions

  • Peewee (Ages 4, 5, 6)
  • Penguin (Ages 7, 8, 9)
  • Beaver (Ages 10, 11, 12)
  • Cadet (Ages 13, 14, 15)
  • Freshmen (Ages 16, 17, 18 & 19)

Division Eligibility

A player’s age on January 1st determines his/her division eligibility for the entire calendar year. Players are allowed to “play up” a division, but never allowed to “play down” – no exceptions. A player who is “playing up” a division based on his/her eligibility age is only allowed to play in the highest skill level of his/her true division of eligibility.

Rosters

Each team must have a minimum of 11 players. Teams formed by the league will include no more than 13 players, although larger-sized rosters will be accepted should a team make such a request. The use of a non-rostered player is strictly prohibited.

Equipment

All players must wear the following equipment:

  • Matching jersey with a permanent number (no tape)
  • Street hockey helmet (with face cage/shield)
  • Shin guards
  • Elbow pads
  • Hockey gloves
  • Hockey stick
  • Protective cup (recommended for boys)

Goalies: leg pads, goalie glove & blocker (no baseball mitts), chest protector.

Game Length

  • Peewee: (1) 8-minute practice time and (2) 14-minute periods with stoppage every 2 minutes for line changes.
  • Penguin, Beaver, Cadet & Freshmen: (1) 5-minute practice time and (3) 12-minute periods. Stop time will be played for the final 2 minutes of each period.

Penalties

Standard NHL penalties will be called. The “icing” penalty will apply to the Beaver, Cadet, and Freshmen divisions only.

Overtime

Regular Season Games

  • Peewee: If there is a tie at the end of the last period, the game will end in a tie.
  • Penguin, Beaver, Cadet & Freshmen: A 5-minute sudden death overtime period will be played to attempt to break the tie. If the score remains tied at the end of the 5 minutes, the game will end in a tie.

Playoff Games

  • If there is a tie at the end of the last period, a 5-minute sudden-death overtime period will be played. If at the end of the 5-minute overtime, the score is still tied, a shootout will be conducted to break the tie.

Timeouts

Each team gets 2 timeouts for the game. 1 additional timeout will be given for the 5-minute overtime period.

Offsides

  • Peewee: Offsides will NOT be enforced.
  • Penguin, Beaver, Cadet & Freshmen: The offside rules will be enforced.

Conduct

All coaches, players, and spectators are expected to exhibit good sportsmanship at all times. The league has a zero-tolerance rule for poor sportsmanship. Any player violating The Sports Arena’s Code of Conduct will be penalized appropriately up to and including game ejection, future game suspensions, and league expulsion. All Code of Conduct violations will be reviewed in detail and administered by the league. For Penguin, Beaver, Cadet & Freshmen, a player who receives 3 penalties will be ejected from the game.

Forfeits

Any team that forfeits 3 or more games in a season will NOT be eligible to play in the playoffs. Forfeits are scored 8-0 for the non-forfeiting team.