The following rules have been established in conjunction with USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey.
League Rules and Game Procedures
All games will be played under USA Hockey Rules as modified by Minnesota Hockey.
- Minor penalties will be 2 minutes.
- Major penalties will be 5 minutes.
- Icing is ALLOWED during penalties for the shorthanded team.
- Tag-up offsides.
- Hybrid Icing: Within the hybrid system, the linesman determines whether a play will be called icing based on which player reaches the tops of the face-off circles first. If the linesman feels the attacking player will be the first to the puck, icing is waived off. If the linesman believes the defending player will eventually win the sprint to the puck, the whistle is blown.
- One time-out allowed per game.
Teams must have USA Hockey rostered players and coaches.
NGHL Hockey is aligned with USA Hockey in its commitment to creating a safe and fair environment for all participants.
Respect for the game, the opponents, coaches, and officials is a critical part of the environment that is created.
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NGHL Hockey supports the USA Hockey zero tolerance initiatives for verbal abuse of any player, official, parent, or spectator.
To ensure the quickest response time, anyone may contact the EMT Services (911) in the event of an emergency.
Zero Tolerance Policy
Alcoholic products are prohibited outside of the common viewing area upstairs.
Any person causing damage to the tournament facility will be fined commensurate with the damage and will be removed from the premises and/or suspended from all facility activities until the fine is paid in full.
Monitoring and Safety
It is the policy of USA Hockey that all teams have at least one responsible adult (head/assistant coach or other approved team personnel) directly monitoring the locker room during all tournament events to ensure that only participants (coaches and players), and other approved team personnel are permitted in the locker room to supervise the conduct in and around the locker rooms at all times while participants are present and also make sure the locker room is appropriately secured during times when minor participants are on the ice.
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All responsible adults serving as locker room monitors should be gender correct, and the co-ed locker room policy must be followed.
Monitors must be screened per USA Hockey screening standards and USA Hockey SafeSport certified.
Per USA Hockey policy, cell phones and other mobile devices with recording capabilities, including voice recording, still cameras, and video cameras, are not permitted to be used in the locker rooms.
The NGHL requires accurate and complete rosters for college coaches.
Game Specifics
Here are some specifics regarding game play:
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- 3-minute warm-up. Pucks are provided at each rink.
- Each game will consist of three (3) 17-minute stop time periods.
- Ice resurfacing will occur every two periods.
- There will be a one (1) minute intermission between periods that do not have a resurface.
- Running time will commence if the goal separation is 6 goals or more at ANY time during the game.
Throat Laceration Protection
Throat Laceration Protection (neck guard) is REQUIRED for ALL players. Non-compliance will mean removal from the game.
AHAI Rules and Regulations Regarding Girls Tier II Player Movement
Player movement between AHAI Tier II Girls’ Affiliate Organizations is limited by age classification.
In addition to the restrictions listed below, players must comply with the Girls’ Tier II Choice Section in these Rules and Regulations.
- All 10U Tier II Girls’ Teams are limited to a maximum of two (2) NEWLY added players to an organization at the 10U age level, who played for another Girls’ Tier II Affiliate Organization during the previous fall (regular) season. EXAMPLE: If a Tier II Girls Affiliate Organization has more than one (1) team at an age level, they may not add more than two (2) players at the age level.
- All 12U Tier II Girls’ Teams are limited to a maximum of three (3) NEWLY added players to an organization at the 12U age level, who played for another Girls’ Tier II Affiliate Organization during the previous fall (regular) season. EXAMPLE: If a Tier II Girls Affiliate Organization has more than one (1) team at an age level, they may not add more than three (3) players at the age level
- At the 14U and 16U age levels - any Tier II Girls’ Affiliate Organization adding players from another Tier II Girls’ Affiliate Organization from the previous fall (regular) season are limited to a maximum of three (3) NEWLY added players at the respective age level from said Tier II Girls Affiliate Organization. EXAMPLE: If a Tier II Girls’ Affiliate Organization has more than one (1) team at an age level, they may not add more than three (3) players at the age level.
- At the 19U age level - any Tier II Girls’ Affiliate Organization adding players from another Tier II Girls’ Affiliate Organization from the previous fall (regular) season are limited to a maximum of three (3) NEWLY added players at the age level from said Tier II Girls’ Affiliate Organization. EXAMPLE: If a Tier II Girls’ Affiliate Organization has more than one (1) team at an age level, they may not add more than three (3) players at the age level.
Under NO circumstances or scenarios will the Player Movement Rule be implied to indicate that a Tier II Girls Affiliate Organization may take the maximum allowed from multiple Affiliate Organizations.
EXAMPLE: 16u age level - Organization ‘A’ may NOT take three (3) players from Organization ‘B’ and three (3) players from Organization ‘C’. This scenario exceeds the maximum NEWLY added players by three (3).
Exceptions to the Player Movement Rule:
- Players who previously played with a Tier II Girls’ Affiliate Organization, as one of their choices, will not count against the maximum, regardless of their Affiliate Organization during the previous fall (regular) season.
- Players who played for a Tier II Girls’ Affiliate Organization that does not field a team at a specific age level will not count against the maximum for the Tier II Girls’ Affiliate organization to which the Player moves.
Non-Compliance:
Any Girls’ Affiliate Organization’s Team(s) in violation of the Player Movement Section of this Article will be ineligible to participate in that season’s State Tournament. In addition, if the Team(s) is at the National-Bound age level, the Team(s) will be ineligible for participation in Districts or Nationals for the same season.
Further violations of the Player Movement Section will then be sent to the AHAI Rules and Ethics Committee for potentially additional disciplinary action.
Effective with the 2024/25 Fall (Regular) Season, the Girls’ Two-Choice Rule/Section is no longer in existence & has been removed from the AHAI Rules and Regulations.
Olympic Hockey Rules
The women's tournament will feature 10 teams.
For the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, competition will take place at the Milano Santagiulia and the Milano Rho ice hockey arenas.
Typically, Olympic competition takes place on a larger rink measuring 197 feet long by 98.5 feet wide. This is only the third time the Games will be played on an NHL-sized rink.
Fighting is not allowed in Olympic hockey. Players who willingly participate in a fight will be penalized accordingly by the referee and may be ejected from the game.
Substitutions can occur at any time during play from a team's bench provided that the player(s) leaving the ice are within 1.50m of their bench and are out of the play before the change is made.
Overtime Rules
If at the end of three 20-minute periods in a single preliminary round game, the two playing teams are tied, the teams will then play a “sudden death” overtime period of not more than five minutes with the team scoring first declared the winner (same as the NHL regular season rules).
A 10-minute overtime period will be played in a semifinal game or quarterfinal game. The overtime period shall be played with each team at a numerical strength of three skaters and one goalie.
The shootout will begin with five different players from each team taking alternate shots. The goalkeepers will defend the same goal as in the overtime period. The players of both teams will take the shots alternately until a decisive goal is scored. The remaining shots will not be taken.
If the game is tied at the end of regulation in the gold medal or bronze medal game, the two teams will play a 20-minute period of 3-on-3 hockey. If the game is tied after overtime, the teams will keep playing until the winning goal is scored. There is no shootout.
Common Penalties
Here are some common penalties in hockey:
- Offside: A penalty that occurs when a player on the attacking team precedes the puck into the attacking zone.
- Hooking: A penalty that occurs when a player uses their stick to impede the progress of an opponent.
- Icing: When a player shoots a puck from behind their own red line and it travels untouched past the opposing team's goal line. For the purpose of this rule, the center red line divides the ice rink into two halves. If a player shoots, bats or deflects the puck from their own half of the ice beyond the opposing team's goal line, play is stopped and icing is called.