USA Hockey Rules will be followed. All players must be registered with USA Hockey and provide a current USA Hockey number before the tournament.
Guidelines & Basic Rules
All players must be at least 18 years old on March 24, 2023 to participate in the tournament, and at least 21 years old to consume alcohol per laws and regulations.
Rosters are limited to 16 players (including goalies). No roster changes will be permitted after March 22, 2023 without the express approval of a Tournament Director. Substitutions for injury or illness will generally be approved, but nonetheless require approval of a Tournament Director.
Game schedules will be emailed to all team captains. Team captains are responsible for ensuring that team players known the schedule.
All players must sign-in before two or more games to be eligible to participate in any playoff game. By signing in and/or participating in the tournament, a player agrees to all rules and terms of the tournament.
Teams are required to bring numbered jerseys of matching color/design. If two teams have the same (or similar jersey color), the home team determines which team must change jerseys.
1. Player Code of Conduct
No fighting or physical/verbal abuse of officials will be tolerated, and may result in ejection from the tournament. Referees are given discretion to eject players from the game and/or tournament for fighting or abuse of officials, and teams may be assessed an automatic loss. Tournament Directors have further discretion to assess player suspensions, team game losses, playoff disqualifications, and/or other disciplinary actions for fighting or abuse of officials (even if not assessed by referees).
Engage in good sportsmanship at all times. Do not lash out at other players, officials, or tournament staff—regardless of the circumstances. No rude, belligerent, or otherwise unprofessional conduct will be tolerated.
No alcohol is permitted on the bench during a game.
No checking will be permitted in any division.
Any player assessed with three penalties in a single game will be automatically ejected for the remainder of that game. Any player assessed with a game misconduct or match penalty may be suspended from further tournament play at the discretion of the Tournament Directors.
2. Game Structure
Each game will consist of three 15-minute stop time periods. Each game will start with a warm-up of approximately 3 minutes, with 1-minute breaks between periods (as curfews will allow). Each game will have a time limit (curfew) of 75 minutes. A running clock will be utilized if necessary to ensure curfew is met.
Each team is allowed one 30-second timeout per game.
- Tier I, Tier II, Tier III – Full Slapshot
- Tier IV, Tier V – Half (Waist High) Slapshot
- Tier I, Tier II, Tier III – Red Line (Center Ice) Icing
- Tier IV, Tier V – Blue Line (Defensive Zone/Neutral Zone) Icing
If a player scores more than three goals in a given game, the additional goals will not count toward the score.
If a game ends in a tie at the end of regulation time, a 3-person overtime shootout (potentially followed by sudden death shootout) is used to break the tie. The home team decides which team shoots first. A player cannot shoot twice until all bench players have taken a shot, and the same shooting order must be used for subsequent shots. If the shootout has not concluded by curfew during a preliminary round robin game, the game is deemed a tie.
3. Round Robin Point System & Playoff Eligibility
During the preliminary round robin games, points are awarded as follows (6 total points per game):
- Period
- 1 point for winning a period
- 0.5 points for tying a period
- 0 points for losing a period
- Game
- 3 points for winning the game
- 1.5 points for tying the game
- 0 points for losing the game
The seeding for playoff games will be determined based on the number of round robin points earned in the three preliminary round robin games in that division.
- More specifically, in a division with semi-final games (6+ teams), the #1 seed will play the #4 seed, and the #2 seed will play the #3 seed (with the winners moving onto a championship game).
- In a division with no semi-final games, the #1 seed will play the #2 seed in a championship game. In all playoff games, the lower number seed (e.g., #1 compared to #2) is the home team.
- Strength of Schedule Points
- 10 points for beating a 2-1-0 team
- 8 points for beating a 1-1-1 team
- 6 points for beating a 1-2-0 or 0-1-2 team
- 5 points for beating a 0-2-1 team
- 4 points for beating a 0-3-0 team
- Head-to-Head (2-way tie only)
- Fewest Goals Against
- Greatest Goal Differential (GF – GA)
- Fewest Penalty Minutes
- Coin Toss
Photographic Likeness Consent
By playing in the Hoosier Hockey Invitational tournament on March 24-26, 2023, I give the Indianapolis Youth Hockey Association Jr Fuel (IYHA Jr Fuel) and the Hoosier Hockey Invitational including interested parties and affiliates thereof, collectively “HHI”, permission to use my photographic likeness in promotional displays or publications. I grant permission to HHI to use, reproduce, distribute and/or publicize my photographic likeness. Publication, use and distribution of my photographic likeness are without limit. Publication may occur in pamphlets, instructional material, our website, and/or displays. I acknowledge that I understand that the HHI intends to use my photographic likeness only for HHI promotional or educational purposes. This agreement is binding on successors, assigns, and/or heirs.
Tournament Directors
The Hoosier Hockey Invitational Tournament Directors are Robin Dunn and Clay Williams. The following members of the IYHA / Junior Fuel and the Fuel Tank at Fishers are also deemed to be Tournament Directors, with full tournament authorities and discretion, as described herein: Derek Edwardson, JJ Beck, Brian Gratz, DJ Fisher, and John Cavey.
The Tournament Directors reserve the right to make any decisions regarding the tournament rules, game format, and/or other aspects of the tournament, including but not limited to changing one or more aspects thereof, toward the overall good of the event.