Rules & Regulations

POSTED 1/03/26

1. General Provisions

The EFHA Heritage Female Hockey Classic Tournament, scheduled from January 29th to February 1st, 2026, shall be conducted in accordance with the official Hockey Canada Rules. Exceptions may apply as per Hockey Alberta regulations and any additional rules adopted by Hockey Alberta, as well as the specific tournament rules outlined herein.

Officials are requested to regularly enforce Section 6.1(d) of the Hockey Canada Rulebook in the administration of all games.

When five minutes remain in a scheduled ice slot, the game clock will be reduced to two minutes of remaining game time. Any penalties in effect at the time of this reduction shall remain in force. This procedure is referred to as the “5/2 rule.”

Teams are prohibited from entering the ice surface until referees are present and the Zamboni gate is securely closed.

2. Game Procedures

All round robin games shall be played with stop time and without ice floods between periods.
Timeouts are not permitted.
A three-minute warm-up shall precede each game.
Teams must remain on the ice and bench area between periods during round robin games.
In the event of overtime during final games, a five-minute overtime period shall commence immediately following the third period.
Should a shootout be required in finals, it shall begin immediately after the five-minute overtime period.

Upon conclusion of each game and subsequent handshake, teams shall line up on their respective blue lines for award presentations. For safety, players must retain helmets and gloves. MVP/Heart & Hustle awards will be presented to two players per team, as selected by the team’s own coaching staff.

3. Division Formats

U9 Division

Three-minute warm-up
Two periods of 24-minute run time
Two-minute interval between periods; teams remain on ice
Five-minute awards/handshake
Refer to Appendix A for additional U9 regulations

U11 and U13 Divisions (Round Robin – 60 Minute Ice Slot)

Three-minute warm-up
Three periods of 14-minute stop time
One-minute interval between periods; teams remain on ice
Five-minute awards/handshake
No overtime periods in the event of a tie during round robin games

U15 Division (Round Robin – 75 Minute Ice Slot)

Three-minute warm-up
Three periods of 15-minute stop time
Two-minute interval between periods; teams remain on ice
Five-minute awards/handshake
No overtime periods in the event of a tie during round robin games

U18 Division (Round Robin – 90 Minute Ice Slot)

Three-minute warm-up
Three periods: 15, 20, and 20 minutes of stop time
Two-minute interval between periods; teams remain on ice
Five-minute awards/handshake
No overtime periods in the event of a tie during round robin games

4. Finals – Overtime and Shootout Procedures

In the event of a tie during a finals game, a five-minute overtime period shall commence immediately after the third period, with each team fielding three skaters and a goaltender.
Teams shall maintain the same playing direction as at the end of the third period.
Penalties during overtime: the penalized team continues with three skaters and a goalie; the non-penalized team plays with four skaters and a goalie until the first whistle after the penalty expires.
The first team to score is declared the winner.
If no goal is scored during overtime, the game proceeds to a shootout.
Each team selects three players for the shootout; the home team determines shooting order.
Goaltenders remain in the same nets as at the end of regulation and overtime.
Teams alternate shootout attempts; the team with the most goals after three attempts wins.
If still tied, teams select additional shooters (not previously used) and continue alternating attempts until a winner is determined.

5. Standings and Tie Breakers

Finals placement is determined by point standings following the round robin:
- Win: 2 points
- Tie: 1 point
- Loss: 0 points
In the event of a tie in points, the following tie-breaker procedures apply, in order:

Win-loss record between tied teams
Highest goal differential (Goals For minus Goals Against)
Fewest Penalty Minutes
If still tied, a coin toss determines placement

6. Appendix A – U9 Game Information

Twenty-four-minute periods with on-the-fly changes
No scorekeeping during games
Teams play with five skaters and one goaltender
Small nets (3’ x 4’) and blue pucks preferred; black pucks may be used if agreed upon
Face-off at center ice to begin each period; officials to expedite puck drop
Offsides and icing are enforced; face-offs follow at appropriate dots
Goaltender freezing the puck results in a face-off in the defending end
Face-off at center ice after each goal
One coach per team may assist players with face-offs until comfortable; coaches must refrain from influencing play once puck is dropped
Penalties result in player removal and substitution to maintain even strength; penalized player removed when penalized team gains possession; clock continues running
No backup goaltenders permitted