HSL Championship Rules

These rules and guidelines will be the protocol followed by ALL divisions.

HSL Championship Guidelines

• All in-game protocols will remain the same as HSL Regular season league games, unless otherwise noted. This includes warm-up, length of periods, mercy rule and rulebook will be the same as then-current HSL Rulebook.
• Supplemental disciplinary procedures and reviews will be managed by the same process as the HSL Regular Season.
• Tie games in round robin portion of the tournament will end in a tie.
• Quarterfinals, semifinals or Championship games ending regulation in a tie will play overtime and shootout if necessary. Overtime rules and protocol are listed below.
• Teams will be guaranteed a minimum of three (3) games during the Championship weekends, as per Acceptance Package information provided prior to the start of the season.
• Pools for Championship weekends will be determined via total Points Percentage (PTS% in website standings) through the regular season, due to the divisional realignment and hybrid divisional games between different divisions which took place. Only records played between teams in the same division will be used. Meaning, games played only against teams playing in the same championship tournaments will be used to determine standings. These PTS% totals are listed below, next to the competing teams in this championship.
• Teams with the highest regular season points percentage will ALWAYS be deemed as the Home Team during the Championship Weekends.

Championship Weekend Post-Game Protocols

• At the conclusion of EVERY GAME, teams will line up on their respective blue lines and we will be giving away a Heart and Hustle award, powered by Bauer Hockey. The coaches from each team will choose a Heart and Hustle recipient from the opposing team, please let the scorekeeper know who you have selected, and if possible, have them announce it in the facility. If they are not using the mic, please annonce the athlete as loud as possible. The player will come to center ice to receive their award. In order to have enough time for this, please ensure games are moving along at a fast rate as officials will also be instructed to move the game along as fast as possible.

Tiebreakers for Final Rankings After Round Robin (If 2 Teams Are Tied in Points)

1. Head-to-Head Result - The team that won the head-to-head matchup in the Round Robin ranks higher.
2. Most Wins - The team with the most total wins in the Round Robin ranks higher.
3. Goal Quotient - The team with the highest decimal rating (A maximum goal differential of ±5 per game will be applied), calculated as: Goals For (GF) / Goals For (GF) + Goals Against (GA)
4. Regular Season Points Percentage - If teams remain tied, the team with the higher points percentage from the regular season ranks higher.
5. Fewest Penalty Minutes (PIMs) - The team with the lowest total penalty minutes in the Round Robin ranks higher.
6. Coin Flip - If teams remain tied after all criteria, a coin flip (or random draw) will determine the final ranking.

Tiebreakers for Final Rankings After Round Robin (If Three or More Teams Are Tied in Points)

When three or more teams are tied in points after the Round Robin, the following tiebreakers will be applied in order until all ties are broken. Once a team is ranked and removed from the tie, the procedure restarts at Step 1 for the remaining tied teams.

1. Head-to-Head Record Among Tied Teams (Complete Round Robin Only)
   If, and only if, all tied teams have played each other, only the results of those games are considered. Teams are ranked by points percentage from those games.

   If the head-to-head schedule is incomplete (not all tied teams have faced each other), this step is skipped and the process moves to Step 2.

2. Most Wins in Round Robin

   The team with the most total wins in Round Robin play is ranked higher.

3. Goal Quotient (With Goal Differential Cap)

   Teams are ranked by their goal quotient from all Round Robin games, calculated as:

   Goal Quotient = Goals For (GF) / (Goals For (GF) + Goals Against (GA))

   For this calculation, a maximum goal differential of ±5 per game will be applied. In any single game, no team will be credited with more than +5 or charged with less than -5 for goals when determining GF and GA for the quotient.

   3a. Head-to-Head Protection Within the Tie

   When applying Step 3 to a group of tied teams, if two teams:

   - Are still tied on all earlier criteria (same points, same number of wins, and in the same position at Step 3), and have played each other in the Round Robin, then the head-to-head result between those two teams will be used to determine their order.

   - A team that has lost a head-to-head game to another team in the tied group cannot be ranked ahead of that team while they remain tied on all earlier criteria.

4. Highest Regular Season Points Percentage - The team with the highest regular season points percentage is ranked higher.

5. Fewest Penalty Minutes (PIMs) in Round Robin - The team with the fewest total penalty minutes in Round Robin play is ranked higher.

6. Coin Flip / Random Draw - If teams remain tied after all criteria above have been applied, a coin flip (or random draw) will determine the final ranking.

Overtime Rules for Playoff Games

1. Overtime Period
   • 60 seconds between the end of the third period and the start of overtime.
   • 60 seconds between overtime and the start of the shootout (if needed).
• A 5-minute, 3-on-3 overtime will be played if the game is tied after regulation.
• Teams switch ends for overtime.
• If a shootout is required, goalies return to the net they defended in the third period.
• Breaks:
2. Shootout (If Still Tied After Overtime)
• A 3-player shootout will decide the winner.
• The home team chooses whether to shoot first or second.
• If still tied, a sudden-death shootout follows.
• All skaters must take a shot before any player can shoot again.

 Note that in all instances, the League Commissioner reserves the right to make final decisions if any lack of clarity or confusion arises from the perception of the above-mentioned rules.