GENERAL PURPOSE

 

 It is the intention of the Delco School Ice Hockey League and its member schools and school districts to foster an enjoyable and competitive sports environment for student boys and student girls from the first years of elementary education through the first year of high school.  An important byproduct of participating in this League throughout primary education years is to provide continuity and a greater degree of competitiveness as these students enter the high school league.  All officials and parents will be mindful that the level of performance in this league may vary at any and all grades due to the fact that teams are derived solely from the population of the respective school systems, and that the primary purpose of the league is to promote sportsmanship, school spirit, and a love of the game of ice hockey.

 

 

Elementary:    This is one or two division of teams comprised of players who are in the kindergarten through fourth grade levels.  After an evaluation period, this division may be divided into two subdivisions consisting of a top performing "A" group and a lower performing "B" group.  This separation will generally occur midway through the season, and allow for better competition and the chance for all teams to compete in separate playoffs.  Teams will be reminded to emphasize skating and passing skills at this level, provide decent opportunities for plenty of participation by all players, develop of goaltending among multiple players, and the sharing of practice ice among teams to increase ice time and informal competition.

 

 Middle School "Non-check (B)":   This is a single division of teams comprised of players who are in the fifth and sixth grades.  Teams will be asked to continue emphasize skating and passing skills, while contact (checking) should not be emphasized in practice and cannot be executed during games.  Teams should submit an initial roster containing all eligible fifth and sixth graders in their program, along with a fully completed formal Placement Petition for each and any player at this level who wants to participate in the "upper" "A" middle school division.

 

Middle School "Check (A)":    This is a single division of teams comprised of players who are in the seventh and eighth grades.  Teams will be encouraged to introduce the skill of checking, and checking will be allowed during games.  Teams should submit an initial roster containing all eligible seventh and eighth graders in their program, along with a fully completed formal Placement Petition for each and any player at this level who wants or may need to participate in the "lower" "B" middle school division.

 

The Executive Committee, in addition to and after ruling on Placement Petitions, will actively observe the performance of players and teams in the early part of the season.  Upon careful consideration, the Executive Committee may rescind a Petition ruling, and may also challenge any club concerning the placement of a player.  Any consideration or challenge will be done in the spirit of providing a fair and reasonable atmosphere for the development of all players.  The input and cooperation of coaches and representatives from all clubs will be requested throughout the petitioning process.  All petitions must be submitted prior to midnight, Dec 1st, in advance of the regularly scheduled December club meeting.  So, the Placement Petition functions just like a "change of roster" form.  By the end of the December league meeting, rosters will then become "locked" for the remainder of the season.  Also, in order to be eligible for the playoffs, all players must be rostered and have played in a minimum of ten games.  A non-check (B) player will need to be playing on the check (A) team by the seventh game in order to play in the remaining ten games and be eligible to play in the check (A) team's playoff games.

 

PLAYER  ELIGIBILITY

 

Any player submitted on a roster must be a full time student at an officially recognized educational institution within the officially recognized school district.  Only players outside of the designated school district who have already filed an Eligibility Petition and received written confirmation from the league's Executive Committee can be submitted on a roster. The Executive Committee will require the petitioning club to demonstrate on the Petition that each and any exceptionally eligible player has no eligible program within or adjacent to their school district on which to play.  The Executive Committee may then require that all head coaches in the respective division vote on the acceptance of the Petition.

 

PETITIONING  PROCEDURES

 

The Placement Petition and Eligibility Petition are available from the Executive Committee and the League website.  A fully completed and properly submitted petition will be generate a written response from the Executive Committee within five days of receipt of the petition.  A formal appeals process will be established with the cooperation of the participating programs within the division.  Cooperation may require that a coach or representative of each program attend and vote at a hearing to consider the appeal.  Rulings on any Petition will be considered unique, and do not establish precedent or justification for future rulings.

 

ROSTERS

 

Each team must submit an official League roster, available from the Executive Committee and the League website.  In addition, each team may be required to submit the following: 

Any and all forms and communications that document changes to rosters may also be required.  A folder will be maintained by the Executive Committee.

 

THE  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE

 

The Delco School League will be guided by an Executive Committee, comprised of a President, a Vice President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a League Coordinator.  Each member will have one vote on all matters presented to the Committee with the President's vote counting as two (2) in the case of a tie.

 

The Committee will meet regularly throughout the year, hold League meetings throughout the year, record and maintain minutes of all meetings, and maintain financial and other formal records and documents.

 

The Committee will make available and/or describe to all clubs, through recognized coaches and representatives, all discussions and considerations that affect decisions and rulings concerning Petitions, playoff formats, and rules of play.

 

Members of the Executive Committee will be listed on the League website along with individual contact information.  It is important that each club designate a representative through whom most issues can be discussed between the club and the Committee.  Clubs may also choose to designate one representative from each team within its organization through whom most issues can be discussed.

 

RULES  OF  PLAY

 

The season generally runs from November through April.  Teams will compete in sixteen games, a single elimination playoff format, and an All-Star game

 

Teams should be prepared to begin games ten minutes before game time.  A team must place six eligible players (one goalie and five skaters or six skaters) on the ice before the start of the game.  If unable to do so, the clock will run for five minutes, after which the game is forfeited, and the ice can be used as agreed upon by the two coaches and the referee. 
Teams need to provide a legible PRINTED list of players' names on the front  copy of the official scoresheet.  Contact the league Secretary for information regarding labels.  ALL players participating in that game must SIGN their name next to the appropriate PRINTED version of their name.  Teams must clearly designate any goalie rostered for that game.  All coaches must clearly print their name and list their CEP number (for the head coach) on the scoresheet.  At least one coach, preferably the head coach, must also sign the scoresheet, usually after the game is complete.  Signing the scoresheet means that the team and the program acknowledge the propriety of the game just played, unless noted on the scoresheet.

 

Home team has the right to wear their white or light colored jersey for the game.  The visiting team is expected to wear a dark or noticeably darker colored jersey for the game, and only with the acceptance of the home team can this rule be altered.  The referee should be informed of this agreement.  The visiting team may be required to wear a dark colored pinny or replacement jersey to be in compliance.  All jerseys should be numbered, and numbers should correspond with the rostered numbers for each player.  Any discrepancies must be brought to the attention of the referee AND the opposing coach prior to the start of the game.  Improper numbering and/or the participation of an ineligible player will subject the game results and the team to review by the Executive Committee.

 

Coaches are not permitted on the ice surface during the game unless attending to an injured player.  No player can enter onto the ice surface until at least one referee is on the ice.  Conditions permitting, the scorekeeper will start a five-minute countdown on the game clock at the beginning of the posted ice slot time.  It is important that the team perform their warm-up in the time allotted and be prepared to begin the game quickly after the end of the five-minute countdown.

 

Elementary games will consist of three twelve minute periods.  Non-check (B) games will consist of three thirteen minute periods.  Check (A) games will consist of three fourteen minute periods.  Games will be played to completion.  During the third period of any game, the League will enforce a "running clock" once the goal differential reaches six.  Once the goal differential falls below six, normal clock time will recommence.   Any exceptional rules for playoff games will be announced prior to the start of playoffs.

 

A minor penalty in an Elementary Division game will be one minute and thirty seconds (1:30).  For all other divisions, a minor penalty will be two minutes (2:00).   In all divisions, a major penalty will be five minutes (5:00), and a misconduct will be ten minutes (10:00).  Any misconduct assessed during the last five minutes of a game will cause that player to serve a full ten minutes (10:00) of their next eligible game.  A player who earns a first fighting major will also be assessed a one game suspension, including playoffs.  A player who earns a second fighting major will also be assessed a five game suspension including playoffs.  A player who earns a third fighting major will be removed from the league roster, and will be ineligible for the remainder of the season.

 

All minor, major, and match penalties assessed against a player or coach during a Delco School League game must serve that penalty during or through a Delco School League game only.  Participation in other leagues does not fulfill the assessment.  Penalties assessed by other leagues may not affect a Delco School League player or coach unless appropriately reviewed by the Executive Committee.

 

Generally, all rules and guidelines issued by USA Hockey are applicable, except when specific rules listed above supersede, or if the Executive Committee is requested to consider a specific circumstance.