Kelowna Ringette Association
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Tournament Rules

The official rules of Ringette (as outlined by BCRA) will apply.

  1. Teams must be ready to go on the ice fifteen (15) minutes before game time. Teams not iced within two (2) minutes of referee’s whistle being blown to start the game will forfeit the game. This is required to ensure the tournament stays on schedule. However, the game will be played as an exhibition.
  2. Scoresheets are to be picked up at the hospitality desk at the arena by the scorekeeper. They are to be completed and signed by all bench staff at least fifteen (15) minutes before game time. No additions are to be made to rosters (players or bench staff) without an approved BCRA Team Adjustment Form that has been submitted online.
  3. A maximum of eighteen (18) skaters may be dressed for any game.
  4. All home teams must provide a timekeeper and shot clock. Visiting teams must provide a scorekeeper during the round-robin and semi-final play. The Sweetheart Committee will provide a scorekeeper/shot clock/timekeeper for all placement medal (Gold, Silver, Bronze) games.
  5. In case of conflict in uniform colour, the VISITING team must change their uniforms. Referees shall decide if there is a conflict in uniform colour.
  6. All pre-game warm-ups will be three (3) minutes.
  7. Length of halves shall be eighteen (18) minutes for U10 to U18+. There will be a two (2) minute break between halves. All play is stop-time unless the1-hourr time limit is reached.
  8. Due to the high number of games and requirement to stay on schedule, all round-robin games have a set time limit of one (1) hour. The referees reserve the right to knock down the clock if time is running out prior to the1-hour limit. When 5 minutes are left in ice time, the clock may be put down to 3 minutes and the period finished utilizing stop-time.
  9. During semi-final and final games, game times shall not be reduced.
  10. A Shot clock will be used in U12 and higher division games.
  11. A maximum three (3) goals per player per game will be allowed in U9 (Bunny), U10 (Novice) and U12 (Petite) Divisions; additional goals by the player will not be registered on the score sheet.
  12. Game scores will be posted on the time clock, posted on the Sweetheart Tournament website, and recorded for tie-breaking procedures with a MAXIMUM SEVEN GOAL DIFFERENCE based on the losing team’s score.
  13. Teams will be credited with two (2) points for a win, one (1) point for a tie, and zero (0) points for a loss during round-robin play. Tie games will stand during round-robin play. See tie-breaking procedures in the event of a tie in standings between teams prior to semi-finals and finals.
  14. In medal games, the higher-place team shall be HOME.
  15. Medals will be awarded to all U9 (Bunny), U10 (Novice) and U12 (Petite) participants following their final game of the tournament, and to applicable participants in the Final game of their division (Bronze, Silver, and Gold).
  16. No ties will occur in semi-final and final games. All ties will be decided by a 5-minute sudden victory 5 on 5 overtime period. Ring possession to start will be determined by coin toss, with the home team calling the toss. The team that wins the coin toss gets the free pass to start the overtime, the team that loses the coin toss picks which net they want to defend.

If after one period of overtime the game is still tied, the game will be decided by a shootout. Coach makes a list of three shooters. Winner of the coin toss to start the overtime also starts the shootout. The teams will alternate shots until a winner is declared. The winner is the first team to reach a statistical win ( i.e. team A has two goals after two shots, team B has no goals after two shots, Team B cannot statistically now win, so team A is declared winner before all shooters are finished). If the score is still tied after all six shooters are finished, the teams will alternate shooters in a "sudden victory" format. (i.e. if team A scores and team B does not score, Team A wins the game).

In the event of a sudden death shootout, the coach may only select and use as a shooter a player that has not participated in the shootout until all players (excluding goalies) have been utilized.

If a winner is still declared when all eligible players have participated in the shootout, the team may use any shooter they choose, but not continually.

  1. Teams must declare goaltender (s), captains, and alternate captains on the game sheet by indicating (G), (C), (AC).
  2. Good sportsmanship will be stressed through the tournament. Any TEAM accumulating MORE THAN 30 penalty minutes in any ONE GAME, shall see the head coach or acting coach for that game suspended for their next tournament game. (No grievances accepted). A MATCH penalty will automatically result in game suspension from all subsequent tournament games.
  3. THE REFEREE’S DECISION SHALL BE FINAL.
  4. Any player or coach who is ejected from a game for a misconduct penalty will get an automatic 1 game plus any further games as deemed appropriate by the rules committee.
  5. Any team wishing to file a protest may do so by submitting their request in writing along with $100 cash to the Rutland Arena Hospitality Desk. Notification of protest must be received within one hour of the incident occurring to enable sufficient time to deal with the protest. A grievance committee will meet to deal with any protests received (If the protest is upheld the $100 will be refunded). No game protests involving referee judgment will be accepted.
  6. Standings will be posted and available on the Sweetheart Tournament website and the TeamLinkt app.