- Must be at least 18 years old to play
- This is a single-elimination, winner-take-all tournament format.
- Qualifying games are 55 minutes long with two 22 minute halves with a running clock. There will be a 5-minute warm-up and a 60-second intermission between halves.
- The semi-finals and championship games will be 45 minutes long with (2) 20-minute halves with a running clock. There will be a 5-minute warm-up and no intermission between halves.
- If there is a tie, a 3-person shoot-out will break the tie.
- Offsides will be called, but icing will not be called.
- All players are required to follow USA Hockey equipment recommendations; helmets need to be HECC approved.
- There will be two referees controlling the flow of the game.
- There will be one faceoff per period. If the goalie covers the puck, the referee will blow his whistle and have the goalie place the puck behind the net, allowing the team to breakout and start a new play. As a result, the opposing team must give reasonable space to allow the team to restart the play in action.
- If there is an obvious penalty, the referee will call a penalty. The result is a penalty shot (15 seconds max). The games will be played with similar “pick-up” hockey rules and MUST be a friendly game. Remember, it’s for charity but compete hard to create a fast-paced, highly competitive hockey tournament.
- Players may only play on one team.
- All teams must have home (white or light) and away (dark) jerseys.
- There will be one off-ice pond official to monitor the play (scoring, time, puck reset, and arbiter of infractions).
- Any major infractions called will result in an awarded goal and ejection from the tournament of the penalized player, with no replacement.
- Abuse of officials will be considered a major penalty. This includes yelling, swearing, or arguing about calls.
- Fighting is strictly prohibited. Any player that fights will be ejected from the tournament with no replacement, and a goal will be awarded.
- There will be no checking or body contact. A minor or major penalty will result if the referee deems it serious enough.
- Chaser’s Frozen Cup Trophy will be awarded to the winning team of the tournament.
- A Chaser’s Frozen Cup “Winter Classic” jersey will be awarded to an individual that donates or raises $1000 or more.
- The team that raises the most money will be awarded a Chaser’s Frozen Cup Top Fundraisers Trophy.