YOUTH DEK HOCKEY

MURRYSVILLE DEK HOCKEY, LLC

LOCAL RULES AND REGULATIONS – April 5, 2003

 1.  Addendum to Official Dekhockey Rulebook.

 (a)  The Official Dekhockey Rulebook  (the “Official Rules“) governs all play at the dek and roller hockey facility operated by Murrysville Dek Hockey, LLC (the “Facility“).

(b)  These local rules and regulations (“Local Rules“) also govern local play at the Facility.  These Local Rules are supplemental to the Official Rules.  In the event of a conflict between the Official Rules and the Local Rules, the Local Rules shall supercede and control over the Official Rules.

(c)  The Local Rules apply to official and non‑official games, practices, warm‑ups, scrimmages, and pick-up games.

(d)  By entering the Facility, individuals agree to abide by the Local Rules and the Official Rules.

 2.  Equipment and Uniform Requirements.

 (a)  All players are required to wear shin pads.

(b)  All players under the age of 18 are required to wear elbow pads.

(c)  Gloves are required to be worn by all players.  Gloves with protection on the back on the hand are recommended.

(d)  All players under the age of 18 must wear a helmet with a full face shield at all times.

(e)  All roller hockey players must wear a helmet at all times.

(f)  Players under the age of 18 must leave their helmet on while serving a penalty.

(g)  All team members are required to wear shirts or jerseys matching in color in all league games.

(h)  Anyone under the age of 18 must wear full equipment upon entering the dek.  Players not wearing full equipment will receive two warnings.  The third infraction will result in a suspension.

 3.  Roster Guidelines.

 (a)  Team captains or coaches may add and delete players up to and including the third game of the season.  Pro rata refunds may be issued in the sole discretion of Murrysville Dek Hockey up to the third scheduled game.

(b)  Use of a non‑paid player after the third scheduled game will result in a forfeit.

(c)  A player must play at least six regular season games, excluding serious verifiable injury, with his team to be eligible for the playoffs.

(d)  Any team found using a non‑rostered player without the consent of the League Manager or the General Manager of Murrysville Dek Hockey will forfeit any and all games such player participated in.

(e)  Individuals are required, upon demand to provide a driver’s license or birth certificate within 24 hours.

 4.  Weather Guidelines.

(a)  Games in progress will be called due to bad weather in the sole discretion of the referees.

(b)  Before game time only the Manager on duty has the authority to cancel and reschedule games due to weather related issues.  The Manager on duty will reschedule the game called or postponed due to bad weather.

(c)  Games will be considered an official game and the score, all goals and assists will be counted if the game is called due to poor weather so long as the game has reached the five minute point of the second period.  At that point, the game will be considered official.  Any game called before the five‑minute point of the second period, will be re‑played in its entirety.

5.  Game Start Requirements.

 (a)  Both teams must have a minimum of four players present before a game starts.

(b)  Any team delaying the start time of a game due to the lack of players will be assessed a 15‑minute starting time delay ‑ running clock first period and a delay of game penalty.

(c)  Both teams are required to provide two balls to the referees before the game starts.  Murrysville Dek Hockey is not responsible for the return of balls given to the referees for play.  It is recommended that team initials be put on balls for easy identification.  Balls will be rolled to the appropriate bench immediately after the final buzzer.  Murrysville Dek Hockey is not responsible for balls shot out of play.  It is the Coach’s or Captains responsibility for the return of the balls BEFORE the coaches/captains and referees leave the dek.

(d)  Team Captains or Coaches must report to the scorekeeper their goalies name and number for each game.

6.  Referee Fees.

 (a)  Referee fees are determined by Murrysville Dek Hockey on a per‑season, per‑league basis.

(b)  Team captains or coaches must pay the referee fee pior to the start of the game.

(c)  In case of forfeit, the forfeiting team will be assessed a forfeit fee equal to the sum of both referee fees for that game, payable before the forfeiting team’s next scheduled game. If a team forfeits more than once the league has the option to dissolve the team without refunding registration fees.

(d)  Full referee fees will be paid regardless of the number of referees.

(e) Purposefully shooting into your own net will result in forfeit win for the opposing team.

(f) Any team who forfeits two or more times in one season can be removed from the schedule per management discretion.

 7.  League Fees.

 (a)  League fees are determined by Murrysville Dek Hockey on a per‑season, per‑league basis.

(b)  Individuals must pay the entire league fee before the start of the First scheduled game.  Failure to do so will result in that individual being suspended from play until the balance of the league fee is paid.

 8.  Abuse of Referees and Murrysville Dek Hockey Employees.

(a)  Any individual who persists in arguing with or verbally abusing any referee or Murrysville Dek Hockey employee will be suspended from league play and/or the Murrysville Dek Hockey Facility for a period of time determined by and in the sole discretion of the General Manager.

(b)  Any individual who strikes or attempts to strike a referee or Murrysville Dek Hockey employee will be banned from the Murrysville Dek Hockey Facility and criminal charges may be filed with the police against the individual.

(c)  The scorekeeper is considered a Murrysville Dek Hockey employee.

(d)  Continued abuse of officials will result in a suspension of the player abusing the officials.

 9.  Fighting/Physical Altercations.

 (a)  Fighting suspensions will be levied for fighting with an opposing team member or for fighting with a member of your team.

(b)  Fighting is strictly forbidden.

(c)  Any player who engages in a fight will receive a major penalty, a game misconduct, and a suspension of at least 3 games.

(d)  Any player who leaves the bench or penalty box during a fight will receive a game misconduct, a suspension of length to be determined by the General Manager, and offending team automatically forfeits the game.

(e)  Any individual who engages in a physical altercation outside of the rink but on Murrysville Dek Hockey property will receive a suspension of length to be determined by the General Manager.

 10.  Misconduct Penalties and Related Suspensions.

(a)  Five Minute Misconduct.  Any type of inappropriate or unsportsmanlike conduct, including without limitation profanity, abusing equipment, delaying the game by shooting the ball away from the referee, obscene gestures, facility abuse, and not going to the penalty box after being assessed a penalty will result in a five‑minute misconduct assessed to the player taking these actions.

(b)  Game Misconduct.  Any player persisting in inappropriate or unsportsmanlike conduct will be assessed a game misconduct and a suspension.  The length of suspension is to be determined by the General Manager as recommended by the referees.

(c)  Gross Misconduct.  Any player who makes a travesty of the game in any way, purposely attempts or succeeds in injuring a referee or Murrysville Dek Hockey employee, or maliciously and willfully damages Murrysville Dek Hockey property will be assessed a gross misconduct which is comprised of a game misconduct and suspension from play for no less than one full season.

(d)  Compiling Misconducts.  If a player receives separate misconducts for separate violations in the same game, the misconduct penalties will be assessed separately and suspensions will be added and summed totally.  Any player who receives three game misconduct penalties in any one league in any one season will be suspended for the remainder of the season in all leagues.

(e)  Cumulative Suspensions.

(1)  Once a player accumulates eight penalties in any league, that player will receive a one game suspension.

(2)  Once a player accumulates 12 game suspensions within any one year period, that player will receive a one year suspension from the calendar date of the most recent offense.

(3)  All suspensions will be tracked in the General Manager’s office.

(4)  Management reserves the right to apply a suspension to any and all leagues a player participates in depending on the severity of incident(s) deemed worthy of a suspension.

 11.  Other General Play/Penalty Information.

(a)  Any player who accumulates three minor penalties or one major penalty and one minor penalty will be assessed an automatic game misconduct.

(b)  The “double off” rule is in effect.

(c)  The “over and back” rule is in effect.

(d)  Lobbing the ball is permitted.

(e)  One upward tap of the ball by hand followed by one downward tap of the ball by hand is permitted.

(f)  Two consecutive upward taps of the ball by hand will result in the player being assessed a delay of game penalty.

(g)  The new off sides rule is not in effect.

(h)  A “high sticking” infraction will be illustrated by a player’s stick being raised above the said player’s shoulder.  Exceptions to this may occur on the wind‑up or follow through of a shot, or the celebration of a goal or would‑be goal.

(i)  The area between the benches is off limits to player and spectators.  Players entering that area will receive a suspension.  Parents and spectators will be asked to leave immediately.

(j)  Parents and spectators are not permitted on the dek for any reason.  Violators may be arrested.

(k)  Any player who strikes another player at or above the shoulders while wildly swinging at the ball will be assessed a minimum of a 1 minute minor for high sticking and a maximum of a gross misconduct and a multiple game suspension.  An exception to this rule is when contact occurs during a follow through of a shot directed towards the opposing team’s goal.

(l)  Grabbing the ball (closing one’s hand on an airborne ball) will be permitted in dekhockey provided that the player IMMEDIATELY drops the ball on the dek.  Any attempt to move positions while the player holds the ball will result in a delay of game penalty.  Roller hockey players are permitted to grab the ball and set it down on the dek taking no more than one stride or step.  A delay of game minor penalty will be assessed if a player takes more than one stride or step.

(m)  Players are not permitted to call for the ball with their stick above their shoulders.  Any player who does will be assessed a high sticking minor penalty.

(n)  If a goalie covers the ball resulting in stoppage of play with their entire body behind the goal line, the goalie will be assessed a delay of game minor penalty.

(o)  If at any time a team needs to make a goalie change, they will be given three minutes to do so.  If at the conclusion of those three minutes the new goalie is not ready to play, a delay of game minor penalty will be assessed to his team.

 12.  Halting Play.  Referees and Management have the right to halt play at any point in time once a game is underway.  This will be done if it is determined by the referees or Management that one or both teams are being unduly disruptive to the orderly course of the game.

13.  Protesting.

 (a)  Protest of an ineligible player must be recorded during the game to a referee through your captain or coach.

(b)  Within 24 hours of conclusion of the game, the captain or coach must file a written protest on the appropriate form directly to the director of the appropriate league.

(c)  No protest of a referee’s judgment is permitted.

 14.  Damaging Property/Payment to Repair Damages.  Any individual who willfully causes damage to any part of the Murrysville Dek Hockey Facility will be suspended from the Murrysville Dek Hockey Facility for a length of time to be determined by Management and shall repay any restitution deemed necessary to return the property to its previous condition.

15.  Timeouts.

 (a)  In all youth leagues, each team will be provided with one 60 second timeout per game.  The timeouts do not accumulate from game to game.

(b)  In all adult leagues, each team will be provided with one 60 second timeout per game.  The timeouts do not accumulate from game to game.

16.  Time Keeping.

 (a) If at any point in the game there is an 6‑goal differential between the two teams, the timekeeper will set the following period to 10:00. If the goal differential is reduced to three goals, the period length for the next period would be 15:00.

(b)  This rule is instituted for the protection of both teams.

17.  Waivers.  Every player must complete a Registration Form and complete and sign an Agreement and Release of Liability form before they can participate in play at Murrysville Dek Hockey Facility.  If the player is under 18, a parent/legal guardian must also sign the waiver form.

18.  Additional Rules.

 (a)  Referees will interpret any penalty of a violent nature that could cause injury to a player in its most severe sense.

(b)  Management reserves the right to remove any individual from the rink and/or Murrysville Dek Hockey Facility that behaves in an unsportsmanlike manner.

(c)  Management reserves the right to suspend players for any period of time deemed necessary.

(d)  Only rostered players and coaches are permitted on the rink surface or in the team bench area.  No one else is permitted in said areas unless approved by Management or the referees.  Anyone given special permission by Management to enter the above areas will be required to sign a waiver of liability form.

(e)  Only Murrysville Dek Hockey employees and rferees are permitted in the penalty box or timekeeper’s box.  No one else is permitted in said areas unless approved by Management or the referees.  Anyone given special permission by Management to enter the above areas will be required to sign an Agreement and Release of Liability form.

(f)  We fully encourage and recommend the use of an approved helmet and full face shield in all leagues.

(g)  The schedules posted on the website are the official league schedules.  Modifications may be made by and at the sole discretion of Management only.  The team must make any requests for changes of the captain or coach to the appropriate League Director at least 48 hours in advance of the next scheduled game.  Management reserves the right to refuse any and all requests.  If a change is made, Management will notify all affected team captains or coaches and a new schedule will be provided to them if deemed necessary by Management. In case of forfeit, the forfeiting team will be assessed a forfeit fee equal to the sum of both referee fees for that game, payable before the forfeiting team’s next scheduled game. If a team forfeits more than once the league has the option to dissolve the team without refunding registration fees.

(h)  At the beginning of each season, the team captain or coach will be provided with one copy of the Local Rules, one copy of the league schedule, and if so desired one copy of the roster.  It is the responsibility of the team captain or coach to make the aforementioned documents available to the team members, parents, and spectators.

(i)  Any team which drops out any time into the season must be paid in full with a no refund policy to be considered for play in upcoming seasons.  In addition, any team who is expelled from the league must be paid in full with a no refund policy before being considered for play in upcoming seasons.

(j)  Players must be 16 years of age or older to play in any adult dek division.  This includes the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and 26 and Over divisions.  This rule does not apply to adult roller hockey leagues.  A parent must sign the appropriate Agreement and Release of Liability form for their child to play in an adult roller league.

(k)  Eligibility for the youth divisions is determined by the child’s age as of the date of the league draft.

(l)  Murrysville Dek Hockey will not provide balls, sticks, or any other type of hockey equipment.

(m)  Murrysville Dek Hockey Facility, in its sole discretion, will decide whether or not to provide tee-shirts for youth leagues and what type of championship prizes will be awarded.

(n)  Ignorance of these rules, whether intentional or unintentional, is not an excuse for failure to follow them.

(o)  Murrysville Dek Hockey will not be responsible for lost or stolen property.

 19.  Revisions to Local Rules.

(a)  Management reserves the right to add, remove, review, edit or otherwise change these Local Rules as necessary on a season by season basis.

(b)  Changes to the Local Rules will be posted in the Pro Shop.