USA Hockey MAHA Rules Policy:

All USA Hockey and MAHA rules for recreational hockey will be strictly enforced. ANY TEAM FOUND IN VIOLATION OF THESE RULES OR THE RULES SET FORTH BY THE FHL WILL RISK FORFEITURE OF THE AFFECTED GAMES AND POSSIBLY DISCIPLINARY ACTION FROM THE BOARD.

Attendance Policy:

A player can be removed from the league after four consecutive unexcused absences. For an absence to be excused, the player must contact their Team Representative or alternate Team Representative by noon the day before the game. If a team wishes to exercise this option, the team must notify the player in question and call a team meeting. At this meeting, the player in question should be given an opportunity to speak on his behalf prior to the Team conducting a vote. The Board will make a final ruling.

Any player that misses more than eight games that are not injury related over the course of the regular season will be subject to a Board review to determine if they will be invited back to the league the following season.

Long Term Substitution Policy:

If a player plans to miss four or more consecutive games, the Team Representative must notify the League Board to arrange for a substitute and reimbursement for the player's missed games. The Team Rep will be permitted to select an equally rated player from the waiting list, which the Board will provide, to fill the vacancy. The player will receive a reimbursement based on the prorated amount paid (~$15 per game) by the substitute player, to be paid directly to the player by the substitute. Failure to report a players status may result in disciplinary action to the Team Representative if the Board finds it was done wantonly. See Rule 6 & 7 for Waitlist / Replacements policy. See Rules 4 & 18 for suspended player guidelines.

Players that have attended an FHL Rate Skate during the current season will be given first opportunity to be long term substitute players. However, all long term substitute players are subject to a two-week rating confirmation period. If during the first two weeks it is conclusively determined (by review from the Reps and Board members) that the replacement player's rating is different (either higher or lower) than the rating of the player they are replacing then a new substitute player will be chosen by the FHL Board, provided that there is another equally rated player available on the Waitlist.

The league stops using Waitlist players as long term substitutes two weeks prior to the end of the regular season. If a long term sub is needed during Pool Play the team requiring a sub may pick an equally rated player from one of the two teams that did not make the Playoffs with the provision that the player being replaced is no longer eligible to play for the remainder of the season. After all Pool Play games are completed, teams are no longer able to obtain a long term substitute and must revert to using the regular season short term sub rules.

Short Term Substitution Policy:

Substitutes can be used when a team is missing a player, except due to suspension (see Rule 18 for additional suspended player guidelines). Teams that are missing a player may get a replacement player from the league at an equal drafted rating for the player that will be absent. Teams that are missing multiple players may substitute two players at an equal drafted rating and then all additional subs must be a half-point lower than the drafted rating of the player they are replacing. This rule applies to both the regular season and the playoffs. The usage of short-term subs must comply with the following additional rules:

1. If a player's rating changes at any time after the Draft then the team that drafted the player will use the player's draft rating when subbing for that player.
2. All other teams in the league will use the player's new rating for subbing purposes.
3. Players rated 2.0 or lower are exempt from the half-point rating reduction. Therefore if a team is missing a 2.0 rated player, they may get a 2.0 rated sub regardless of how many players that team is missing. Furthermore, teams may replace a 1.5 or 1.0 rated player with a 1.5 rated sub.
4. A sub must be a player that is already active in the league. Only individuals that have "paid to play" are permitted to sub in FHL games.
5. Players who have not paid their league dues or who have not completed their MAHA registration are not eligible to sub in any games.
6. Suspended players may not sub in any games during the term of their suspension.

Goalie Substitution Policy:

During the entire season, Team Reps must get a goalie from the league. The goalies are divided into tiers. A team must get a substitute goalie from the same tier as that of their regular goalie, OR from a lower tier. Teams are NOT permitted to get a substitute goalie from a higher Tier unless they have the permission of the opposing Team Rep. See the Goalie Stats page for the full details of the goalie tiers.

Waitlist / Replacements Policy:

If a player leaves the league due to work, injury or for family reasons, he/she will remain on the active roster and will be given priority (over people on the waiting list) during registration for the following two seasons. Any player who becomes the permanent substitution for the person that leaves the league will be placed on the active roster and have priority (over people on the waiting list) during registration for the following season. If a player leaves the league for any other reason, they will be removed from the active roster. They can request to be added to the Waitlist, but they will be added to the bottom of the list.

Waitlist Call up Policy:

If a person on the waiting list is offered a spot on the active roster at the beginning of the season and for whatever reason declines to play, he/she will be placed at the bottom of the waiting list.

Playoff Substitution Policy:

Playoff substitution rules are the same as the regular season. See Rules #3 and #4 for full details.

Playoff Seeding Tie-Breakers Policy:

These steps are used to determine playoff seeding in the event that two teams finish the season with same number of points:

1. Total wins.
2. Points earned in head-to-head games.
3. Goal differential in head-to-head games.
4. Season Total Goal differential.
5. Season Total Goals For.

1. Season Total Goal differential.
2. Season Total Goals For.

Playoffs & Playoff Shootout Policy: (New for 2022!)

The Playoffs use an Olympic style Pool Play Format. All 12 teams in the league will qualify for the playoff pool where teams will be divided into 3 pools that each have four teams in them. Teams will play one time against each team in their pool. After the three games have been played, eight teams will advance to play in a bracket of single-elimination games until only two teams remain at which time those two teams will play a best-two-out-of-three series to determine the FHL Champion.

Pool 1: 1st, 6th, 7th, 12th

Pool 2: 2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th

Pool 3: 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th

Pool Play Rules:

• Win = 3 points. Shoot Out Win = 2 points. Shoot Out Loss = 1 point. Regulation Loss: 0 points.
• Top 2 teams in each pool advance to 8 team bracket
• Top 2 3rd place teams advance to 8 team bracket. All 4th place pool teams are eliminated
• Playoff Tiebreakers: Total points in pool, regular season standing.

In all Playoff Bracket games, the team that is the higher seed will be the Home Team and should wear their Home color jerseys. During the Finals the higher seed will be the home team for the first and third game, while the lower seed will be the home team for game two.

In the event of a tie game, the game will immediately go into a five person shootout. Once a player has taken their turn, they should line up on the opposite side of the rink from the benches in between their blue line and center ice. If the game is still undecided after five shooters, then a sudden-death shootout will commence. All players on both teams must shoot at least once before any player is permitted a second chance. However, in the event that one team has fewer players than the other, the player who shot last on that team will continue to shoot until the team with more players has completely gone through one pass of their roster. Once both teams have had all of their players shoot at least one time, then both teams may go back to the top of their rotation.

The Home team will choose which team shoots first.

Any player still in the penalty box at the end of the game cannot participate in the shootout regardless of how many rounds the shootout requires.

Bounced Check Policy:

A $35.00 fee will be charged for all bounced checks.

Late Payment Policy:

Anyone not having paid the league fees (or made arrangements with the treasurer) will not be allowed to play any games until they have paid and submitted their USA hockey registration to the board. Full payment is required by the night of the Draft. Final payments must be made no later than September 15. A $50 late fee will be charged after this point. It is the responsibility of the Team Representative to make sure that all players on their team have paid once the season has started. If an unpaid player plays (or subs) in a game, the player and the Team Representative will be suspended for the next game. The League Board will provide the Team Representatives with a list of unpaid players before the season begins. All Subs for unpaid/unregistered players must be subbed at a half point downgrade - even if they are the only sub.

Outside Tournaments Policy:

In the event that the FHL is invited to participate in an outside tournament, the FHL Board will put together a team with the necessary players to make that team competitive in such a tournament. The level of the tournament, therefore, will establish who will be playing.

General Game Rules Policy:

The following general rules are in effect for all FHL games:

1. The red line (center ice) is not used during FHL games.
2. Full slapshots are allowed.
3. No checking allowed.
4. Fighting is absolutely prohibited. See Rule 15 for further clarifications.
5. There are no timeouts in any games except the FHL Finals where each team has one 30 second timeout per game.

Zero Tolerance for Fighting Policy:

Any player involved in a fight during or after a game will face the following consequences:

1. If this is the first fight of the season that the player is involved in then the player is automatically suspended for the remainder of the current game and is also automatically suspended for their next scheduled game. The player may not sub for any other teams while they are suspended.
2. If this is the second fight of the season that the player is involved in then the player is automatically suspended for the remainder of the current game plus they are also automatically suspended for their next FIVE scheduled games. The player may not sub for any other teams while they are suspended.
3. If any player is involved in a third fight during the same season, they are automatically expelled from the league.
4. The FHL Board reserves the right to review all fighting incidents by gathering information from the Team Reps, Referees, or any other parties in attendance at the game. The Board may then impose additional suspensions up to and including expulsion from the league regardless of whether or not this is the player's first fight of the season.

Three penalties in one game suspension Policy:

If a player receives 3 penalties in one game, he is suspended immediately from that game. The Board will review the incidents and determine if any additional game suspensions are necessary. It is the responsibility of the referees to enforce this rule. Failure by the referees to enforce the rule will be discussed with the referees to prevent future occurrences, but no forfeitures will result.

1. Double-minors count as 1 penalty.
2. Two or more penalties occurring at same time each count. (eg Roughing & Un-sportsmanlike would equal 2 penalties)
3. Penalties all count as 1, regardless of severity.
4. MAHA rules still apply.
5. If the 3rd penalty is a Game Misconduct, the player is automatically suspended for the next game, and it will be determined by a Board review whether the player is suspended for any additional games. This is in addition to the MAHA rules.

1. The FHL statistician notifies the Board that a 3 penalty infraction has occurred.
2. The Board contacts the Team Reps of the two teams that played to get the details of the event. If one of the Team Reps is unavailable, the highest rated player on that team will be consulted for input.
3. The Board then determines if any additional game suspensions are required. However, Board members who played in the game in question will not be allowed to vote on the incident.
4. The Board will take into account whether or not the player is a repeat offender and this may affect their decision.

Team Representative Complaint About Opposing Player Conduct Policy:

Any Team Representative has the right and responsibility to file a complaint about an opposing player if the Team Rep deems that the opposing player's conduct is injurious, reckless, or acting in a manner not in line with the goals of the FHL. The Board will review any complaints filed, and will take appropriate action, including warnings, suspensions, and/or expulsion from the league. Repeated complaints against individual players will be taken into consideration in these actions, including complaints from the previous season.

Suspended Player Policy:

Any player ejected from a game by the Referee will serve at least a one game suspension the following week. The ejected player's team must play the remainder of the game without the use of a sub. The suspended player cannot play the following week (or sub on another team), but their team can get a sub at a full rating point lower than the player's draft rating. For example:

If a team is not missing any players and chooses to replace a suspended player:

• Subbed player must be (1.0) rating below the suspended players rating

If a team is missing 1 or more players and chooses to replace a suspended player:

• First player at rating-for-rating
• Second player (0.5) rating lower + (1.0) lower = (1.5) rating points lower
• Next players (0.5) rating lower

Or:

• First player (1.0) rating lower
• Next players (0.5) rating lower

If a player in the league receives a suspension while subbing for another team then the player's drafted team can use the normal subbing rules (see Rule #4) to get a replacement for that player. The player still cannot play in or sub for any other team in the league for the duration of their suspension.

Game Forfeit Policy:

If a team forfeits a game, the opposing Team Rep has the option to take the full result of the game if the game was played, or to take a 1-0 victory. If the 1-0 victory option is chosen, the following actions will occur:

• No stats will be recorded. All players on both Teams will be marked as Absent.
• The score will be recorded as a 0-1 loss for the team that forfeits the game. The lone goal will be given to the "Sub" player on the winning team.

Any Team Rep intentionally using illegal subs and forfeiting a game will be assessed a one game suspension on their first offense.

Further offenses by the same Team Rep will incur additional game suspensions up to and including expulsion from the league.

Injured Player Policy:

If during the course of a game a player suffers an injury and cannot continue in the game, the team may replace the player following the normal subbing policy guidelines.

Goalie/Skater Swap Policy:

Goalies are only allowed to skate out if they have a confirmed skater rating. Teams are allowed to sub them using the normal sub policy. Skaters must have a goalie rating to be used as a substitute goalie. Teams are allowed to sub them using the normal sub policy.

Additional Rulings Policy:

The league Board reserves the right to act accordingly for any incidents not specifically addressed by the aforementioned rules. In these cases the Board will allow all affected parties to speak on their behalf prior to making a ruling. Once the Board has reached a unanimous decision the results of that ruling will be added to the FHL rules.