Jacksonville Hockey

Skill Levels

We are first and foremost a SOCIAL company. As we grow though we are starting to offer more and more variations and competitiveness levels for our leagues. For Floor and Street Hockey we mix the teams up each season based on a draft by the team captains!

Team Sizes

Hockey teams average 8 players per team. Each team needs a goalie and there may be gender requirements for certain leagues.

Roster Management

We allow individuals and small groups to join our leagues. USS reserves the right to add additional players to ANY team that is under the official roster size for the league.  Hockey players are allowed to attach 1 person to themselves to stay together on a team. Everyone will be registered as a free agent. After registration closes USS goes through and holds a draft with the league captains to create teams.

Our roster sizes tend to allow for more players as our goal is to avoid forfeits at all costs. 1. They are LAME. and 2. It’s not fair to the other teams in the league who expect to play each week if a smaller team cannot field a team week to week. Free agent teams (merged small groups or all FAs made into teams) tend to have larger rosters as the players typically do not know one another and everyone’s schedule varies week to week.

Teams:
Each team shall consist of 5 players on the rink (including the goalie), at least one of which must be female. If a female player is in the penalty box, she will still count as that team’s mandatory female.

Teams may borrow players from other teams to meet the minimum requirements during the regular season. During playoff games, teams must play only with the players on their roster.

Each team will have one Team Captain and one Alternate Captain. The Captain will be the only individual allowed to discuss with the officials any questions relating to the rules, (not judgment disputes). Any player other than the captain (on the bench or on the rink) who makes a protest or interferes with play in any way is subject to a penalty or ejection. The Alternate Captain may assume the Captain’s role if they are not on the rink. If either the Captain or Alternate are absent, a team may designate another player to fill their role for that game.

Equipment:
The league will provide sticks and balls. Players may use their own sticks as long as they are legal street hockey sticks. We also recommend players wear knee and shin pads and gloves (not provided). The game will be played on foot (no skates or roller blades permitted).
In addition to the regular equipment, goalies will be required to wear a mask. They may wear a baseball type or trapper glove on one hand with a blocker type glove in the other. They may also wear regulation goalie leg pads. A chest protector and elbow pads are recommended as well. Goalies are responsible for their own equipment.

Gameplay:
Each game will consist of two 15 minute periods with a 4-minute break between periods. The clock will run continuously during the first half all but the final two minutes of the second half, during this time the clock will stop only on an injury, time out, or penalty shot. During the final two minutes, the clock will stop on all whistles (only if the margin is 2 goals or fewer). Teams will switch goals at the end of each period. Each team will receive one timeout per period, which can be called only during a stoppage of play. A face-off will be used to begin play each time play is stopped or to begin a period. Players must be outside the restraining circle on a face-off.

Time Outs:
Each team will be allotted one time out per game, including overtime. Unused timeouts do not carry over to subsequent periods. Time outs can only be called during a stoppage of play and only by the captain or alternate captain.

Face-offs:
Face-off areas will be approximate as they are not marked on the playing surface. Face-offs that should occur in a team’s defensive zone will be in their end of the rink; face-offs that should occur in the neutral zone will be at the center line.
The ball must hit the ground before it can be touched by a player. Playing the ball before it hits the ground will result in a warning to the offending players and the face-off being repeated. After multiple warnings, a player may be removed from the face-off.

Substitutions:
Substitutions can be made “on-the-fly” as long as the player coming off is within 5 feet of their team’s bench and is not involved in the play once the substitute is on the rink. If a team is serving a penalty during the running clock portion of the game, substitutions cannot be made during stoppages on must be made on the fly, unless the opposing team is also making substitutions.Violation will result in a delay of game minor.

Stoppages & Violations:

· Offside/Icing – There will be no offside or icing called.
· Hand Pass – If a player plays the ball with their hand and it is touched next by a teammate, there will be a whistle and a face-off back one zone from where the violation occurred. Hand passes started and completed within a team’s own defensive zone are allowed. (For our purposes, the defensive zone will be defined as the half of rink where that team’s goal is; the center line is approximate.)

· Kicking the Ball – Playing the ball with the foot or kick passing to a teammate is legal. However, the ball cannot be kicked into the goal or crease. If the ball is kicked into the goal or crease, play will stop and the face-off will occur outside the offensive zone.

· High Stick – The ball may not be played with the stick with the blade of the stick above the player’s shoulder. Normal wind up and follow through is permitted as long as the point of contact with the ball is below the shoulder. However, players are responsible for their stick hitting another player on the windup or follow through.

· Ball out of Play – If the ball travels into an obstruction or more than 10 feet away from the walls/cones, play will stop and the face-off will be back one zone for the team that sent the ball out. If an unforeseen obstacle prevents the ball from being played safely, the referee may deem the ball out of play at their discretion.

· Ball Strikes an Official – If the ball hits an official during play, play will continue unless the ball deflects off an official directly into the goal.

Goaltenders Handling the Ball:
The goalkeeper may use either hands or stick to clear the puck away from the goal. The goaltender may cover the ball when inside the crease (goal crease is approximate) and under pressure from an offensive player.

Any freezing of the ball by the goalie outside of the crease or when there is no offensive player near the goaltender will result in a minor penalty for delay of game. Only the goaltender may legally freeze the ball, any other player doing so will also result in a penalty.
The goaltender has two seconds to play the puck from the crease, once they have fully controlled it.

Penalties:
The following penalties may be enforced by the officials according to the severity of the offense:

· Minor Penalty – The offending player will be sent to the penalty box and their team will play shorthanded for 2 minutes. The penalty will end if a power play goal is scored by the opposing team.

· Double Minor – This is two consecutive minor penalties to be served by the same player. A power play goal scored in the first two minutes will end only the first minor and begin the second one.

· Major Penalty – The offending player will be sent to the penalty box and their team will play shorthanded for 5 minutes. The entire penalty time must be served regardless of how many power play goals are scored. Two major penalties in a game will result in ejection.

· Game Misconduct – This will result in the offending player being ejected for the rest of the game and possible suspension.

· Penalties will be enforced for the following actions. It does not matter whether any of these are intentional or not; if any penalties are committed deliberately, double minors or majors may be imposed.

· High Stick – Either of the following will result in a high stick penalty: 1.)Making contact with an opponent above their shoulder level with one’s stick, including on a windup or follow through of a shot. You are responsible for the control of your own stick. 2.) Playing or attempting to play the ball with the blade of the stick above your own shoulder. This will be a minor penalty unless there are repeated offenses or the play is deemed exceeding reckless or dangerous by the official.

· Checking/Roughing – This is a non-checking league. Incidental body contact will not be penalized, but any pushing, shoving, or checking that is violent or dangerous will not be permitted. Minor, major, or game misconduct penalties may be assessed depending on severity.

· Slashing – Swinging a stick at an opponent. Lifting or moving an opponent’s stick with your own (or stick checking) is legal as long as they have the ball or it is at their feet; however, bringing your stick down forcefully on the shaft of your opponent’s stick or hands constitutes a slash and will result in a penalty.

· Holding – Grabbing any part of an opponent’s body, clothing, or equipment (including the stick).

· Hooking – Using a stick as a hook to slow or obstruct an opponent

· Tripping – Using a one’s stick or body to trip an opponent.

· Interference – Physically impeding an opponent from reaching the ball.

· Goaltender Interference – Physically impeding or checking the goalie when they are in the goal crease. Visually impeding the goalie’s view, called “screening”, is legal, but a player may not attempt to use their hand or stick to obstruct the goalie’s face.

· Delay of Game – The following actions will be considered delay of game: 1.) covering the ball by a player other than the goaltender. 2.) covering the ball by the goaltender outside the goal crease (behind the net or more than five feet from in front of the net), 3.) any action determined by the referee to be delaying the continuation of the game.

· Delay of game will result in a minor penalty, except when a non-goaltender cover the ball in the goal crease area, in which case a penalty shot will be awarded.

· Throwing the Stick – A player may not intentionally throw their stick at the ball for any reason. This will result in a minor penalty, or if the stick blocks an impending shot on goal a penalty shot (if the goalie is pulled this will result in an automatic goal awarded). Throwing a stick at or near another player in dangerous play may result in a minor or major for unsportsmanlike conduct. Subsequent offenses will result in ejection.

· *Too Many Players/Too Many Men – A “too many players” penalty will be assessed if a team has more than 5 players (including the goaltender and any players in the penalty box) on the rink at one time. A “too many men” penalty will be assessed if there no female players on the rink for a team. Both are bench minor penalties, the difference being that “too many players” can be served by any players on the rink at the time of the infraction, and “too many men” must be served a male player.

· Elbowing – Hitting an opponent with the elbow, self-explanatory.

· Spearing – Hitting an opponent with the blade end of the stick in a spearing motion.

· Butt Ending – Hitting an opponent with the non-blade end of the stick

· Cross Checking – Hitting an opponent with the stick in both hands and off the ground.

· Boarding – Pushing an opponent violently into the boards, traffic barriers, curb, or other obstacles.

· Unsportsmanlike Conduct – Players must treat opponents, teammates, and officials with respect at all times and remember that we’re here to play a game. Excessive argument or verbal abuse will not be tolerated. Any conduct that disrupts the game or is abusive towards another player or official may result in minor, major, or game misconduct penalties.

Note: Minor and major penalties on the goalies may be served by any designated player on the floor at the time of the infraction. Bench penalties may be served by any player on the team that was on the rink, however, a “too many men” penalty must be served by a male player.