About TCQHA

• All general matters pertaining to the Twin Cities Queer Hockey Association - Salad Classic should be directed to the Tournament Director, Dani Bennett-Danek, tcqha.info@gmail.com.
• All USA Hockey adult rules will be followed with the following exceptions listed below. 

• All games are five (5) minutes warm up, three (3) periods of seventeen (17) minutes run time.
• Each team is allowed one (1) timeout (30 seconds) per game.
• Overtime consists of one (1) five (5) minute stop time period. (PLAYOFFS ONLY)
• All round robin games may end in a tie.
• Red line icing and delayed off-sides are utilized.
• All minor penalties are two (2) minutes; majors are five (5) minutes.
• The tournament has a strict ZERO TOLERANCE for abuse towards on-ice officials, off-ice officials, tournament staff, volunteers, etc. Any violation of this rule will result in immediate suspension and possible removal from the tournament.

• All players are required to wear full player equipment (shoulder pads are not required)..
• Any player who does not comply with ALL equipment rules may not participate in the game until they become fully compliant.
• All players must wear the required protective equipment in the manner for which it is designed, and no alterations or modifications may be made from the original manufacturing  specifications as any alterations or modifications shall cause said
• equipment to be illegal.
• Helmet ("chinstraps") must be properly fastened.
• Players are required to wear ,at minimum, a half face mask.  They are not required to wear a mouthpiece.

• All players are required to wear the same jersey as the rest of their team.
• Every player must always wear a readable number on their jersey.
• All player numbers must correspond with the scoresheet.
• All teams are encouraged to have home and away matching jerseys with numbers.

• Any player, including goalies, who receives three (3) penalties in the same game, will receive a Game Ejection.
• A game misconduct IS a game ejection, and shall result in a suspension of one (1) subsequent game. The player may not be in the rink participating in team activities thirty (30) minutes prior to thirty (30) minutes after the game after they were given the game misconduct.
• All penalties shall be entered on the scoresheet.
• Players who serve any penalty as a server for any other player shall not be charged for that penalty.
• A delayed penalty which is canceled by a goal scored, must be reported to the scorekeeper, and recorded and does count toward a player's gross penalty total.
• The possession or use of drugs, alcohol, marijuana or any illegal substances in the locker rooms, anywhere in the building is strictly prohibited. Parade Ice Arena has a strict no alcohol allowed on property. 
• Any player that is substance impaired may be prevented from playing or removed from the game and/or tournament.
• Any behavior that endangers the players, participants, referees, or spectators is unacceptable and the tournament will immediately act against those involved.

• Players may not play for any team in the tournament until they have finished serving a suspension for the team with whom the suspension was received.
• A subsequent game suspension will be assessed for every game misconduct.
• A fighting major results in a subsequent one (1) game suspension minimum.
• Captains are ultimately responsible for notifying their players of any suspensions.
• Any physical or verbal assault on an on-ice official or an off-ice official is unacceptable and will result in expulsion from all future Tournaments.
• Players who are deemed to be continually dangerous, unruly, or unsportsmanlike may be suspended at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director.
• Any team that receives ten (10) penalties in one game will cause an automatic one (1) game suspension to the team captain for the following game.
• Game Ejections will remove the player from the immediate game, but the player may return for their next scheduled game.
• "Bad Day Rule" players who are having  a bad day face the following repercussions:
  1. First offense - warning
  2. Second offense - one (1) game suspension

• Bad Day is defined as razing, goating, swearing at a ref or the other team, overly aggressive behavior, harassment, etc. A Bad Day penalty is at the referee's discretion. 

• Possession, use, or being under the influence of alcohol, narcotic drugs, hallucinogenic drugs, amphetamines, barbiturates, marijuana, or intoxicants of any kind, will result in removal from the Tournament.

• The Tournament Director must approve any substitute goalies in the playoffs.
• Only players registered for the tournament will be permitted on a bench during game play.

During round robin play each period shall be worth two (2) points.  If a team leads in goals scored during that period they will be awarded 2 points.  If teams are tied in goals scored or there are no goals scored in a period then both teams will be awarded 1 point.  The team that wins the game will be awarded an additional 2 points.  There is a maximum of 8 points available in a game.

• If the score differential between the teams is six goals or more, the winning team will lose a point for each additional goal scored above the six goal differential. The only exception is if the player that scores the additional goals has NOT scored a goal during the game. 
• Placement for play-off will be based on points awarded during the round robin series.
• If a playoff game (any game other than championship game) ends in a tie, there shall be one (1) five (5) minute stop time period, followed by a three (3) person shootout.  If there is still a tie after the three (3) shooters, a sudden death shootout will take place until there is a winner.
• If a championship game ends in a tie, there shall be one (1) five (5) minute overtime period, as outlined below:
  • Overtime shall be five (5) minutes stop time and if the game is still tied after overtime, a shoot out (5 players) shall commence immediately according to the following procedure. 
    1. The visiting team shall shoot first.
    2. The teams take the penalty shots alternately.
    3. If, before five shots are taken, one team has scored more goals than the other could score, even if it were to complete its five shots, no more shots are taken.
    4. If, after both teams have taken five shots, both have scored the same number of goals, or have not scored any goals, shots continue to be taken in the same alternate order until one team has scored one goal more than the other team from the same number of attempts.
    5. A different player takes each shot, and all eligible players must take a shot before any player can take a second shot.

• Any goalkeeper rostered for the game, dressed and on the player's bench may participate as a goalkeeper in the penalty shootout.
• If there is a tie after round robin play,  tiebreakers will be applied in the following order.
  

1. Wins
2. Goal Differential
3. Penalty Minutes
4. Winner of head to head game

• The Salad Classic will follow USA Hockey Rule 624, “Red Line Icing.”

• If the score differential between the teams is six goals or more, the winning team will lose a point for each additional goal scored above the six goal differential. The only exception is if the player that scores the additional goals has NOT scored a goal during the game. 

• In an event that a team does not have a goalie present and dressed for a game, an emergency backup goalie (EBUG) may be used. TCQHA has a small number of EBUGs that can assist if your goalie gets injured or cannot make the tournament. Please contact the tournament director for a EBUG as soon as possible. Once the tournament has started, if you need to change your goaltender, please contact the tournament director as soon as possible for approval. 
• If a team does not have a goalie dressed for a game, the team may elect to put in a sixth skater.
• The Referees must be notified if the player is a sixth skater or a designated goalie.
• In all levels a designated goalie must have a full wire cage, no plastic masks, and no half shields of any kind.
• Any player not wearing full goalie equipment, who chooses to be a designated goalie, does so at their own risk.