NESC in-house tournaments

All tournaments hosted in-house by NESC follow the same general format and procedures. If you are unsure if a particular tournament is an in-house tournament, please consult this list.

Levels
Tournaments range from mites (U8) through midgets (U18) depending on the tournament.

Tier 2/3/4 tournaments split the age groups into A, B, and C levels, while tier 1 tournaments are sorted into major and minor by age.

Rules
Exact rules sheets are always availible from the tournament table, however rules generally are as follows:

Governing Rules

 * Tournaments during the regular hockey season (October through April) use USA Hockey rules.
 * Tournaments during the off-season (summer) use NCAA rules with modifications

Period Lengths

 * All round robin and semi-final games consist of three 12:00 stop-time periods
 * Lower-level tournaments also have three 12:00 stop-time periods for championship games
 * Higher-level tournaments have three 15:00 stop-time periods for GOLD championship games. All silver and bronze championships are 12:00 periods, and all mite (U8) championship games are 12:00 periods.

Mercy Rules

 * Starting in the second period, run time commences if there is a difference of six (6) or more goals. Stop-time resumes if the goal difference falls below six goals.
 * Be sure to use [DISABLE PENALTY TIMERS] and [ENABLE PENALTY TIMERS] for penalties while in run-time. Penalties are ALWAYS stop-time, even if the game is in run-time

Timing
Updated for 2021/2022 season with new USA Hockey rules:

12 Minute Periods:


 * Minor: 1:00
 * Major: 3:00
 * Misconduct 6:00

15 Minute Periods (AAA Tournaments Championship Games):


 * Minor: 1:30
 * Major: 4:00
 * Misconduct: 8:00

Other

 * Any Game Misconduct (USA Hockey rules) or Game Disqualification (DQ) (NCAA rules) results in that player being suspended from the remainder of that game and the following game
 * Any Game Misconduct (USA Hockey rules) or Game Disqualification (DQ) (NCAA rules) for fighting results in that player being suspended from the rest of the tournament
 * Any player that recieves five (5) penalties in one game is suspended for the remainder of that game.

Overtime

 * Round robin games have no overtime, these games may end in a tie
 * Semi-final and championship games will go into sudden death overtime if there is a tie:
 * 4-on-4 for 5:00
 * 3-on-3 until there is a winner. Put up a full period length (12:00 or 15:00) on the clock.

Other

 * Teams must be ready to play up to 15 minutes prior to game time
 * No time-outs in round robin. Teams are allowed one (1) time-out in playoffs and championships.

Cross-Ice Mite Games
Lower level tier 2/3/4 tournaments run by NESC now use cross-ice for Mites. Please read the following procedures for mite games:
 * There's a 3:00 warm-up once teams are on the ice. (*Remember to disable the interval horn for warm-ups if you're doing multiple mite game in a row, see below for interval horn instructions*)
 * Games are three 16:00 running-time periods
 * The horn is to be sounded every 2:00 for a line change. NESC makes an effort to schedule all cross-ice mite games on Rink 8, so you should be able to use the interval horn to automatically sound the horn. Please see instructions for setting up the interval horn.
 * There are no time-served penalties like there are in regular games.
 * NESC now has special scoresheets with scoring areas for all four teams. You may keep track of scores for both games. You only need to write down the period/time of each goal, don't worry about player numbers.
 * Each game also has its own "gym class-style" flip score board that may be operated by a coach for each game. Consult with the coaches at the end of each period to ensure everyone is in agreement on the score for each game.

Please note that tier 1/elite tournaments continue to have full ice mite games, with regular rules and procedures.

Other information
The tournament table is located upstairs, outside of rink 1. All scoresheets are picked up and dropped off here. Rules sheets can also be picked up here.

Regular NESC scoresheets are used. Be sure to note all Game Misconducts or Game Disqualifications in the comments box so the tournament staff know about the incident.

Regular Season (USA Hockey Sanctioned)

 * Haunted Shootout
 * Lucky Lobster Tournament
 * Mighty Lobster Tournament (not sanctioned)
 * North American Fall Championships
 * Jingle Bell Skate
 * MLK Mite Mania (not sanctioned)
 * Challenge Cup
 * Central Mass Winter Classic
 * March Classic
 * March Madness
 * Pepsi Tournament of Champions

Off Season (non-USA Hockey sanctioned/NCAA Rules)

 * Minuteman Flames Spring Classic
 * Lady Flames Spring Classic
 * Spring Fling
 * North American AA Summer Tournament
 * Lady Flames Summer Splash
 * Skater's Edge Tournament
 * Old Timers Classic (ADULT)
 * Boston Iceman Youth Tournament
 * Boston Selects Tournament
 * Boston Challenge Cup Tournament
 * Lady Flames Summer Storm
 * North American Summer Championships
 * New England Classic
 * EMHL Summer Showdown