1) The League a) The Infantry Hockey League (IHL) is a league in which Hockey Zone squads compete against each other for recognition of their accomplishments. b) Each season of the league consists of a pre-season, regular season, and post-season. c) Pre-season, regular season, and post-season consist of a series of games played over a predetermined time period. d) The league admin will during pre-season determine the number of the squads admitted into the league as well as which squads will be admitted into the league. If enough squads are entered into the league, the squads will be split up into two divisions. e) Squads will play two games per week during the pre-season and regular season until the season is complete. Squads that make it into the post-season will play in a single elimination tournament. 2) Game Play a) The team that scores the most goals during the regulation periods will win the game. b) Each game will be divided into three periods. c) Each period will have a set timer of 12 minutes for regulation time. d) During the overtime period, the first team to score a goal will win the game. e) In the result that both teams are still scoreless at the end of the overtime period, the game shall be considered a tie and play will stop. f) Once a team has been declared victorious, the game will immediately stop and all players will be placed in spectator mode and the stats will be taken. 3) Goals a) A goal will consist of the puck going into a team's net. A goal will be awarded to the opposing team regardless of which team the player who scored the goal was on. b) In the result that both teams have an equal point value at the end of regulation time, play shall continue unabated for an additional 12 minute overtime period. 4) Faceoffs a) A faceoff will occur at center ice in the following instances: - at the start of each period - after each goal - after each crease goal (a goal scored from the crease which is not counted) - after each penalty - after each timeout - after any other stoppage of play b) Faceoffs will be taken by one member of each team, with the remaining members lined up on the blue lines. The players taking the faceoff will line up in the circle on the black marks. The referee will unspec, pick up the puck, and drop it in center ice by speccing himself. c) If a player goes to early on a faceoff they will be removed from the faceoff circle and another player on their team will take the faceoff for that team. d) If an entire team is removed from the faceoff circle on a single faceoff, the puck will be given to the opposing team's goalie and play will commence. 5) Misc Rules a) Intermissions between periods will be 5 minutes long. Teams will switch sides during the intermission. b) If a team falls behind by 5 goals they may forfeit the match at their captain's discretion. c) A game that is won through forfeiture will be considered a loss for the forfeiting team, and a win for their opponents. The winning team will be considered to have won by 3 goals or the actual goal differential, whichever is higher. d) In the case a game is disturbed during its play, upon the referee's decisions, the game will commence as immediate as possible with the same time remaining in the game and the same score. A faceoff will take place at center ice, and play will recommence. e) In the case that a disturbed game may not recommence, the referee will notify each captain and declare the game and match postponed. Disturbed games which are postponed until a later date will restart with a score of 0-0 and full time on the clock, regardless of the original score. f) If the conditions of the game play have been deemed unsatisfactory by the referee, then the game will be postponed, with the postponement being assigned to neither squad. g) After a team wins a match, the First Star of the Game be selected by the winning captain. The Second Star will be selected by the head referee. The Third Star will be selected by the losing captain. h) A team will receive 1 point for a tie, 2 points for a win, and 0 points for a loss. 6) Class Restrictions a) Anyone may change their class at any time during a match. b) A team may have a maximum of 2 Defender classes and 1 Goalie class unspecced at one time. (This will make goalie switching mid-period slightly dangerous) 7) Substitutions a) Eligible players may be freely substituted into and out of the game adhering to the class restriction rules. 8) Lag a) Players who exceed an avg. ping of 250ms or packet-loss of 1% (either way) will be removed from the game. b) Either captain may request that a playing player be watched in order to observe his lag. c) Only captains may request this. d) If a visual lag check is requested, a referee will spectate the player in question and observe his reactions to the game in progress. If the player demonstrates unacceptable responses to the occurrences of the game, as deemed by the referee, the player will be specced for the rest of the game. e) Lagouts are defined as anytime a player is removed from a game that is in play because of the condition of their connection. This includes disconnections, ping spikes, exiting Hockey Zone, power failures, spectating due to a poor connection, and other unspecified conditions as deemed by the referee. f) If a team suffers a lagout, a substitute can be made. If the captain does not make a substitute, or if a substitute cannot be made, the team will play one player down. g) If a player suffers a lagout he may be put back into play immediately. If the same player suffers a second lagout, he must display 2 minute of acceptable lag, at the referee's discretion, before rejoining the game. h) After a player suffers a third lagout in a single game, that player may not continue to play in that game. i) If a goalie suffers a lagout, his team's captain may request a timeout. The timeout will be given when play is controlled in the offensive zone by the team requesting the timeout, or when play is stopped, whichever comes first. 9) Staff a) Each game will be monitored by a referee and an assistant referee. Both referees will be assigned in advance of the game by the head referee. b) In the event a referee is unable to attend or misses a scheduled game, efforts will be made to find a substitute. If no substitute can be found, the game will be postponed to a later date. c) The referee will be responsible for ensuring the game runs smoothly. That includes but is not limited to doing the following: - creating the arena - announcing the arena to both captains and to any public arena that may be open (*arena &The IHL game between XXXX and YYYY is starting in ?go XXXX vs YYYY in 10 minutes. -%refname") - getting starting lineups - getting stats - making the final decision on all lag calls - making the final decision on all areas within these rules open to debate - choosing the Second Star - conducting the faceoffs d) The assistant referee will be responsible for assisting the referee. Duties include but are not limited to: - tracking and setting the game timer - checking players for lag - keeping track of the score - choosing the Second Star - assigning goal judges e) Each game will have up to 6 goal judges. These players will be chosen by the referee. Goal judges will be chosen from spec, should have good lag stats, and should be actively watching the entire game. f) There must at all times be no less than 4 active goal judges. The referees do not count as goal judges. f) Captains have the right to veto any goal judge chosen. If any captain makes it a habit (as determined by the league admin) of vetoing excessively, that captain will lose the veto right. g) Goal judges will be consulted on every goal that the captains request they look at. The game will be paused for no longer than 3 minutes while they make their decision. h) Goal judges will vote on whether or not a goal should be allowed. Goals can be disallowed for the following reasons: - the shooter was lagging - a pass to the shooter was lagged through a defender - the shooter was in the crease - excessive lag conditions game-wide caused the goal i) Upon making their individual decisions, the goal judges and the referee will take a vote. j) The following chart will be used to determine the results of the vote. 4 votes: 2 lag votes are required for the goal to be called lag 5 votes: 2 lag votes are required for the goal to be called lag 6 votes: 3 lag votes are required for the goal to be called lag 7 votes: 3 lag votes are required for the goal to be called lag 8 votes: 3 lag votes are required for the goal to be called lag 10) Attendance a) For attendance purposes, an eligible player is defined as a player who is eligible to play for his team, and who adheres to the lag limits. b) Each team is required to bring at least 4 eligible players to a match. c) When a referee asks a team for its starting lineup, or for the second and third period lineups, that team must be able to produce 4 eligible players. d) In the case that a team does not have 4 eligible players for a game, that team may request a 5 minute delay of game, in addition to the standard 5 minute delay. e) If at the end of the 5 minute delay a team still does not have 4 eligible players, that team must forfeit. f) Both teams may request a 5 minute delay of game once per game. g) In the case that a team has only 4 eligible players, that team may play short one player and play with only 4 players against their opponents. h) If another eligible player attends during a game, he may be immediately placed in game. 11) Teams a) Teams consist of up to 18 players. b) Teams must have a minimum of 14 players. c) Teams must consist of one captain. d) A team may be removed from the league during the pre-season at the league's discretion if their attendance is deemed unacceptable. e) If a team is forced to forfeit their first two games of the season then they will be removed from the league. f) If a team is forced to forfeit five games during the regular season then they will be removed from the league. 12) Captains a) Captains have recruiting and dismissing power over their team. b) Any player may act as captain during a game in the absence of the team captain. c) If a captain will be away for any length of time, an acting captain may be designated to take over for the duration of the captain's absence. d) Captains are responsible for scheduling games, choosing game rosters, and selecting substitutes. e) Captains have the right to veto any goal judge chosen. If any captain makes it a habit (as determined by the league admin) of vetoing excessively, that captain will lose the veto right. f) If both captains agree upon an adjustment to the game situation, with permission and concurrence of the referee, it may be enacted. Such requests are: to play with fewer but not more than 6 players per team; to postpone the game to another time during the current round week; to request that spectators not speak publicly; to delay the game for a specific reason. This list is not exclusive but other requests will be looked upon critically by referees. g) The following is a list that, with permission and concurrence of the referee, a single captain may request and have enacted: - postponement of game due to poor server conditions; may be requested once per match - request that spectators not speak publicly; may be requested once per match, the referee must enact this request - request that a specific player be visually checked for lag; may be requested 4 times per match, as stated in the Lag Section - request that a game goal be revoked because it was the direct result of lag; may be requested as many times per match as there are potential lag goals - request that any intermission or pre-game timer be shortened to one minute, conditional upon the opposing captain's agreement This list is not exclusive but other requests will be looked upon critically by referees 13) Players a) For IHL's purposes, a player is defined as a single account, computer, or person. No one person can play for two squads. No one account can be used to play for two squads. No one computer can be used to play for two squads unless the player has made a successful request of the league for an exception to this rule (ie. brothers, wife and husband, etc.). b) An eligible player is a player who is on their squad both in the game arena and on the IHL roster and who is not suspended. c) Each player may only be on one squad in the IHL. Use of different aliases to have multiple players in the same league is prohibited and any player caught doing so will be removed from league for the duration of the season. The player may also be removed from the league permanently, at the discretion of the league. d) A player who changes squads or joins a squad during the regular season shall be suspended for 3 games. 14) Spectators a) Spectators must stay on the spectator frequency. A team captain may request that team members be placed on that team in spec mode. b) Spectators may not switch frequencies themselves. If they do, they will first be given a warning and then removed from the arena. c) Specquiet will be used by default. The only way to contact players in game will be through chats or squad chats. d) Profanity and derogatory comments will be tolerated but any that are seen to be unwelcome as deemed by the referee will result in the accused being at first warned and then removed from the arena. 15) Appeals a) A squad has the right to appeal any regular or post-season match by contacting the league admin or staff member responsible for appeals. b) No squad shall be allowed an appeal if they have already had two appeals denied during the current season. c) A successful appeal shall result in a match being replayed. The score of the game shall be declared void, and a new game between the two squads concerned shall be scheduled to take place at some convenient point in the future. d) If an appeal concerns the league admin or staff member responsible for appeals, that staff member will be prohibited from controlling, influencing, or mediating the appeal, and it will be dealt with by a different staff member. e) Appeals must be submitted within 48 hours of completion of the match. f) Appeals are conditional upon the squad asking for an appeal demonstrating that the outcome of the match under appeal was unfairly weighted to favor one team on the basis of: referee misconduct or gross negligence, server error, cheating, or any other instance that affects the fairness of a match. g) A player has the right to appeal any suspension. The staff member who handed out the suspension will not be involved in the appeal, except to determine factual matters. The staff member handling the appeal has final say in all matters relating to the suspension: punishment length, punishment severity, etc. 16) Post-Season a) The Post-Season consists of a single elimination tournament leading up to the IHL Championship. b) The top 60-80% of the squads in the league will be allowed to enter the post-season, depending on the number of squads in the league. Entry into the post-season will be determined by point standings. c) In the event of two teams having equal point standings at the end of the regular season, playoff positioning will be determined in the following order: Most wins. Head to Head results. Goal differential between the two teams. Total goal differential. Total goals scored. Total goals scored against d) If divisions are included in the league, then divisional wins will be considered before Head to Head results. e) Post-season matches will follow the same rules as stated except the rules under this heading. f) No ties will be awarded in post-season matches. In the event that two teams have equal point scores after the first overtime period, play will continue unabated into a second overtime period. Play during this overtime period will not stop until one team scores a goal. The first team to score a goal will be declared the winner. g) In the case that a team is forced to forfeit due to attendance during the post-season, upon request from the captain and permission of the referee and the opposing captain, the match may be postponed to a later date. h) Each round in the post season, with the exception of the final round, will consist of a best-of-3 series. The first team to win two games will win the series. i) A single time will be provided for all three games in each best-of-3 series. All three games will be played one after the other. j) Either captain may request that the second or third post-season game in a given round be postponed as long as any valid reason is given. Valid reasons are: low player attendance, players the captain believes would help did not attend, poor server conditions, and other unspecified reasons as deemed by the referee. k) The final round will consist of a best-of-5 series. The first team to win three games will win the series. l) Each post-season series may be postponed once by each captain. 17) Scheduling Pre / Regular Season: a) Pre-season games will be scheduled once the teams entering into the pre-season are decided. b) Regular season games will be scheduled once the pre-season is complete. c) Pre-season and regular season games will be force-scheduled by the staff member responsible for scheduling. d) Games will be scheduled at times which coincide with both teams availability. If this isn't possible, both captains will mutually agree on an acceptable time. Post-Season: h) Post-season games will be scheduled once the regular season is complete. i) Post-season games will be scheduled by the captains of each team, with the staff member responsible for scheduling assisting where necessary to ensure games take place within an appropriate time frame. j) Postponed / Rescheduled games: k) Teams will be allowed to reschedule up to 4 games during the regular season. A rescheduled game must be changed to a mutually agreeable time by consulting with the opposing captain, head ref and the league admin. The game time must be changed at least 1 week in advance for it to be considered a rescheduled game. l) Teams will be allowed to postpone up to 2 games during the regular season. Postponed games will be rescheduled at a later date to a mutually agreeable time by consulting with the opposing captain and the league staff. The game time may be changed up to 48 hours prior to the game to be considered a postponed game. Games postponed due to match conditions are not counted against a team's allotted postponements. m) Games can be re-scheduled outside of the official league times listed as long as both captains agree to the time and they can find a referee on their own, at least 48 hours prior to the game.