Tournament Rules
ROSTERS
- Labor Day Festival USA Hockey Sanction #: 26.27-CA.02
- Official/approved USA Hockey/Hockey Canada rosters must be submitted to the tournament director no later than Friday, August 28.
- "Tournament Team" rosters (with added/"guest" players not listed/approved on USA Hockey/Hockey Canada in-season rosters) must be pre-approved by the tournament director; teams must provide added players' names and 2026-27 in-season team/level prior to approval.
- Players are permitted to double-roster on no more than 2 teams, provided those players are properly rostered on multiple in-season teams (in addition to their boys youth teams, either girls or high school). Outside of special circumstances (ie. absent/injured goaltender or short, non-competitive rosters), players are not permitted to double-roster on 2 teams playing in the same division.
- The tournament will use pre-rostered/printed scoresheets (roster stickers are not required). Official USA Hockey rosters will be uploaded by the tournament director into the tournament's Time to Score portal prior to the start of the tournament.
- All players (parents/legal guardians) are required to complete and submit the tournament waiver before the start of the tournament: TOURNAMENT WAIVER LINK
STAY-TO-PLAY
- All non-SCAHA (Southern California)-based teams/programs - all rostered players, coaches and staff (team manager, etc.) - are required to book their hotel accomodations through EventConnect. The buyout fee to use alternative hotels is $900 per team ($500 for 8U teams).
- HOTEL BOOKING LINK
PLAYING RULES
- The designated home team will wear dark-colored jerseys and visiting team light-colored jerseys. Teams are encouraged to work with the opposition (team manager/coach) before games to avoid potential jersey color conflicts.
- All USA Hockey playing and equipment rules apply in all divisions.
- All games will consist of 3, 13-minute stop-time periods.
- No overtime in pool play (games will end in a tie). If a semifinal or championship game is tied after regulation time, the game will continue to a 5-minute, 4-on-4 running time overtime period. If the game is still tied after overtime, it will go to a 3-man shootout. If still tied, the shootout will proceed to a sudden-death shootout. No player may shoot a second time until the team with the least number of players on its bench has used all its players.
- If, at any time during the third period, there is a 5-goal differential, the game will go to running time, If, at any time during the second period, there is a 7-goal-differentical, the game will go to running time. If the game returns to a 2-goal differential, the last 2 minutes will go to stop time.
- Each game will begin with a 3-minute warmup period.
- There will be a 1-minute break between periods.
- All minor penalties will be 2 minutes in duration and all major penalties will be 5 minutes in duration.
- No timeouts will be permitted in pool play (for playoffs, one 1-minute timeout will be permitted per team).
- All teams must be prepared to play 15 minutes before their scheduled start time.
- Teams are required to supply their own warmup pucks.
- Penalty box attendants are not required at any level.
POINTS/STANDINGS PROCEDURES
Points will be awarded as follows:
2 points for a win
1 point for a tie
0 points for a loss
The maximum goal differential recorded for all games is 7. For example, if a team wins by an actual score of 10-2, that game will be recorded with a final score of 9-2, reflecting the 7-goal maximum differential. The 7-goal differential will also apply for any tie-breaking procedures. A forfeited game will be recorded as a 1-0 score and regulation loss for the team declaring the forfeit and a regulation win for the opposing team.
TIEBREAKER PROCEDURES
NOTE: THE STANDINGS DISPLAYED ON THE TOURNAMENT WEB SITE MAY NOT REFLECT THE TOURNAMENT'S TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES.
If two or more teams have an equal number of points, their position in the standings shall be determined by the following tie-breaking rules. If at any point during the application of the tie-breaking rules any or all of the teams can be seeded higher or lower than the other teams, the seeded teams will be placed in their position in the standings and the tie-breaking process will begin at Step 1 for any teams that remain tied (if all tied teams have not played each other, then proceed to Step 2). Note: A team may go into the tie-breaking process having defeated another of the tied teams and still not advance.
The tie-breaker rules are as follows:
1. The results of the head-to-head games played between the tied teams in the following order:
a. Most points earned.
b. Most total wins (whether in regulation, overtime and shootout).
c. Most regulation wins.
d. Differential - Subtracting goals against from goals for in these games, the positions being determined in order of the greatest surplus. A maximum goal differential of plus or minus seven (7) per game will be used in tie-breaking rules.
e. Fewest goals against.
2. If after applying the formulas of 1 a, b, c , d or e the tie still exists, the results of all the games played by the teams tied in the following order.
a. Most total wins (whether in regulation, overtime and shootout).
b. Most regulation wins.
c. Differential - Subtracting goals against from goals for in these games, the positions being determined in order of the greatest surplus. A maximum goal differential of plus or minus seven (7) per game will be used in tie-breaking rules
d. Fewest goals against.
Refer to USA Hockey District and National Championship Guidebook for tie-breaking scenarios (Pages 62-72).
SPORTSMANSHIP
The tournament and its participating facilities champion a zero-tolerance policy regarding any verbal abuse of any player, official, parent or spectator. The tournament director and rink staffs reserve the right to remove any violator from the premises and any issues regarding abusive behavior or conduct will be referred to the tournament director for potential further action.
8U DIVISIONS
PLAYING RULES
- All USA Hockey/SCAHA 8U playing and equipment rules apply.
- The designated home team will wear dark-colored jerseys and visiting team light-colored jerseys. Teams are encouraged to work with the opposition (team manager/coach) before games to avoid potential jersey color conflicts.
- All game will be played with intermediate-sized nets and lighter ADM "blue" pucks (regular-sized/-weight black pucks are prohibited).
- A buzzer will sound every 90 seconds of play for (required) player/line changes.
- All games are played 4-on-4 with a goalie.
- Each session will begin with a 3-minute warmup period.
- Each team is required to supply its own warmup pucks.
- There will be a 1-minute break between games.
- The 8U divisions do not track individual stats or use scoresheets (no roster stickers are needed).
- All games will be played at Icetown Riverside (Rink B).
GAME FORMAT
4-Team Division
All teams will play all 4 days. Each team will play each other 3 times in pool play on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (15-minute runtime periods). On Monday, the Nos. 1 and 4 seeds and Nos. 2 and 3 seeds will play a 30-minute (2, 15-minute halves) semifinal. The semifinal winners will play in the championship (Rink 1) and the semifinal losers will play a consolation (2, 15-minute halves).
5-Team Division
All teams will play all 4 days. Each team will play each other 3 times in pool play on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday (15-minute runtime periods). Following pool play on Monday, the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds will play for the championship (Rink 1) and the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds will play a consolation (15-minute runtime periods).
- No overtime in pool play or consolation games (game will end in a tie). If a semifinal or championship game is tied after regulation time, the game will continue to a 3-minute running time overtime period. If the game is still tied after overtime, it will go to a 3-man shootout. If still tied, the shootout will proceed to a sudden-death shootout. No player may shoot a second time until the team with the least number of players on its bench has used all its players.
POINTS/STANDINGS PROCEDURES
Points will be awarded as follows:
2 points for a win
1 point for a tie
0 points for a loss
The maximum goal differential recorded for all games is 7. For example, if a team wins by an actual score of 10-2, that game will be recorded with a final score of 9-2, reflecting the 7-goal maximum differential. The 7-goal differential will also apply for any tie-breaking procedures. A forfeited game will be recorded as a 1-0 score and regulation loss for the team declaring the forfeit and a regulation win for the opposing team.
TIEBREAKER PROCEDURES
See TIEBREAKER PROCEDURES above.
The tournament director reserves the right to modify any rules deemed detrimental to the best interest of the tournament or amateur hockey.
The decision of the tournament director is final.