Taken from MAHA Bylaws

XI. ELIGIBILITY FOR DISTRICT AND STATE PLAYOFFS

A.    To be eligible to enter MAHA District and/or State playoffs, only teams registered legally in Michigan and conforming to all USA HOCKEY and MAHA Age Classification, Division Classification and Registration Rules and Regulations are eligible to enter District Play­offs.

B.    All teams are eligible for District Playoffs in the District in which they are legally registered, as defined in paragraph A above. The District Council, being the governing body for the District, shall have and exercise general control and authority over the affairs of the District as defined in M.A.H.A. By-Law #5. The method of selection of eligible teams as candidates for District playoffs shall be determined by the District’s Council. All teams will be notified by their District Council, in writing, before September 1, of any changes to the selection process. No notification is required if the selection process remains the same as the previous season, and, shall be considered as an established practice for the current season. A written copy of the selection process shall be kept on file with the District Chairperson.

C.    Any team may apply to the respective State Playoff Committee for the granting or waiver of an exception to the eligibility rules set forth herein. The request for exception must be in writing and it must first be submitted to the District Council (by November 15) for the District in which the team is registered. The request for exception must be acted upon by the District Council and its actions evidenced by written endorsement upon the team request. The request must be submitted to the respective State Playoff Committee at its December meeting. No exceptions will be considered by the State Playoff Committee after this date. The decision of the State Playoff Committee is final and cannot be appealed.

D.    Each District Champion or alternate team is eligible to enter the State Playoffs along with a team repre­sent­ing the host city. Should this format fail to establish eight (8) entries the State Playoff Committee shall select from District runners-up a sufficient number of teams to establish eight entries.

E.    No more than two teams from any District may partici­pate in the State Playoffs in any one classification. No more than one team from the same association may participate in the State Playoffs in the same classification. The respective State Playoff Committee reserves the right to make exceptions in extraordinary circumstances.

F.     Adult Division players are allowed to play for more than one team in different leagues, but those players playing on more than one team that is eligible to enter District and/or State Playoffs are eligible to participate in these Playoffs only as follows.

1.     In the Adult Elite, Adult US, Adult Non-Checking Tier I, Over 30 and Over 35 divisions:

a.     Up to (5) players on the roster of a team participating in any of the above playoff classifications may also play on one other team in a different classification in the District and State playoffs. Exception: a player may not participate on both an Adult US and an Adult Elite team in these playoffs.

b.     The players must be on the roster of both teams that they are playing for in these playoffs and must meet all other eligibility requirements.

2.     In the Adult Non-Checking Tier II division, a player can play for only one team in the District and/or State playoffs. Once a player participates in a District or State Playoff game in Adult Non-Checking Tier II he is ineligible to play for any other team in any classification in these playoffs. Once a player participates in a District or State Playoff game in any other Adult Men’s division, he is ineligible to play for any Adult Non-Checking Tier II team in these playoffs.

3.     Penalty for failure to comply with the above rules is forfeiture of all games in which the ineligible player participated.

4.     Number of Games for Eligibility: Adult Divisions (Men’s)

a.     Individual players must participate in six (6) USA HOCKEY sanctioned games on or before February 1st with the team for which they will be participating in District and State Playoffs.

b.     In order to qualify for State Playoffs, a team must play at least eight (8) games in its classification on or before February 1st.

c.     Exceptions to a. or b. may be granted by the respective State Playoff Committee.

5.     Adult Men’s Division teams that are registered in more than one District are eligible to enter District and/or State Playoffs only from the District in which they play the majority of their regular season games.

G.    Youth and Girl’s Divisions teams are eligible to enter the District and/or State playoffs only in the division in which they are registered.

1.     Number of Games for Eligibility

a.     Individual players must participate in ten (10) USA HOCKEY sanctioned games before the regularly scheduled first game of District Playoffs with the team for which they will participate in District and State Playoffs. Individual players must participate in ten (10) USA Hockey sanctioned games on or before February 1^st with the Tier I team for which they will participate in the State Playoffs.

b.     In order to qualify for State Playoffs, a team must play at least twenty (20) games in its classification on or before February 1st, except for Girl’s Classification teams, which must play at least fourteen (14) games in their classification before February 1st.

c.     Exceptions to a. or b. may be granted by the respective State Playoff Committee.

d.     All players must be active players on the team they are registered with at the time of the District Playoffs, except in the case of an injured player.

e.     A player who transfers to a team and who has partici­pated in a combined total number of games in excess of that classification game limit shall be ineligible for District or State Playoffs in that classification.

 

XII. RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR DISTRICT PLAYOFFS

The District Playoffs shall be under the supervision and control of the respective State Playoff Committee (Youth, Adult, Girls’/Women’s) who shall be the final authority. The State of Michigan shall consist of Districts #2 through #8.

Each District will conduct Playoffs to determine the District entry into the State Playoffs. (In the event the team representing the host city wins the District Playoff, the District Playoff runner-up shall represent the District.)

.A.   Notification of intent to enter

1.     Each Association and independent team must notify their District Council in writing of their intent to enter the District Playoffs no later than December 1st.

2.     Each team in the Tier I classification must signify their intention of entering the State Playoffs no later than December 1st to the Chairman of the Youth State Playoff Committee.

3.     Girls’/Women’s teams must signify their intention of entering the State Playoffs in writing no later than November 15th to the Girls’/Women’s Director.

B.    If a team which has committed to enter the District playoffs, fails to participate in those playoffs, the team officials and players shall be suspended for a maximum of one year by the respective State Playoff Committee.

C.    Dates

        District Playoffs must be completed by the last Sunday in February and notification of winners for each classification sent to the appropriate Vice-President (Youth or Adult).

D.    Tournament Director

1.     The District Playoff Director shall be approved by the respective State Playoff committee.

2.     The District Playoff Director is in charge of all phases of District Playoffs, exclusive of playing rules.

E.    Credentials Committee

1.     Each team entering the District Playoffs is required to furnish to the Credentials Committee the following items:

a.     Team Roster Form (1-T) (certified copy by the USA Hockey Associate Registrar)

b.     Team Registration Form (2-T) (certified copy by the USA HOCKEY Associate Registrar)

c.     IMR’s or Membership Cards or Electronic Registration by the USA HOCKEY Associate Registrar

d.     Copy of government issued birth certificate, or, if birth certificate is not available, copy of a Passport ID page for each rostered player.

e.     Non-US citizens must provide proof of legal residency and proof of release and transfer from home country ice hockey federation.

f.     USA HOCKEY Consent To Treat Form for all players, coaches and managers

g.     A Game Log showing all games played

h.     Sanctioned game scoresheets to verify compliance with the minimum number of games for eligibility rule for each rostered player      

i.      Coaching Education Program certification cards for all coaches

j.      Signed Waiver of Liability Release, Assumption of Risk & Indemnifying Agreement for all players, coaches and managers. If the participant has registered electronically via the internet, this form is not required.

k.     Completed Code of Conduct form for each player and coach.

l.      Signed STAR forms.

2.     Acceptable proof of age shall consist of a readable copy of a player’s government issued birth certificate. A U.S. Military record of birth will be acceptable in lieu of a birth certificate for players born of parent(s) in the U.S. Military. An affidavit sworn to before an Officer of the Court may be used only in those circumstances where a birth certificate or U.S. Military record of birth is not available. In the Adult Classifications, a valid Michigan driver’s license is sufficient.

F.     Substitute Goalkeepers

        A team may pick up a substitute goalie from within its own association or District if it does not already have a spare goalie registered. For non-national bound divisions, the substitute goalie must be registered in the current season on a team of equal or lower age classification and equal or lower team classification. For national bound divisions, the substitute goalie must be registered in the current season on a lower classification team.

        A substitute goalie, under such circumstances, may be used only in case of injury to the regular goalie. If a team elects this method for a substitute goalie, the team may have only 19 players registered at any time so as not to exceed the maximum number of players allowed.

G.    Playing Rules

        All USA HOCKEY playing rules shall apply.

H.    Time Between Games

        In all District Playoffs held in Michigan, the number of games played by any player or team on one day shall not be more than two, with a minimum of four hours between the finish of the first game and the start of the second, and twelve hours between games played on consecutive days.

I.      Uniform Colors

1.     The Home team shall wear Light/White jerseys. The Visiting team shall wear Dark/Colored jerseys in all games. All disputes will be handled by the District Director.

2.     Each team entered in the District Playoffs must be fully uniformed with all players having jerseys of the same color. All players must have a number.

J.     Forfeits                         

        Any team which fails to appear for a scheduled game of the District playoff shall (1) forfeit all of its District Playoff games, (2) shall pay for all expenses, including, but not limited to all referees fees and all ice costs for each forfeited game. The District Council may impose further penalties within its discretion. In the event of exceptional circum­stances, the forfeit(s) may be appealed to the State Playoff Committee Chairperson and two other members of the MAHA Board of Directors and the game(s) may be ordered replayed if the appeal is upheld.

K.    Protests

        Protests on all matters other than playing rules and/or referees judgment must be filed with the District Tournament Director in writing no later than one hour after completion of the game involved. Written protests must contain all the facts and must be accompanied by a protest fee of $50.00 which will be returned if the protest is upheld. Officials must be notified at the time of protest so that it may be an­nounced to all officials and the public. (The fee will be forfeit if protest is turned down.)

L.     Referees

        All playoff games must be officiated by regis­tered referees in good standing.

M.    Discipline

1.     Any player or team official receiving a game(s) suspension during the District Playoffs (game misconduct, etc.) must serve the suspension during the next game(s) of that District Playoff. Suspensions not served to completion during the District Playoffs will be carried over to the State Playoff games. Note: The suspended player/team official must serve game suspension(s) in the next prescheduled game(s) of that team and the next District Playoff game(s) should they not coincide.

2.     Should the District Council become aware of, and subsequently determine a player(s) to be ineligible before, during or after the state playoff tournament, said player(s) shall be ruled ineligible to participate in any remaining games and the team using the ineligible player(s) shall forfeit any games in which the player(s) participated. If it is determined that the coach(s) or manager were aware of the ineligible situation, they shall be subject to suspension. (Reference paragraph XVII. Disciplinary Actions.)

N.    Authority of MAHA Tournament Directors and Referees

        In all District playoffs the qualified and designated referees shall have sole authority of and responsibility for the enforcement and interpretation of the playing rules on the ice except as provided herein. The District shall have authority and responsibility for all off ice rules and regulations enforcement. The District shall have the authority, with the advice of the referee, to terminate play, determine resurfacing as set forth in these rules, and to decide if a game must be replayed and the manner of replay.

 

XIII. RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR STATE PLAYOFFS

These rules and regulations are in addition to the USA HOCKEY “Rules and Regulations for Regional Playoffs”. The State Playoffs shall be under the supervision and control of the respective State Playoff Committee.

A.    Requirements of Host Association

1.     An established program which fails to register all of its member teams is not eligible to be designated as Host for any State Playoffs.

2.     A host city that does not abide by all of the Playoff rules will be subject to the loss of hosting State Playoffs for two (2) years.

3.     The host shall submit to the respective State Playoff Commit­tee its format, schedule and rules no later than the second Monday in December of the current season. (See MAHA Form 11 for format.)

4.     If a format is not supplied or approved, the respective State Playoff Committee will supply the format and rules.

5.     State Playoff Locations by Districts: (except Tier I classifications)