New York City Roller Hockey League (NYCRHL)

League Rules

Rules

The New York City Roller Hockey League (NYCRHL) is sanctioned by the Athletic Amateur Union (AAU).

All players must register with AAU to participate in the league.  By registering with AAU you will also be covered by the AAU Insurance Program.

The NYCRHL follows the USA Roller Sports Official Rules of Inline Hockey with the following modifications and/or additions:

 

TEAM ROSTERS:

  • A team roster shall be composed of a maximum of 15 players.  For the purpose of these playing rules, any reference to player shall refer to both skaters and goalkeepers.
  • Skaters may only be on one roster regardless of Tier but goaltenders may sub for other teams.
  • Rosters are locked after five (5) team games. 
  • Playoff Roster:  A player has to have played a minimum of four (4) games. The exception to the rule is if a player was injured and has medical clearance.

 

MEDICAL CLEARANCE:

  • Medical clearance is defined as producing a Doctor’s note clearing the player to resume to the roster and play.

 

PRIOR TO START OF GAME:

  • All captains must go to the Official Scorer to sign in all eligible players.
  • Everyone in warm-ups must wear a fully caged or full shield helmet. This rule shall be enforced by the referees.

Forfeits:

  • Prior to the start of a game, if a team is unable to field a team of four skaters and one goalie (or five skaters) within the time allotted, the team will have to forfeit their game. The final score will be 8-0 and they will be assessed a forfeiture penalty.

Forfeiture Penalty:

  • The team that caused the forfeiture will be assessed a fee of $200 (two hundred dollars) that must be paid to the league before the start of their next scheduled game. This fee will be given to the opposing team. 
  • Forfeiting team has 3 points removed from the standings 
  • During the game, in the event that a team can no longer field the required number of players due to penalties and or injuries, they shall also forfeit their game. This game forfeiture will not be assessed a monetary penalty. 

 

EQUIPMENT:

  • Each team must have all players wearing matching team jerseys in order to be eligible to play in the game. NYCRHL recommends that teams have separate home and away jerseys, but it is not required. If two teams are wearing similar colors that would cause confusion for the players and officiating staff, the Away team must change their jerseys. The Home team has the primary color choice for any game.
  • All players (including goalies) must wear either inline or quad skates. All inline skates should have four (4) wheels on each skate. If a player has three (3) wheels they will be warned as a first offense and must have the correct number of wheels by the next game. At no time shall a player be allowed to play a game with only two (2) wheels on a skate.
  • Elbow pads and athletic supporters are not mandatory but are strongly recommended. 
  • Fully Caged or Full Face Shield HECC approved helmets must be worn by all players. Goalie Masks and helmets must also be HECC approved. No “cat-eye” cages are allowed.  
  • All players must be wearing hockey inline pants.
  • All protective equipment, for example: (elbows pads, shin guards, and athletic supporters) must be covered. First-time offenders will be issued a warning. If the equipment is not corrected, the player will be penalized with a minor penalty

GAME FLOW:

  • The official puck for the NYCRHL is the IDS Pro Shot Roller Hockey Puck.
  • Games shall consist of two (2) twenty-minute running time halves. The clock will stop when a penalty is being assessed or in the last two (2) minutes of regulation time when there is a score differential of two (2) goals or less.
  • Games tied at the conclusion of the second period shall be considered tied and each team will be awarded one (1) point in the standings.
  • In the event of weather conditions forcing play to halt, a game will be considered completed if the second period has started and the score difference is greater than three (3) goals. All other halted games will be considered "paused" and will continue from the stoppage point at another time.

Tree Interference:

  • If the referee deems the puck has changed direction due to hitting a tree branch overhanging the rink, they will stop the play.  The faceoff can either take place in the defending zone or center ice.

 

PENALTIES:

  • Minor:                1:30 (one minute thirty seconds)
  • Double Minor:    3:00 (three minutes)
  • Major:                 4:00 (four minutes)
  • All coincidental penalties are a loss of manpower for both teams. For example: instead of skating 4 on 4 teams will skate 3 on 3. Teams can not have fewer than 2 skaters on the rink at any point.
  • Delay of Game: shooting the puck out of the rink. If a player shoots the puck out of play from their defensive zone, it will be at the referee’s discretion to assess a minor penalty. 
  • Slow change/Faceoff: If the referee believes a team is deliberately making a slow change or delaying a face-off they may stop the clock and/or assess a minor penalty.        

***FIGHTING IS NOT TOLERATED IN THE NYCRHL*** NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE TO THIS RULE. THERE IS ZERO TOLERANCE FOR THIS INFRACTION.  ALL DECISIONS BY THE NYCRHL AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGARDING SUSPENSIONS OR EXPULSIONS ARE FINAL.

 

PLAYER/REFEREE ABUSE:

  • Any slurs (directed at ANYONE) deemed to be racial, ethnic, homophobic, or unacceptable by the league will not be tolerated. 
  • This infraction carries an automatic game misconduct and a one-game suspension. Repeat offenders may be expelled from the league.
  • Any player making threatening gestures or physical contact with an NYCRHL official (both on or off the playing surface) will be automatically suspended from the league.

 

BEHAVIOR AT THE RINK:

  • Our league rink is located in a New York City public park and therefore our league must adhere to the New York City Parks Department's rules and regulations. No profanities are allowed since children may be within earshot. The league recognizes that this can be difficult at times to adhere to and therefore will issue warnings. If it continues, a penalty may be assessed.
  • NYC Parks rules prohibit NYCRHL to use the benches in the fenced-in area where the playground equipment is located. Only adults accompanied by a child are allowed to be in those areas.

 

PLAYOFFS:

  • Standings tiebreakers: 
    1. Most Points
    2. Most Wins
    3. Head-to-Head record between tied teams. (This doesn't apply when there are more than two tied teams.)
    4. Low Goals Against 
    5. Most Goals Scored
    6. Goal Differential
  • Players must have played in three (4) regular-season games in order to qualify for the playoffs. 
  • Playoff games will consist of two (2) twenty-minute halves with stop time in the last two minutes of the second period with a differential of 2 goals or less.
  • Overtime is sudden death and consists of 20-minute periods until a goal is scored.  There are no shootouts in the playoffs. 

MERCY RULE:

  • Regular and Playoff games will be completed if there is an eight (8) goal difference after the first half or anytime during the second half.

 

NYCRHL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO AMEND ITS RULES AND REGULATIONS AS IT DEEMS NECESSARY WITHIN THE GUIDELINES OF THE AAU.  ANY CHANGES WILL BE FORWARDED TO ALL TEAM CAPTAINS.                                                

Updated as of March 1, 2022

 

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