Rules for Division Championships and Pele Cup Tournament - FALL 2021

1.   Rules governing regular season games will govern division championship and Pele Cup games, except with respect to shoot-outs as set forth below. Most importantly, the playing time rule used in the regular season also applies to the Pele Cup and Division Championships – the relevant Rule 5.1 is repeated below:

“5.1   It is the coach's responsibility to ensure that EVERY player plays at least half a game. Furthermore, no player on a team may play more than one quarter more than any other player on that team. In other words, each player must play three quarters before any player may play all four quarters. Substitutions may be made at the quarter, half and three-quarter points of the game. In the case of the quarters, the referee will halt play at a normal stoppage point ( i.e. ball out of play), NEAREST to the mid-point of the half. Note that this may result in one quarter being marginally longer than the other. There are no exceptions to this rule, except for lateness as follows, and failure to comply may result in the game being forfeited .

2 .   In the event the game is tied at the end of regulation time the teams will go straight to Shootouts using the following procedures:

a.  Captains will conduct a coin flip, and the winner of the coin flip will have the option of shooting first or second.

b.  Each coach will designate a goalie (who need not be the player who played goalie during regular time or overtime). The designated goalie remains as goalie throughout the entire shoot-out unless he or she is injured during the shoot-out.

c.  Each Intermediate, Major and High School Division coach shall designate five players for the shoot-out, and each Minor Division coach shall designate four players. Please note that the goalie may be a shooter. Players from each team will alternate taking penalty shots (player 1 from team A, followed by player 1 from team B, followed by player 2 from team A, etc.).  All four (or five for Majors) take their shot-  there is not sudden death in the first round.  The team that scores the most penalty shots wins.

d.   If the first round does not result in a winner, then there will be a sudden death shoot-out where each team designates one player to take one shot each. If one scores and the other does not, the scoring team wins. If neither shooter scores or if both score, then the coaches shall designate a second player to go through the same procedures, and if necessary a third round, etc. (NOTE: Players who participated in the first round are NOT eligible for the sudden death shoot-out. No player may take a second shot in the sudden death shoot-out until everyone on his/her team has taken a shot.)

e.  Following standard rules, if teams have a different number of players, and if the shootout goes deep into the roster, teams with more players will reduce their eligible roster to match the smaller team for eligible shoot our players.