General

CAHA rules apply in addition to the following league rules. The Ottawa Morning Hockey League (OMHL) was formed to provide players an opportunity to participate under recreational, non-contact rules. Injurious actions and disrespect toward any player, official, or staff have no place in this league. Violations may result in ejection from the league without refund.

Body checking is not permitted. Slap shots are permitted.
All players must be at least 19 years of age before the start of the current season.
All players and team officials must sign the league waiver before their first game. It is the captain’s responsibility to ensure all players on their roster have signed.
The League Commissioner reserves the right to make emergency changes or additions to these rules. Teams and captains will be notified in writing as soon as possible.

Captains

Captains do not pay the season fee in exchange for the following responsibilities:

Spares — Source spares when the team has fewer than 10 skaters. Priority must go to registered players with the fewest games played that season, giving every caliber of player a fair opportunity. Captains are responsible for screening all spares.
Emergency goalie — Captains bring goalie equipment to every game. If the team’s goalie has not arrived by 15 minutes before game start, the captain dresses and plays goal. This responsibility does not fall on paying players, though a player may voluntarily step in if they choose.
Emergency referee — If no referee is present, captains referee the game. With two captains present, each referees one half.
Game environment — Captains are responsible for ensuring a fun and safe experience for all players. In a blowout, captains should discuss and arrange temporary player swaps between teams to even the game out.
Discipline — Captains are responsible for escalating disciplinary issues to the commissioner.
Change rooms — Captains coordinate with arena staff to secure a dedicated female change room and two male rooms. If a separate female room cannot be secured, the men will share a single room so the women have their own space.

Game Format

Games are one period in length, running from 5 minutes after the scheduled start time to 50 minutes after the scheduled start time (e.g., a 7:00 AM game runs 7:05–7:50).

Win = 2 points; Tie = 1 point each; Loss = 0 points.
No overtime in the regular season. Tied games stand as ties.
Playoffs: if tied at the end of regulation, the game is decided by a shootout.
There is no stop time during regular season games.
Playoffs stop time: if the score is within 2 goals or fewer, the final 3 minutes are played in stop time.
A team must have at least 5 skaters plus a goalie at game start time. See the Captains section for the goalie no-show procedure.

Penalties & Conduct

Minor Penalties

All minor penalties: 3 minutes running time from the drop of the puck.
Faceoffs following a penalty are taken in the defending zone.
Any puck shot directly over the glass by a defensive player from the defensive zone results in a minor penalty (NHL style).
Since there are no penalty box attendants, penalized players may rotate from the penalty box to the bench (without stepping onto the ice) once their penalty has expired, to avoid leaving the box door unsecured.

Last 3 Minutes — Regular Season

The following rules apply during the final 3 minutes of any regular season game. They do not apply in playoff games, where stop time governs close situations.

Penalties: the penalized player sits for the remainder of the game (5-on-4). If the power play does not result in a goal, the offended team is awarded a penalty shot at the end of regulation, taken by the offended player — but only if scoring would tie or win the game. If the goalie had left the ice for an extra attacker, they may return to defend the penalty shot.
Icing: any icing (intentional or not) in the last 3 minutes is treated as a penalty under the same terms above.
Line changes: all line changes must be made on-the-fly. Exceptions: after a goal or after a penalty. A team caught changing lines after any other whistle is assessed a penalty shot.

Major Penalties

All major penalties: 5 minutes running time from the drop of the puck.
Major penalties may carry a minimum 1-game suspension and will be reviewed by the Commissioner, who may impose additional suspensions.

Penalty Serving

No player may serve another player’s penalty except in the following situations: (i) a penalty assessed to a goalie; (ii) a major penalty where the penalized player has been ejected from the game; (iii) any minor penalty where the penalized player must leave due to injury.

Suspensions & Misconduct

Fighting: zero tolerance. Both parties are ejected immediately and receive an automatic 4-game suspension, plus a review by the commissioner and team captains.
Post-game misconduct: minimum 2-game suspension.
3 penalties in one game results in ejection. A player ejected a 4th time in a season (for accumulating 3 penalties) receives a 1-game suspension, plus an additional game for each subsequent ejection.
Threatening safety: any player who deliberately threatens the safety or well-being of another player or team captain receives a minimum season-long suspension.
Ejected players must immediately proceed to the dressing room and may not remain to watch the game.
Suspended players are not permitted near the bench area during any game.
Players receiving majors, misconducts, or match penalties may be required to post a Performance Bond to remain in the league.
All disciplinary decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Goalies

Goalies do not serve their own minor penalties; a teammate serves in the penalty box, but the team plays shorthanded as normal.
For misconducts and match penalties, the goalie may continue playing at the officials’ discretion and will be reviewed by the disciplinary committee.
A goalie who receives 3 minor penalties in a single game is not ejected but receives an automatic 1-game suspension and may not play in that team’s next scheduled game.
Goalie mask: if the puck contacts the goalie’s mask, play is blown dead immediately. If the puck goes directly off the mask and into the net without the play being blown dead, it is a good goal.

Equipment & Sweaters

Equipment

All players must wear full CSA-approved hockey equipment and a properly fastened helmet with chin strap. No substitutes are permitted for the helmet or chin strap. Players without proper equipment will not be permitted on the ice; if such a player takes the ice, they receive a minor penalty and are ejected until the violation is corrected.
All players must wear a minimum of a half visor. Full face masks or shields may become mandatory if insurance requirements dictate.
Any player notified of an equipment or sweater violation by a league official may not take another shift until the violation is corrected. Failure to comply results in a 1-game suspension.

Sweaters

Teams must have two full matching sets of sweaters with numbers for each participating player.
The goaltender may wear a sweater in the team’s predominant color and is the only player not required to wear a number.
The home team wears black and takes the home players’ bench.

Game Play

Offsides & Icing

The determining line for an icing call is the team’s defensive blue line. The red line is not used for two-line passes.
Offensive zone players must remain out of the goalie crease. If an offensive player is in the crease, play is whistled dead and the faceoff is moved to the nearest dot outside the offensive zone.

Line Changes

Players may change at any time. The referee enforces a hurry-up faceoff: the puck drops 7 seconds after the referee blows the whistle at the faceoff dot.
Play is whistled dead if a player gains an advantage by entering late for the faceoff.
See the Last 3 Minutes rules for additional restrictions on line changes late in the game.

Game Officials

Game officials have the final word on all on-ice situations, including the awarding of points and stats. Only the team captain (or their designated representative) may assist officials with awarding points — at the official’s discretion.

Eligibility & Playoffs

Playoff Eligibility

Players must have played a minimum of 5 regular season games with a team to be eligible for playoffs with that team.
Players may participate with only one team per division during the playoffs unless approved in writing by the Commissioner.
If a team’s goalie is unavailable for a playoff game, a replacement goalie may be used with prior approval from the league executive.

Regular Season Tiebreaker

Most wins
Most head-to-head wins between the tied teams
Goal differential (goals for minus goals against)
Goals for divided by goals against
Best record against the 1st-place team in the division
Least penalized team
Decision by team captains committee

Playing While Suspended / Illegal Players

The following penalties apply to any team found using a suspended, ineligible, or alias player:

The team’s score for that game is recorded as 0. The opposing team keeps their score; if they had not scored, they are awarded a 5–0 win.
The illegal player receives an additional 5-game suspension.
The team’s captain and top point-getter are both suspended for the team’s next game.

No suspended player may play on any team in the league until their full suspension has been served.

Player Trades

Team captains may discuss, negotiate, and submit player trades for approval throughout the season. All trades must be approved by the league organizer.

Facilities

Dressing rooms must be cleared within 30 minutes of game completion.
Captains are responsible for ensuring all players have access to their assigned change room. See the Captains section for the room allocation policy.
No alcoholic beverages are to be brought into dressing rooms or rink areas. This is required by the league’s contracts with the City of Ottawa.
Smoking is prohibited in all dressing rooms and rink areas.
OM Hockey is not responsible for lost or stolen items within the change rooms.

Rules & Regulations