Tournament Rules


Spirit of Duluth
December 5-7, 2025
RULES

  1. Minnesota hockey sanctioned. Minnesota hockey ages will be used.

  2. A list of tournament officials and their contact info is below on note #29 & 30.  Please stress to parents to not contact or call tournament officials.  We want all communication to be through proper channels (team manager or coach).  If parents contact a tournament official, they will be told to contact their team manager or coach to have them reach out.  

  3. All games will be played under & in accordance with the rules of USA Hockey & Minnesota Hockey unless otherwise specified.

  4. All officials will be USA Hockey registered.

  5. Disobedience or misbehavior by fans is not tolerated.  It is important for all the enjoyment of all spectators and to retain officials long-term that fans keep their thoughts to themselves if they disagree with something on the ice.  Team managers or coaches: Please let your teams know this and if they are asked to leave the arena for unruly behavior, that they do so immediately.  We haven’t had to use this rule #5 at the Spirit and we strongly hope to continue this tradition.    

  6. The tournament has a fee paid by each team.  This will allow all spectators into the tournament without a gate fee. 

  7. Medical personnel as recognized by USA Hockey will present at each game and each sheet of ice.

  8. Squirt games will consist of three (3) twelve (12) minute periods Each Pee Wee and Bantam game will consist of three (3) fifteen (15) minute stop time periods. Junior Gold games will be three (3) fifteen (15) minute stop time periods.   

  9. For 2025 the ice for will be resurfaced every 2 periods.  If a squirt game starts with fresh ice, there will be no resurfacing in Squirts games.    

  10. Penalties:     
    Minor ------------------15 minute periods --   2:00 Minutes (1:30 for Peewees. 1:00 for Squirts).
    Major ---------------------------------------------5:00 Minutes 
    Misconduct ------------------------------------- 10:00 Minutes
    Fighting -----------------------------------   Player Out for remainder of game & next game minimum, plus a (5) Minute Major.

  11. All games will start promptly with dropping of the puck at the assigned game time. Teams may be allowed up to five (5) minutes for warm-up prior to the assigned game time.  The Spirit is a large tournament with officials doing multiple games in multiple arenas.  If and only if all of these conditions are met, can a game can start early: All game officials are present and agree, ice staff is ready for game to start, all game volunteers are present (timekeeper, penalty box openers), both coaches agree and ONLY if starting early wouldn’t put the game in under the 2 hour rest rule.    

  12. Any player who is currently a member of any High School A or B or Junior A Or B team either in the United States or Canada, will not be allowed to play in this tournament.

  13.  Game Sheet will be used.  This will allow us to verify that rosters are current.   For some Canadian teams this may not be possible with travel papers etc so an exception is made for those teams and they can check in, at least 1 hour prior to the start of their game at the site they are playing the game at.  Rosters, once submitted, are final. No player may play on more than one team in this tournament regardless of registration.  

  14. Teams Must Provide:
    (NOTE: most of these requirements are already take care of with an approved USA Hockey roster).  
    Proof of insurance for USA & MN Hockey teams will be a signed stamped roster by USA Hockey registrar or his/her designee.
    Teams must provide individual Membership Registrations (IMR”S) for all players & Coaches.
    If teams are electronically registered with USA Hockey IMR’S are not required.
    All teams must provide a team roster approved, signed, and stamped by USA Hockey Registrar or his/her designee (Canadian teams by their ruling body).
    Governmental copies of Certified Birth Certificates for each player must be provided. Hospital Certificates & Baptismal Certificates will not be accepted. Exception MN Hockey Teams or USA hockey teams that have this as part of their registration process.
    All coaches must provide Coaching Certification Cards (this is already noted and part of all USA hockey rosters).. 

  15. The tournament, its officials, the Arena facilities & all personnel connected with it shall not be held liable for injuries sustained during the tournament.

  16. The competition format will be a sixteen (17) team round- robin tournament for PeeWees and Bantams .  For Squirts the format will be a twelve (12) team round-robin tournament.  For Junior Gold the format will be an eight (8) team round-robin tournament.  Teams are placed in a four (4) team round robin division to start the tournament.  One division in each of peewee and bantam will be in a five (5) team round robin division.  All teams are guaranteed four (4) games, some will play 5 games (exception: JR GOLD, Squirt), for peewees and bantams, two will play 6. 

  17. For Peewees and Bantams: the #1 seeded teams from each division will be placed in the championship bracket winners playing for the championship & the losers playing for third place.  The remaining teams will play friendly games.  It’s not guaranteed but for friendly games we will make an effort to switch games around to avoid teams in the same district from playing each other. 

  18. For Squirts and Junior Gold :  The #1 seeds of each round robin bracket will play each other for the championship game.  The highest point # 2 seeds from the remaining round robin brackets will be the 4th seed in the championship bracket. The remaining #2 seeds will play for the consolation.  The remaining teams after bracketing will play friendly games.  

  19. For Junior Gold: The #1 seeds of each round robin bracket will play each other for the championship game.  The # 2 seeds from each round robin bracket will play for 3rd place. The 3rd and 4th in their round robin bracket will play teams in a friendly game with a team from the opposite round robin bracket.

  20.  There will be no OT for any of the round robin or friendly games.  If teams are tied at the end of the 3rd, the game will end in a tie.

  21. Determining divisional winners & runners-up:
    1. Total points: 10 points for a win, 4 points for a tie, & 0 points for a loss. 
    2. If two or more teams are tied, positions will be determined by the following tie breaker steps:

    A. Head to head between tied teams. If positions are not clearly determined all teams go to step B. 
    B. Differential between goals for and goals against in all games with a maximum differential of six (6) goals counted in any one round-robin game. If three (3) teams are tied and one team’s position can be determined but other two teams second are still tied, tied teams go to Step C.
    C. If still tied, least amount of goals given up in all games with a maximum of six (6) goals against per game. 
    D. If still tied, most goals scored in all games with a maximum of six (6) goals per game.
    E. If still tied, teams will placed by the least amount of penalty minutes per team in all games.
    If still tied, a coin will be flipped to decide higher seed..

    The same method will be used for the second place finishers & down.
    PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS NO REASON TO RUN THE SCORE UP

  22. Running time with five (5) goal lead in third period only.  If the lead reaches 5 in the 3rd period, time will start running on the next puck drop.  If the opposing team scores at any point to get the lead back to 4, running time will stop unless the difference reaches 5 again, then running time will start again at the next puck drop.  

  23. We will be using GameSheet so roster stickers will not be needed. 

  24. Roster will be limited to twenty (20) players unless an exemption has been made by your ruling body. 

  25. Team officials not on USA Hockey rosters will not be allowed in the players box during the game, in accordance with USAH rules, maximum number of team officials in the players box is four (4). 

  26. All teams shown first in GameSheet (AWAY) will wear light colored jerseys.  The second team listed (HOME) will wear dark jerseys. If team has only one color, please let us know by emailing spiritofduluth@gmail.com or contact the tournament official from your level listed on rule #29.  Please refer to GameSheet for the Home and Away teams for all games during the tournament, there will be no paper schedules available for the tournament. 

  27. All decisions of referees are final.  Per USAH rules, Spirit of Duluth officials or any officials in any tournament cannot, may not and will not change any decision by a referee. 

  28. Tie games will be broken in the championship round as follows:
    A. Championship game a two minute rest period will be followed by a 10-minute 5 on 5 sudden victory overtime. Additional 10-minute 5 on 5 overtimes will be played until a winner is determined.

  29. If you have any issues during the tournament, look for a committee member at the tournament table or call one of the SOD Officials: General officials: Dave Shea (218)393-1498, Lynden Medlin (218)343-5030, Gino Bohlman (218)340-7493, Blaine Hunter (218)393-6526, Kyle Backstrom (218)451-1386, Wade Backstrom (218)310-2514, Bob Nygard (218)310-0624, Joe Scott (218)590-5693, Mark Udd (218)391-0527