YOOPER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
February 5-7, 2027
MORE INFO SOON!

YOOPER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT RULES 2026

Gold Division all players and goalies must be of age 18 or older.

Silver Division all players must be of age 35 or older.  Goalies must be 30 and over.

Each player is allowed to play for only one team within a division. Every participant must meet the age requirements for their division as of the tournament's start date. Any violations may lead to the player's removal from the tournament and could also result in the team's disqualification.

Every participant takes part at their own risk. Helmets and appropriate hockey equipment are required for all players.

Each game will consist of two 23-minute periods with running time. Teams will be allotted a three-minute warm-up prior to the start of play, and a one-minute intermission between periods. Each team is permitted one timeout, lasting one minute, per game.

Should a team remove their goalie within the final five minutes of the game, the clock will transition to stop time. Once the goalie is reinstated in the net, the clock will resume running following the puck drop that restarts play.

If the game remains tied after two periods, a sudden death five-minute running clock overtime will be played with three players per side. Should the score still be tied at the conclusion of overtime, the result will stand as final. For championship games only, if necessary to determine the winner, a shootout will occur, requiring each team to designate a minimum of three shooters until the tie is broken.

All games will be completed in accordance with Tournament rules. If a game remains tied at the end of regulation, and tiebreakers could affect which team wins, loses, or advances in the overall standings, the game will proceed to overtime prior to applying any tiebreakers. Standings will then reflect the outcome of the game once tiebreakers are considered.

Games follow USA Hockey rules with these exceptions: slap shots and checking are not allowed, icing uses the center redline, and play continues if out-of-play pucks immediately return to play. If a puck remains out or gets stuck in netting, play stops with a whistle.

Since the clock keeps running, minor penalties will be 3 minutes, and major penalties will be 6 minutes. The “Jailbreak” penalty format applies: if either team scores during a penalty, that penalty ends immediately—except for major penalties, which continue even after a goal. Any player who receives three penalties in a single game may be ejected at the referee's discretion. Serious misconduct or a major penalty can lead to removal from the rest of the tournament, as determined by the referees and the Tournament Board.

The Tournament Board will handle any unexpected events during the tournament as efficiently and promptly as possible.

Alcoholic beverages are prohibited outside of the locker rooms. Violation of this policy may result in forfeiture of the game.

METHOD OF DETERMINING STANDINGS & TIE BREAKERS

Standings will be determined as follows: two (2) points for a regulation or overtime win, one (1) point is for a final tie or an overtime loss, and zero (0) points for a regulation loss.

Each division will have its own standings and be split into two pools of three teams. Teams will play all three teams from the opposite pool within their division. After these games, the two teams with the highest points in each division will qualify for the Championship Game. The other team’s final finishing order is based on their total points across the three games played.  It's possible for both teams advancing to the Championship Game to come from the same pool.

If a game ends early because of poor sportsmanship, the referees and Tournament Board will decide if one or both teams get game points in the standings, no matter what the score was.      

Every game will be played to completion according to the tournament rules. For instance, if a game is tied after regular time, and the result could affect which teams win, lose, or advance in the standings based on tiebreakers, overtime still will be played before any tiebreakers are used. Tiebreakers only apply to the final standings after the game's final outcome has been decided.

If any team forfeits a game, they receive zero points in the standings for that game.  The opposing team that does not forfeit the game will be considered to have won 5-0 for standings and tiebreaker calculations.

When two or more teams in the same division have the same number of points (a tie), their ranking will be determined by applying the following criteria in order until the tie is broken. Once the tie has been broken, no additional tiebreakers will be used to determine the standings.

​​​​​​​1)  Head-to-Head: The outcome of the head-to-head game(s) between the two tied teams will determine their placement in the final standings, with the winner placing above the loser.

2)  Goal Differential. The goal differential for each tied team shall be determined by subtracting total goals against from total goals scored during the tournament. Teams will be ranked in the standings from highest to lowest goal differential, with a higher goal differential receiving a higher placement. Goals scored during shootouts are not included in this calculation.

3) Fewest Goals Allowed. The total number of goals allowed by each tied team throughout the tournament will be compared—excluding goals from shootouts. Teams will finish in order from the fewest to the most goals allowed. This system is designed to promote sportsmanship and discourage teams from excessively increasing scores, as can happen with tiebreakers based on most goals scored.

4) Distance. The team that traveled the farthest, based on the captain’s address from their driver's license or state ID, will rank higher in a tie. This rule aims to reward travel effort, but at this stage, teams are nearly equal—a simple Rock, Paper, Scissors could also be used.