How do I keep score or run the clock at a USA Hockey 14U game (ages 13-14)? The scoresheet, goals and assists, penalty times, the game clock and when to alert the referee.
Before the game, the Official Scorer gets from each team's manager or coach:
A team needs at least six players to start the game.
Yes, with a penalty. An eligible player or goalie may be added during a stoppage of play if:
For each player added, the team gets a bench minor penalty for illegal substitution. Record the added player and the penalty.
A rostered player who isn't playing (other than through suspension) may sit on the bench in the team jersey and head/face protection, but must not be listed on the game sheet as eligible.
The Referee awards goals and assists and announces them to you. Their decision is final.
Goal: credited to the attacking player who legally propelled the puck into the goal. If the puck went in because of something the defending team did, it's credited to the last attacking player to play the puck.
Assists: up to two, to the players who had possession of the puck immediately before the goal.
Points: each goal and each assist is one point. No player can get more than one point on the same goal.
Corrections:
During the game, the Official Scorer records:
After the game:
Once the Referee has signed the scoresheet, no changes can be made to it.
Penalty time is actual playing time. Minors are scaled to the period length, and Affiliates or governing bodies may scale majors, misconducts and match penalties the same way:
| Period length | Minor / bench minor | Major | Misconduct | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 min or less | 1:00 | 3:00 | 6:00 | 3:00 |
| Over 12, under 17 | 1:30 | 4:00 | 8:00 | 4:00 |
| 17 to 20 min | 2:00 | 5:00 | 10:00 | 5:00 |
At 14U, Affiliates may grant exceptions to the pro-rated minor schedule. Without a reduction from your Affiliate or league, majors are 5:00, misconducts 10:00 and match penalties 5:00.
For the records: every game misconduct and every match penalty is charged as 10 minutes against the player, whenever it was given.
A penalty shot that the non-offending team turns down in favor of the minor is recorded as the minor.
Record every penalty on the official forms with:
Post on the scoreboard: penalties that affect on-ice strength. You're responsible for posting them correctly and checking that each player serves the right time.
Do not post on the clock:
Instead, alert those players and release them at the first stoppage of play after their time expires.
In the box:
The PA announces each infraction twice, as reported by the Referee. When both teams are penalized on the same play, the visiting player's penalty is announced first.
The Penalty Timekeeper must report these to the Referee:
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| A player's 4th penalty in the same game | Game misconduct |
| A player's or goalie's 2nd major in the same game | Game misconduct plus a two-game suspension |
It also helps to track:
Also tell the Referee promptly about any difference between the clock and the correct penalty time.
If a team is short-handed (below the opponent's on-ice strength at the time of the goal) because of one or more minor or bench minor penalties, and the opponent scores:
It does not apply when:
When two minors on the same team expire at the same time, the team's captain decides which player returns to the ice first.
The Game Timekeeper:
Any dispute about time goes to the Referee, whose decision is final.
Before the game, the Referee will check that the required off-ice officials are in position and the timing and signal equipment works.
| Item | USA Hockey rule |
|---|---|
| Game length | Maximum three 20-minute periods. Your league or event sets the actual length. |
| Intermission | 15 minutes, allowing for an ice resurface |
| Pre-game warm-up | Up to 20 minutes. Length, and whether to resurface before the game, is agreed by the teams or set by the proper authorities. |
| Team timeout | One 60-second timeout per team per game (regulation or overtime). None in time-curfew games. |
| Warning before each period | 3 minutes before play resumes |
It's recommended that intermission time be shown on the game clock.
Overtime: if a winner is needed, USA Hockey recommends a 5-minute rest and then a 10-minute sudden-victory period, with at least three skaters plus a goalie a side. Penalties still running carry into overtime. Affiliates and local governing bodies may set their own overtime and shootout format.
The on-ice officials decide, regardless of what the horn, clock or goal light shows.
If the clock malfunctions, note the time it happened and tell the Referee at the next normal stoppage. The Referee settles any dispute about time, and that decision is final.