RULES
1. Play shall be in accordance with the Canadian Ball Hockey Association (CBHA) Rule Book.

REGULATIONS
2. The following regulations shall apply to CF National Ball Hockey games:

1. All safety equipment must be worn as per the Equipment section outlined in the latter half of this chapter;
2. All match penalties carry a minimum of 3 games suspension and return to play will be automatically reviewed by the Jury of Appeal;
3. After a total of 3 penalties a player will be ejected from the game;
4. Any player receiving a major penalty will be ejected from the game, and
5. The ‘no touch icing’ rule is in effect for all games.

DRAW
3. The draw for the competition shall be as established by CFPSA/DPE, prior to the start of the Championships.

TEAM COMPOSITION
4. A team shall be composed of a maximum of 20 competitors. Full-time civilian DND employees, full-time CFPSA employees and personnel under a NPF service contract are eligible to participate as coaches, officials and managers only.
5. Two goalkeepers must be dressed for all games. The reserve goalkeeper must remain on the bench.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT
6. The CF National Championship shall be conducted as a single round-robin tournament, followed by a single elimination playoff. Games in the round robin will be played to the end of regulation time, with tie games standing. Two points shall be awarded for a win and one point for a tie. Each team shall be permitted a 30 second time out per game.

TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE
7. Ties in the final round robin standings that affect advancement to the playoffs shall be broken as follows:

1. if two teams are tied, the winner of the game played between those two teams in the round robin play shall be awarded the higher position;
2. if two or more teams are tied, the team(s) with the best won/lost record against the other teams in games played against each other shall be awarded the higher position to advance to the play off round;
3. if a tie still remains, each team’s total goals scored in the round robin tournament shall be divided by the total goals against. The team(s) with the highest quotient shall be awarded the higher position or advance to the playoff. Where multiple ties exist, the team’s playoff positions are ranked from highest to lowest quotient; and
4. if a tie still exists between quotients the teams shall enter a shootout. The team with the higher score shall be awarded the better position. A shootout shall be conducted as follows:
   1. the teams to enter the shootout shall select five(5) players in full game uniform and a goalkeeper;
   2. the players will take alternating shots at the opposing goalkeeper, one shot by each player (one of whom may be a goalkeeper) to a total of five (5 ) shots for each team;
   3. if a tie still remains after five shots have been taken, the same five players selected above shall continue the shootout in sudden death format until the tie is broken after an equal number of shots; Note: (A player may not shoot a second time, until all five players of the team (except the goalkeeper unless he/she is shooting) have shot once) the team scoring the most goals will advance to or be awarded the higher position in the playoff round.

8. Ties in the playoff round will be broken as follows:

1. a. teams will play a ten minute sudden death overtime period;
2. if a tie remains, teams will change ends and a twenty minute sudden death overtime period will be played;
3. if a tie remains, para 7(d) format will continue until a goal is scored.

EQUIPMENT
9. The official ball for the CF National Ball Hockey Championship shall be announced annually by CFPSA/DPE in time for CF Regional Championships.
10. Players: The following CSA approved equipment shall be worn by all players:

1. CSA approved helmet and full face mask;
2. Elbow pads (mandatory);
3. Hockey gloves or official Mylec ball hockey gloves only (lacrosse or broomball gloves not authorized);
4. Jock strap with cup or Jill strap (pelvic protector for women);
5. One piece ball hockey shin/knee pads that must cover both shins and knees (broomball shin pads with volleyball knee pads, or soccer shin guards are not authorized);
6. Shoulder pads of any kind are not permitted;
7. Only running shoe type footwear with a non-slip sole is permitted. . Steel-toed shoes are not permitted.

11. Goalkeepers: The following CSA approved protective equipment shall be worn by all goalkeepers:

1. CSA approved helmet and full facial protector. Face protector must be securely fastened. Goalkeeper ‘cat’s eye’ type masks are not authorized;
2. Chest & arm protectors; must be completely covered by the jersey;
3. Blocker (maximum 8 inches wide and 16 inches long)
4. Catching glove (maximum 9 inches wide and 16 inches long);
5. Goalie pads (maximum 14 inches wide);
6. Goalkeeper’s footwear is not restricted to running shoes; other types of shoes may be worn by goalkeepers but may not be steel-toed.

12. Sticks: The following rules must be applied when examining ball hockey sticks:

1. All sticks (including goal keepers) may be made of wood, fibreglass, or aluminium. Attached plastic blades are not permitted;
2. The blade of the stick shall not be less than 2 inches or more than 3 inches in width, and
3. The stick blades may be of any curvature.

13. Officials: All officials shall wear a CSA approved helmet with a minimum of a half visor.
14. Any physical alteration to protective equipment is prohibited and subject to penalty in accordance with the CBHA rulebook.

AWARDS
15. The winning team shall be awarded the CF National Ball Hockey Championship Banner and the CF National Ball Hockey Championship Trophy. Individual medals shall be presented to the members of the winning and runner-up teams.

DUTY AND TRAVEL
16. Duty and travel authority shall be granted to a maximum of twenty (20) participants representing each competing region.