Rep Ice Time Guidelines (Erin-Hillsburgh Minor Hockey Association)

Equal and fair ice time will be in effect during the regular season. It is acceptable for coaches to shorten the bench sometimes to give players the experience of being the competitive as a team, but ALL players should have equal exposure to all those situations during tri-county. It is expected that everything will balance out over the course of 2 or 3 games during regular tri-county season.

• no player should be benched based on skill or ability.
• a player being disciplined can be benched for up to two shifts but not an entire period. The player and parent should be told why they were benched.
• Equal start times for goalies.

OHMA Playoffs, Tri-County Playoffs and Tournaments
The association recognizes that during playoffs and tournaments, the rep program is expected to be more results oriented, and that coaches will have more latitude in making ice time decisions with a goal of making the team achieve more successful results on the scoreboard. Even with this in mind, the principles of player development and fostering a sense of teamwork and contribution to the team’s success should still be the guiding principle.

• shortening the bench during the last 5 minutes of the game.
• making use of 'special teams' during key penalty kills, power plays or overtime situations.
• structuring line rotation so that players get a regular shift, but the frequency of that regular shift may not be the same for all players.
• no player should be benched for an entire period based on skill or ability.
• a player being disciplined can be benched for up to two shifts but not an entire period. The player and parent should be told why they were benched.
• Goalies played at least 1/3 of the time. For example:
  • Once every 3rd game.
  • If a series is tied 2-2, the stronger goalie might play the 5th game.