Rules Book Reformat: Rule 6 is now Participant Conduct. Rules 7, 8, and 9 were added. Rule 7 is Physical and Stick Fouls, Rule 8 is Other Fouls, and Rule 9 is Game Flow. Rules 1-5 are not affected.

Rules Book Reformat Penalty Changes: Cross-Checking, Elbowing, Goalkeeper Contact, Kneeing, Slashing, Tripping, and Roughing all had options for a 2-minute minor or a 5-minute Major penalty. All of these fouls now ADD an option for Game Disqualification for when an action of a player calls for it.

Grabbing the Facemask and Head Butting had options for a 5-minute Major penalty or a Game Disqualification. These fouls now ADD an option to call a 5-minute Major + 10-minute Misconduct.

Holding, Hooking, Interference/Obstruction, and Body-Checking (Girls Teams) had the option of a 2-minute minor penalty. These fouls now ADD the option for a 5-minute Major or a Game Disqualification.

3-4-1, 2: ART. 1 . . . Each player is personally responsible for wearing protective equipment for all games. Recommended equipment includes: padded hockey pants/hockey pants, shin pads, thigh pads, hip pads, protective cup, elbow pads, shoulder pads, stick and throat/neck protector. Shin, elbow, shoulder, thigh and hip pads must be worn under outer clothing.
a. Equipment shall not be modified from its original manufactured state and shall be worn in the manner the manufacturer intended it to be worn.
PENALTY: First offense, TEAM WARNING; Further offense, MISCONDUCT.
ART. 2 . . . Required equipment for players, other than goalkeepers, shall include an ice hockey helmet with chin straps which are securely fastened to the head, gloves, skates, full face mask, padded hockey pants/hip pads, shin pads, protective cup or pelvic protector, elbow pads, shoulder pads, stick and tooth and mouth protector. Shin, elbow, and shoulder pads must be worn under outer clothing. Recommended equipment includes a throat/neck protector.
PENALTY: First offense, MISCONDUCT. Returning to the game without correcting equipment, GAME MISCONDUCT.

3-8 (NEW): SECTION 8 ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Electronic devices shall not be used by team personnel or spectators to communicate with on-ice players or goalkeepers during play.
PENALTY: First offense, MISCONDUCT. Returning to the game with illegal equipment, GAME MISCONDUCT.

6-1-6(NEW) (formerly 6-1-11): Insert new Article 6. Renumber current Articles 6 and 7 to 7 and 8.

ART. 5… No player, coach or other team personnel shall use any obscene gestures or racial/ethnic slurs directed at officials or others during the warm-up, during the progress of the game, or during an intermission or after the game.
PENALTY: MINOR and GAME MISCONDUCT to the offending player. If coach or other personnel, MINOR (captain’s choice of players) and GAME MISCONDUCT. If further continued or if after the game, GAME DISQUALIFICATION.

ART. 6 … No player, coach or bench personnel shall use any racial/ethnic slurs directed at officials or others during the warm-up, during the progress of the game, or during the intermission or after the game.
PENALTY: GAME DISQUALIFICATION.

8-1-3 (Formerly 6-5-3): No A player or goalkeeper shall not shall deliberately leave or discard a stick or other equipment on the ice in such a way as to prevent a goal.
Penalty: Minor. If it prevents a goal or if it occurs with less than two minutes in the game or anytime during overtime, PENALTY SHOT.
Penalty: Penalty shot/optional minor. If this illegal act prevents an obvious and imminent goal, the goal shall be awarded.