SCHEDULING

Winter travel related cancellations are covered by the Hockey Nova Scotia Winter Travel Policy that is available here, all other cancellations would be subject to the conditions below.

It shall be the responsibility of Association representatives, team coaches and team managers to assure that all scheduled League games are completed within one week of the end of the Regular Season

Teams may be required to reschedule games as a result of weather, available ice, ice time conflicts, exams, on-ice official availability, and HNS sanctioned tournaments. Other reasons for re-schedule requests may be considered by the HNSFC Regional Directors.  In the case of a required reschedule, the onus shall be on the team requesting a schedule change to assure that a rescheduled game is played.

 A team requesting a schedule change shall contact the opposing team by email at least seventy-two (72) hours, but preferably as soon as possible, prior to the scheduled date advising of the need to reschedule. This requirement may be waived in the case of exceptional circumstances.

The team initiating the change shall offer an alternate ice time for play if the home team or shall request an alternate time for play if the visiting team.

All correspondence regarding rescheduled games is to be copied to the appropriate Division Scheduler and the appropriate HNSFC Regional Directors. Any unresolved scheduling concerns will be escalated.

The game must be rescheduled and the updated information communicated to the Division Scheduler within seven (7) days. A team offering or having offered at least two (2) REASONABLE alternate ice times that do not conflict with another scheduled League game shall be considered to have fulfilled its obligations to assure that a game is played.

In the event that a team has not played all of its scheduled games at the conclusion of the Regular Season schedule due to reasons within or outside of its control, the HNSFC Regional Directors along with the Divisional Schedulers shall request the facts of the case from the teams involved, shall review the same and shall at its sole discretion award a tie or determine a forfeiture.

FORFEITURE

Any team who fails to play a game that has been scheduled will have forfeited said game.

The consequences of forfeiture of a game are as follows:

• The non-offending team will be awarded an automatic 5-0 victory and awarded two (2) points in the standings
• A written warning will be sent to the offending team's head coach on first offence  

The consequences of a team forfeiting more than one (1) game are as follows:

• The non-offending team will be awarded an automatic 5-0 victory and awarded two (2) points in the standings.
• HNSFC Regional Directors may cancel travel permits for the offending team as necessary.
• The offending team may, by forfeiting, be penalized with:
  • A loss in the play-off or round robin game against the non-offending team
  • The offending team may be declared ineligible for league playoffs or Provincial Tournament
• The offending head coach may, by forfeiting, be suspended:
  • For additional offences the offending team's head coach will be suspended indefinitely with interview