Marazon Memorial Cup 8U Tournament (Athens Youth Hockey Association | Athens Ohio | Bird Arena)

PrintMarazon Memorial Cup 8U Tournament

2023-marazon-banner2.jpg
The Athens Youth Hockey Association is pleased to announce the 2023 Marazon Memorial Cup 8U Tournament November 17, 18, and 19 at Ohio University's Bird Ice Arena in Athens, Ohio.  If you have questions, please contact the Tournament Director Jason Stengel at [email protected] for info or if you want to discuss the proper placement of your team.


TOURNAMENT FEATURES
● Weekend tournament w/8 teams
● Round-robin five game guarantee on half-ice w/intermediate size nets
● The 8 round-robin teams will be re-seeded into a 4-team Upper and 4-team Lower Championship Series to balance skill levels among the teams
● USA Hockey Rules & USA Hockey Officials for All Games
● Individual Skills Competition
● Participation swag award for all teams
● Trophy for the Championship teams



TEAM SKILL LEVEL
Participants shall have been born in either 2015 or 2016.  This tournament is intended for house teams and not intended for "select" or "all-star" teams.  Registering teams should be at the White level, which is a mix of first- and second-year hockey players. Please be judicious about including players with three-years of experience, especially if they have advancing skills and skating ability as the Athens Youth Hockey League’s goal for this tournament is an appropriate competitive balance and quality experience for all teams.  Coaches should give equal ice time to all of their players to the extent practical and emphasize fair play.    

Athens is a small association whose players have a wide range of skills, so we understand that not every team is homogeneous.  If you intend to combine your association's house teams to make a full tournament roster, please build the roster based on player availability within you association and not necessarily player ability.  If you have players born in 2015 or 2016 who have been or will be primarily "playing-up" on a 10U team for most of the season, teams should refrain from adding these more advanced players to their tournament roster. 


REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Registration is $1,000 per team, regardless of the size of the team's roster.  To avoid passing on additional surcharge fees for online registration, the AYHA will utilize paper registration for all teams participating in the tournament.  Please complete the registration form below:

2023-07-22_Marazon_Registration

Checks should be made payable to the "Athens Youth Hockey Association" and mailed with the registration form to:

2023 Marazon Memorial Cup
c/o Athens Youth Hockey Association
PO Box 614
Athens, OH 45701

Registration application and payment must be received no later than November 1st, 2023, and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.  Once the tournament is full, we will update the website as quickly as possible.  Upon mailing the registration form and fee, please email the Tournament Director Jason Stengel at [email protected] to inform us that your registration is on the way.


TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (Subject to Change)
 
Friday Nov 17
Time Half-Ice Rink 1  Half-Ice Rink 2 
6:45pm Team 1 vs Team 2  Team 3 vs Team 4 
8:00pm Team 5 vs Team 6  Team 7 vs Team 8 


Saturday Nov 18
Time Half-Ice Rink 1  Half-Ice Rink 2 
 7:45am  Team 1 vs Team 3  Team 2 vs Team 4
9:00am Team 5 vs Team 7  Team 6 vs Team 8 
1:30pm (1) Team 1 vs Team 5  Team 2 vs Team 6 
 2:45pm Team 3 vs Team 7  Team 4 vs Team 8
 4:00pm Individual Skills Competition
The Eight Teams Re-seeded Into an Upper
and a Lower Division for Sunday's Championship Games
 
 9:00pm Ohio University D2 Hockey Game (Free Admission) 
(1) - The gap between the 9am and 1:30pm game slots is to accommodate Ohio University scheduled programs.


Sunday Nov 19
Time Half-Ice Rink 1  Half-Ice Rink 2 
 8:15am  Upper Semifinal Game A
Team 1 vs Team 4 
Lower Seminfinal Game A
Team 1 vs Team 4
9:30am Upper Semifinal Game B
Team 2 vs Team 3
Lower Semifinal Game B
Team 2 vs Team 3
10:45am  Consolation Game
Loser of Semifinal Game A
vs Loser of Semifinal Game B
Consolation Game
Loser of Semifinal Game A
vs Loser of Semifinal Game A
12:00pm Upper Championship Game
Winer of Semifinal Game A vs Winner of Semifinal Game B
Lower Championship Game
Winner of Semifinal Game A vs Winner of Semifinal Game B



TOURNAMENT RULES

Rules for the Marazon Memorial Cup are provided in the link below:

2023-07-22_Marazon_Rules

GENERAL RULES & REGULATIONS
• All teams must be registered with USA Hockey, and all teams will be required to provide a USA Hockey official roster to the Tournament Director prior to the start of that team’s first game.  The Tournament Director reserves the right to verify a youth player’s identity and eligibility at any time during the event.  If such a requirement is imposed, the team manager and/or coach will be notified at least 30 minutes prior to game time.

• The use of ineligible players will disqualify teams from remaining tournament play. All games played by the disqualified team will be forfeited. No monies will be refunded.

• Players and coaches should report at least 45 minutes prior to scheduled start time to Bird Ice Arena. Locker room assignments will be posted by Bird Ice Arena staff.  If games are running ahead of schedule, teams should be prepared to start as early as 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

• A team representative, either a coach or manager appearing on the team’s official USA Hockey roster, should report to the Tournament Director in the Bird Ice Arena lobby at least 30 minutes prior to the start of each game to attend to administrative responsibilities. 

• Each team must provide an adult score sheet official and penalty box monitor for their games.  Volunteers for scoresheet and penalty box monitoring duties shall have at a minimum the appropriate USA Hockey volunteer registration and training.

SKILL LEVEL
• Participants shall have been born in either 2015 or 2016.  This tournament is intended for House teams and not intended for "select" or "all-star" teams.  Registering teams should be at the White level, which is a mix of first- and second-year hockey players. Please be judicious about including players with three-years of experience, especially if they have advancing skills and skating ability, as the Athens Youth Hockey League’s goal for this tournament is an appropriate competitive balance and quality experience for all teams.  Coaches should give equal ice time to all of their players to the extent practical and emphasize fair play.   

• Athens is a small association whose players have a wide range of skills, so we understand that not every team is homogeneous.  If you intend to combine your association's house teams to make a full tournament roster, please build the roster based on player availability within you association and not necessarily player ability.  If you have players born in 2015 or 2016 who have been or will be primarily "playing-up" on a 10U team for most of the season, teams should refrain from adding these more advanced players to their tournament roster.

PLAYING RULES
• Games will consist of three 12-minute periods with a 90 second stop clock played on half ice with intermediate nets and blue pucks. Teams will play 4 v 4 with goalies, and there will be at least one on-ice official for each game.  Please note that the Tournament Director does not have the authority to reverse any decisions made by the on-ice officials.

• There will be a 1-minute warmup and a 1-minute break between periods. The clock will not stop for goals, pucks leaving play, penalties, or nets shifted from position. Play will restart with a puck drop at the center after each clock stop and after each goal. For other whistles, officials will restart play by tossing the puck or by allowing the defense to move the puck out, at the official’s discretion.

• Minor penalty sits out the remainder of the current shift in the penalty box; however, a penalty in the last ten seconds of a shift requires the player to sit the next shift as well. The penalized player returns to the team bench when the shift ends, and may not return to the ice until their next regular shift. If the team on the power play scores, the penalty ends; the player in the penalty box can then re-enter play provided their shift has not expired.

• Major penalty or Misconduct sits out one full period, or the remainder of the game if the Major or Misconduct is called in the third period.  Game Misconduct or Match Penalty requires removal from the ice and bench for the remainder of that game and for the team’s next game in the tournament.  At the discretion of an official, persistent minor penalties may result in a Misconduct or Game Misconduct, and Game Misconduct or Match Penalty may result in removal from Bird Ice Arena for the remainder of the tournament. Officials will do their best to apply current USA Hockey rules in the context of a half-ice game, and respect for the officials by players and coaches and spectators is absolutely required. 

• No overtime for preliminary round games. Teams will be ranked for the final games using the following point system, which provides no advantage for running up a score:
o One point for winning a period (in case of tie, 1/2 point awarded to each team)
o Two points for winning a game (in case of tie, one point will be awarded to each team.)

• Point ties will be broken in this order: 
o Win/loss record 
o Head-to-head 
o Number of periods won 
o Fewest goals against 
o Least penalty minutes 
o First team to score in head-to-head game
o Coin toss

• At the end of the preliminary round games, teams will be reseeded into an Upper and Lower Division for Sunday’s Championship games based on the point system.  The intent is to have similarly skilled teams in each division so all teams have an opportunity to compete for a championship.  However, no system is perfect, and the final division reseeding is subject to the final discretion of the Tournament Director and may not be appealed or otherwise protested by any team, team official, parent, spectator, or fan. 

• If a semi-final game ends in a tie, a sudden death overtime period will be held until one team scores first.  The first team to score will move on to the Championship game, while the other team will move on to the Consolation game.

• If the Championship or Consolation game ends in a tie, a shootout round will be held with three (3) players per team.  If a team outscores the other team at the end of the round, then the game is over and the win awarded to the team that has outscored the other.  If the shootout is a tie after the first three players from each team have taken a turn, each team will be permitted an additional shooter until tie is broken in sudden death, which means the first team to score without the opposing team scoring wins (no repeat shooters until all players on a team have taken a turn).

• A zero-tolerance for verbal abuse will be enforced for the tournament.  For youth players, coaches, or other bench staff, a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct will be assessed if a player openly disputes or argues about any decision by an on-ice or off-ice official, uses obscene or vulgar language to anyone at any time, even if it is not directed at any person, or otherwise demonstrates any sign of dissatisfaction with any decision by an official. This includes, but is not limited to standing on the boards or standing in the bench doorway with the intent of inciting the officials, players, or spectators.

• Parents, spectators, and fans are not permitted to confront the Tournament Director, scorekeepers, or other officials at any time.  If a concern arises, that issue must be brought to the attention of the Tournament Director by the team coach or team manager.

• If a parent, spectator, or fan uses verbal abuse or otherwise threatens the Tournament Director, scorekeepers, or other officials at any time, Ohio University Police will be contacted immediately to remove that person(s) from Bird Ice Arena immediately without exception.  Any parent, spectator, or fan removed from the rink will not be permitted to return for the duration of the tournament. 

• Use of mechanical noise makers or horns of any kind are prohibited, and excessive use of cow bells will also not be tolerated. 


Updated August 22, 2023.