The AHAI Suspension & Review Committee hears all Match penalties received by Illinois teams whether in or out of state. The chairman also receives all Game Misconducts issued to Illinois teams. When the chairman receives a Match Penalty, He assigns the investigation to one of the committee members. The member notifies the organization who then notifies the offending party of the hearing date. The investigator interviews witnesses to the infraction and prepares a report which is reviewed by the entire committee before the hearing. The offending party is then brought into the meeting where they present their case. After the hearing, the committee adjourns to decide the disposition for the offending party. It could be time served or additional time to be served. The parties are then brought in and advised of the disposition. If the party feels that their rights were violated or wishes to contest the disposition, they must notify the President of AHAI, John Dunne, by email, within ten days of the hearing. Failure to do so will result in losing their appeal rights.

The AHAI Suspension Review Committee has the following policy regarding hearings:

After TWO (2) hearing dates are scheduled and the offending person does NOT appear for any reason, the Committee may at their discretion, hold a hearing "in absentia" allowing for a written statement from the offending party. Notification of any "in absentia" decision will be sent out by mail to the appropriate individuals and their 10 day Right to Appeal will begin at that time.

ALL AHAI Suspension Review Committee Hearings must be submitted in writing to the President or other Head Team Official as soon as the exact date is set and it shall be his or her responsibility to inform the penalized player of ALL pertinent information.

• Match Penalties
• Role of the Official
• Coach and Player Responsibilities
• Appeals
• 2010-11 Suspension Guidelines
• Common Questions

Match Penalty

A Match Penalty is given to a PLAYER or COACH for serious violations of USA HOCKEY RULES.  Please refer to the current USA HOCKEY RULE BOOK for the latest match penalties and their descriptions.

Role of the Official

Referee's must use their judgment and experience to determine the motivation of the player or coach who commits the infraction that results in a Match Penalty.

In situations where Game Misconduct or Match Penalties have been assessed, it is important for coaches and team managers to understand it is acceptable, if not recommended, that officials take the game score sheet into their locker room for a period of time immediately after the game. It is necessary for the crew to verify and substantiate the circumstances surrounding a significant incident where the possibility of suspension may occur. Their accounts of the event, as well as the player identification, names, and phone numbers of team personnel must be documented on the score sheet at this time. Referees must mail or fax a game report form within twenty four (24) hours. Coaches and managers must be aware of this and wait for the referees to finish with the score sheet before leaving the rink. In fact, coaches should not sign the sheet until this time, so a final draft of all assessed penalties is properly listed on the score sheet.

It is the officials' responsibility to add penalties to the score sheet for any incident that takes place following the game and after the score sheet has left the scorer's table. Team personnel need to know that when referees submit these types of additions, they are following proper procedure.

Doing their homework on the ice is only half of what it takes for an official to properly report a Game Misconduct or Match Penalty; their duties continue once the game has ended and they turn their attention to the Game Sheet Report. They prepare a Game report for all Game Misconducts and Match Penalties.  These reports are forwarded to the Chairman of the Suspension Review Committee and the RIC of Illinois.

A member of the AHAI Suspension Review Committee is assigned to investigate a Match Penalty. The Game Report is a key factor in how much time a penalized player or coach will serve. Since it is not assumed that any investigator would know the nuances of the particular game, the most critical element or every Report Form is the description of the incident, which must be a succinct and thorough account of the penalty. The officials must obtain accurate player numbers, coach’s names and phone numbers and other pertinent information that will help the Committee launch an investigation.

Officials are instructed to guard against misleading the player or coach regarding certain aspects of the Match Penalty. While this typically occurs as an attempt to be helpful, the on ice officials are taught to understand the following facts

1.  They maybe approached by a player or coach at the end of the game who will ask: "How long will I or my player be suspended?"

2.  A team official or player in this predicament is only guaranteed a hearing before the AHAI Suspension Review Committee. No other information can be passed along with any certainty because following that hearing a suspension will be assessed: (a.) time served; or (b.) additional time to be served beyond 30 days, with no limit as to what that suspension period may be.

The referees are advised at the end of a game to do the following: Do not, under any circumstances, answer a question that does not pertain directly to the actual assessment of the penalty. Any other questions will be referred to the AHAI Suspension Review Committee.

Coach and Player Responsibilities

Once a penalty has been called, please do not escalate the situation. Your discussions with the officials should be limited to the actual assessment of the penalty and, if required, your dismissal from the game should be orderly and incident free.

Once a Match penalty is assessed, USA HOCKEY Rule 405 (c) causes the following to go into effect:

1.  The coach or player incurring the penalty shall be suspended from participating in ALL  USA Hockey activities including games or practices until their case has been dealt with by the proper authorities.

2.  A mandatory hearing by the proper authorities shall be held and a decision shall be made relative to any further disciplinary action, within thirty (30) days of the incident.

3.  If circumstances prevent authorities from conducting a hearing, the coach or player is automatically reinstated after thirty (30) days but may be subject to additional suspension after the hearing is conducted.

4. If the offending party is unable to attend the scheduled hearing, that party will remain suspended until the next regularly scheduled hearing.

5.  The player, his parent or guardian if a minor, coach, or assistant coach who was present during the incident, and club president, must accompany their player/coach to the hearing. If no coach is present, the hearing will not take place, the suspension will carry over to the next scheduled hearing date, and the coach may be subject to supplementary discipline. The coach has an obligation and responsibility to be present during suspension hearings so that he/she is certain the player is given a fair and just opportunity to present their version of the case. Remember: Never sign a score sheet unless you understand all penalties have been assessed.

Appeals

Appeals of any ASRC Committee decision may be made to the AHAI Board of Directors. To begin the Appeal Process you MUST FIRST contact the AHAI President, John Dunne, via e-mail at president@ahai2.org within TEN (10) days of the Committee ruling.

2023-24 Suspension Guidelines

Players/Coaches Leaving the Players Area/Bench During Game:
The ASRC guideline on this issue is that No player or coach shall leave the player’s area or bench to engage or join in any on-ice altercation. The coach of the team shall be responsible for the players. Accordingly, the ASRC will review any incident brought to its attention where a player or coach has left the player area or bench to engage or join in any on-ice altercation. After investigation and hearing, the ASRC may issue suspensions in addition to any penalty assessed by the Referees. Suspensions for violations of the guidelines may exceed five (5) or more games. The Coach of any offending team may also receive a suspension of five (5) or more games.

Contact With Any Game Official (Including Minor Officials):
In addition to reviewing Match penalties assessed by a referee under USA Hockey Rule 603b, the ASRC guideline on this issue is that No player or coach shall have any contact with any game official. USA Hockey Guidelines suggest a one (1) year suspension for any intentional contact with a game official. Accordingly, after investigation and hearing, the ASRC shall be stringently using the USA Hockey Guidelines as a basis for imposition of all suspensions for violations of these rules.

USA Hockey Rule 410 (Supplementary Discipline):
The ASRC guidelines for review of an incident under USA Hockey Rule 410:  Supplementary Discipline will include, but not be limited to, or require, all of the following items to occur:

A. The incident results in significant injury or potential injury to a player;
B  The incident occurs outside of the normal play of the game; and,
C  The President of a Registered Hockey League, Organization or Club makes a written request (within 14 days after the date of the incident) to the Chairperson of the ASRC for further investigation of the incident based upon circumstances warranting further review. The written request must include a factual recitation of the specific events and reasons supporting further review along with a copy of the Official Game Score sheet and names, addresses and telephone numbers of all witnesses.

Notwithstanding the time limitations set forth in (c) above, the ASRC shall have the ability, in its sole discretion, to investigate and review any incident which occurs in any game and may assess additional suspensions for any offense committed before the game, during the course of a game or any aftermath thereof by a player or Team Official, whether or not such offense has been penalized by the referee. 

Common Questions

As a Coach I received a game misconduct during the game. Do I have to leave the arena?

If any team official is assessed a game misconduct he /she may not sit near the bench of the team, nor in any way attempt to direct the play of the team. You do not have to leave the arena.

 Who will notify me of my hearing?

The member of the Suspension Review Committee charged with the investigation will notify the club President. It is the President’s responsibility to notify the player. In case of an adult team, the coach will be notified.

Who should attend the hearing?

In the case of a suspension involving a player, the player, his parent or guardian, if a minor, the coach, and club president must attend. In a case involving a coach, the president of the association or director of coaching must attend. In addition, individuals that can present pertinent information to the hearing will be welcome.

What will the format of the hearing be like?

This is not a court of law.  It is not an adversarial proceeding. You should be prepared to present your viewpoint, factually, and answer questions from the Committee regarding what occurred. Your decorum will aid in a smooth discussion and representation for the Committee to assimilate what has necessitated the official’s action.

I was told I received thirty days. Is this my suspension?

Thirty days is considered a reasonable disposition, however, every case is judged on its own merits.  The disposition, therefore could be more or less.

I play on more than one team. Does this suspension apply to these teams?

In the case of a Match penalty, you may not participate in any USA Hockey sanctioned event. This includes games, practices, or coaching or refereeing pending your hearing. Other penalties, i.e. fisticuffs, checking from behind, 15 penalty rule, game misconducts, etc., are player/coach/team penalties, relate to games for that team, and would not affect your additional teams. A rule of thumb, a Match follows the offending player/coach.  A Game misconduct follows the team.

I received a match in another state. Where will my hearing be held?

The score sheet and official’s game report will be forwarded to the AHAI Registrar for distribution to the Suspension Review Committee who will hold the hearing.