Thank you for joining the Portland Fantasy League, a first-of-its-kind hockey fantasy league that previously focused solely on the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League, now focusing on the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. This document contains the rules and procedures of the league.

If you have any questions, problems, or concerns email me (Andrew Hart).

*This rulebook will codify the common rules and procedures for all leagues that utilize the 1-team fantasy hockey system.


Terminology
Member league – the fantasy hockey league
Hockey club – the appointed club that the member league is based on
Player – the person who is a member of the designated professional hockey club
Forward – a player who is a center, a left wing, or a right wing
Defenseman – a player who is a defenseman or a goaltender
Participant – the person taking part in the member league who is responsible for maintaining a team of players
Administrator – the person who runs the member league


Basics
*A participant’s team consists of no more than seven players.
*These seven players are to be selected from the hockey club.
*Four of those seven players are forwards. Three forwards will be designated as starters and one forward will be designated as a reserve.
*Three of those seven players are defensemen. Two defensemen will be designated as starters while the remaining player will be designated as a reserve.
*If there is doubt regarding the position of the player as a forward or a defenseman, the league website of the professional hockey club will be the sole determining factor.
* If there has been no designated order the first three forwards will be starters and the fourth forward will be a reserve while the first two defensemen will be starters and the third defenseman will be a reserve.

*Standard roster template
Your Name:
Last roster update:
Wing
Starter -
Starter -
Starter -
Reserve -
Defensemen
Starter -
Starter -
Reserve - 


Roster changes
*All participants should be aware of personnel moves conducted by the hockey club.
*The last submitted roster change will be considered the participants official roster until an updated roster is submitted.
*All requests for roster changes will be sent to the administrator electronically i.e. email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Paper or verbal requests for roster changes will not be honored.
*If a participant wants to submit a roster change before a game, it must be submitted no later than midnight of the hockey club’s designated time zone. Any roster change submitted after midnight will be applied towards the next game.
*There is no limit on the number of roster changes that can be made throughout the regular season and post-season.


Gameday
*Two participants will be matched up on gameday
*Should a player on a participant’s roster be absent from the official hockey club’s roster at the start of the game, they will be deemed ineligible for the game and the reserve for that position will take his place for the game.
*If a player is listed as a scratch, the reserve player for that position will be promoted to starter. If a starter and a reserve are scratched the participant’s team will be a player short.
*For a goaltender to be eligible, he must play the entire game minus time for delayed penalties and/or being pulled for an extra attacker.
*If a goaltender does not start the game he is considered a scratch.
*The box score sheet from the hockey club’s league will be used in sole determining factor regarding the points awarded to each player on a participant’s active roster. A box score sheet must be marked as “final” or “official” in order to be used.
*The accumulated points of one participant’s roster are compared to the accumulated stats of the other participant’s roster. The participant with the most points is considered the winner. The winner is awarded two standing points and a win. The loser is awarded zero standing points and a loss.
*Participants have a 24-hour timeframe to dispute scores and/or standings. After that, all scores and standings are final and cannot be changed or reversed.


Overtime
*In the event of a tie, the accumulated points of each reserve player on a participant’s roster will be compared to the accumulated points of each reserve player on the other participant’s roster. The participant with the most points is considered the winner. The winner is awarded two standing points and a win. The loser is awarded zero standing points and a loss.
*While the accumulated points of each participant’s reserve players will be used to determine the winner of a tied game, their points will not be used to determine the final score. If a game goes to overtime, the winner is awarded one point scored while the loser is awarded one point against.
*If two participants are still tied and the game is during the regular season, it is declared a tie in the standings. Each participant is awarded one standing point and a tie.


Point System
*Points are awarded to players in the following manner.
*Forwards and Defensemen and Goaltenders
An even-strength goal is worth 5 points
A power-play goal is worth 4 points
A short-handed goal is worth 6 points
A penalty shot or shootout goal is worth 3 points
An empty net goal, regardless of the situation (even-strength, power-play, or short-handed), is worth 2 points
An assist is worth 2 points
A 2-minute minor penalty is worth 1 point
A 5-minute major penalty is worth 3 points
A 10-minute major / misconduct penalty is worth 5 points
A game-misconduct penalty is worth 8 points.
*Goaltenders only
A shutout is worth 10 points
1 goal allowed is worth 6 points
2 goals allowed is worth 3 points
3 or more goals allowed is worth 0 points


Regular season
*A regular season will consist of the first 60 games of the hockey club’s season.
*The member league is permitted its own discretion in determining the scheduling format for their regular season.
*The member league is advised to maintain a balance between games within a division, conference, section, or region and those games out of division, conference, section, or region.
*The member league is permitted its own discretion in determining the qualifying situations for the playoffs


Standings tiebreaker
*In the event of a tie in the regular season standings the following tiebreakers will be used
1. Head-to-Head series based on points (the most standing points based on wins x 2 + ties x 1)
2. Regular season in-division record (the most standing points based on wins x 2 + ties x 1)
3. Regular season point differential (the largest positive point differential)
4. Regular season overall points scored (the most points scored)
5. Coin toss (only to be used at the end of the regular season)


Playoffs
*The playoffs will consist of the 61st game of the hockey club’s regular season. The playoffs cannot last longer than the final game of the hockey club’s regular season.
*The member league is permitted its own discretion in determining the length of playoff games in a round, and the number of rounds.
* Prior to the start of the first playoff game each playoff-eligible participant must designate three tiebreaker players. A tiebreaker player is someone who is not on the participant’s roster. They can be a forward, defenseman, or goaltender.
*Tiebreaker players should be designated one, two, and three when submitted. If no order is specified, players will be listed one through three in the order they were submitted.

*Standard tiebreaker roster template
Your Name:
Last roster update:
Wing
Starter -
Starter -
Starter -
Reserve -

Defensemen
Starter -
Starter -
Reserve -

Tiebreaker 1 -
Tiebreaker 2 -
Tiebreaker 3 -

*If a playoff game should end in a tie after the use of overtime rules, playoff overtime rules will be used.
1. If overtime the reserve player’s scores will be compared. The participant with the higher score wins the game. If the score is still tied the game will go to double overtime.
2. In double overtime the first tiebreaker player’s scores will be compared. The participant with the higher score wins the game. If the score is still tied the game will go to triple overtime.
3. In triple overtime the second tiebreaker player’s scores will be compared. The participant with the higher score wins the game. If the score is still tied the game will go to quadruple overtime.
4. In quadruple overtime the third tiebreaker player’s scores will be compared. The participant with the higher score wins the game.If no winner is decided after quadruple overtime the game will be recorded as a tie.

*If a playoff round ends in a tie, the following tiebreakers will be used at the conclusion of the round.
1. Regular season head-to-head record based on points (the most standing points based on wins x 2 + ties x 1)
2. Regular season overall point differential (the largest positive point differential)
3. Regular season overall points scored (the most points scored)
4. Regular season in-division record (the most standing points based on wins x 2 + ties x 1)
5. Coin toss

*The PFL will use the PFL website and PFL facebook page to announce results at the conclusion of the game. The PFL website will provide a full listing of scores and standings.

*Scores, results, and standings for all regular season games will be posted either on the day / evening of the game or the following day.

*The PFL will standardize the following dates of every PFL season, from the start of the regular season until the end of the playoffs.

*September 1st
This date marks the start of the PFL Open Enrollment period, when people can start applying for membership into the PFL.

*September 30th
This date marks the end of the PFL Open Enrollment period. At this time the league needs to have 16, 24, 32, (or other multiples of 8) participants to keep in line with the PFL scheduling system. In the event additional participants are needed in order to reach the minimum number (16) the deadline can be extended.

*October 1st
The following events are held on this date
-Divisional placement is announced for those who participated in the previous PFL season.
-The results of the placement draft. The draft consists of participants who did not participate in the previous PFL season and / or are in their inaugural PFL season. A playing card will be assigned to each participant and then put into a deck. After they’ve been shuffled a card will be taken from the top of the desk and the corresponding participant will be assigned to the first available spot based on availability of the four divisions (order of divisions: Blue, Green, Gray, and White). This will occur until every available participant has been sorted.
-Participants can begin submitting rosters, and have until the evening prior to the first Maine Mariners game (no later than 11:59 pm) in order to submit rosters.

*October 2nd
The following events are held on this date
-The participants for the Andrew Stanley Memorial game are announced.
-The participants for game one, also known as the lottery game, are announced.
-The unveiling of the schedule for the PFL season.
-The release of the schedule for the Portland League Cup.

*Maine Mariners game 1
This is designated as the first game of the PFL. The league will hold the Andrew Stanley Memorial game between the previous season's PFL Champion and Maine Shield Champion.

*Every fifth Maine Mariners game (game 5 to game 60)
Each fifth game will result in a posting and update of the PFL Maine Shield table, used to measure overall rankings in the league.

*Maine Mariners game 59
This is designated as the championship game of the PFL Portland League Cup.

*Maine Mariners game 60
This is designated as the final game of the regular season. On this date the schedule for the playoffs are also announced. The PFL announces the winners of the Maine Shield, Regular Season Division titles, Kevin Dineen Award, Kevin Kaminski Award, Salty Pete Award, and the Crackers Award.

*Maine Mariners game game 61 & game 62
This game is the start of the PFL's playoff quarterfinal round.

*Maine Mariners game 63
This game is the start of the PFL's playoff semifinal round.

*Maine Mariners game 67
This game is the start of the PFL's playoff finals round.

*24-participant season
6 participants per division
The four divisions are the Blue, Green, Gray, and White.

*The regular season consists of 60 games
1 Opening Puck Drop game / lottery game to be determined by random draw, in-division participants will not be drawn against each other during the lottery process.
7 games against each In-Division opponent (5) for a total of 35 games
1 game against each Out-Division opponent plus 6 games against out-division opponents who had an equivalent standing the previous season (18+6) for a total of 24 games

*The schedule will be rotated so participants play a combination of In-Division and Out-Division games.

*The Andrew Stanley Memorial game was created as a way to welcome in the start of the new season by playing the previous regular season's PFL Champion against the Maine Shield winner. They are slotted in game 1A of the first game of the regular season. Participants in the Andrew Stanley Memorial game are excluded from the lottery game selection process.
-Regular season PFL rules are used for the game. In the event of the game ending in a tie it will be recorded as a tie. However, to determine a winner the following tiebreaker scenarios will be used
1. Most points amongst the original starting roster players
2. Most points amongst the reserve players
3. The participant with the most standing points from head-to-head games during the previous season
4. The participant that finished the regular season with the highest position in the Maine Shield
-In the event that a participant won both the PFL Championship and the Maine Shield, the Maine Shield runner-up will be entered. If the PFL Champion and/or the Maine Shield winner do not return for the next season, their runner-up(s) will be entered. If the runner-ups do not return for the next season, the next two highest returning participants based Maine Shield ranking will be entered.

*24-participant playoff format
Top 2 participants in each division at the end of the regular season advance to playoffs.
In the PFL Quarterfnal (division finals) the #1 participant plays the #2 participant. The series is a best-of-2 format. The team that scores the most overall points is deemed the winner.
The four division winners are then ranked 1 through 4 based on their regular season record according to standing points.
In the PFL Semifinals (league semifinals) the #1 participant plays the #4 participant and the #2 participant plays the #3 participant. The series is a best-of-5 format
In the PFL Championship (Tom Ebright Memorial Championship Cup league final) the winners of the two series play for the league title. The series is a best-of-5 format

*Playoff series timeframes cannot be changed even if the series does not require all games to be played. The PFL quarterfinals will start on the 61st Maine Mariners game. The PFL semifinals will start on the 63rd Maine Mariners game, and the PFL championship will start on the 68th Maine Mariners game.

First awarded during the 2006-2007 season.
*The PFL playoff championship award is the Tom Ebright Memorial Championship Cup, given to the winner of the Portland Fantasy League Championship round.
If the Championship is won during a home game the award will be presented in person. If the Championship is won during a road game I will work with the winner to ensure they have their time with the Cup. The winner will be presented with a banner for their participant page.



First awarded during the 2008-2009 season, Awarded retroactively to every winner prior.
*The PFL regular season award is the Maine Shield, given to the participant that finishes the regular season with the most standing points. The recipient is named at the conclusion of the final game of the PFL regular season. For more details see the competition link. The winner will be presented with a banner for their participant page.



First awarded during the 2008-2009 season.
*The PFL in-season tournament award is the Portland League Cup, given to the participant that wins the final round of the competition. The recipient is named at the conclusion of the final game of the Portland League Cup competition. For more details see the competition link. The winner will be presented with a banner for their participant page.



First awarded during the 2008-2009 season.
*The PFL pick'em competition award is the Portland Saturday Night Cup aka the PSN Cup, given to the participant that finishes the competition with the most overall points. The recipient is named at the conclusion of the final game of the PSN Cup competition. For more details see the competition link. The winner will be presented with a banner for their participant page.



First awarded during the 2013-2014 season.
*The PFL's first game award is the Andrew Stanley Memorial, which pits the previous season's PFL Champion against against the previous season's Maine Shield winner in the first game of the PFL season. For more details see the regular season section in the PFL rulebook. The winner will be presented with an icon for their participant page.



First awarded during the 2012-2013 season. Awarded retroactively to every winner prior.
*The PFL regular season division winner award is the PFL Divisional Award, given to the four participants that finish the regular season with the most standing points in their division. The recipients are named at the conclusion of the final game of the PFL regular season. The winner will be presented with an icon for their participant page.



First awarded during the 2013-2014 season. Awarded retroactively to every winner prior.
*The PFL Rookie Of The Year award is the Kevin Dineen Award, given to the top overall rookie participant through the season, playoffs, and Pirates League Cup. The recipient is named at the conclusion of the final game of the PFL playoffs. The winner will be awarded with an icon for their participant page.



First awarded during the 2013-2014 season. Awarded retroactively to every winner prior.
*The Most Improved Player award is the Kevin Kaminski Award, give to the person with the most improved record from the previous season. The recipient is named at the conclusion of the final game of the PFL regular season. The winner will be awarded with an icon for their participant page.



First awarded during the 2008-2009 season. Awarded retroactively to every winner prior.
*The PFL regular season points scored award is the Salty Pete Award, given to the participant that finishes the regular season with the most points scored. The recipient is named at the conclusion of the final game of the PFL regular season. The winner will be presented with an icon for their participant page.



First awarded during the 2008-2009 season. Awarded retroactively to every winner prior.
*The PFL regular season points against award is the Crackers Award, given to the participant that finishes the regular season with the fewest points allowed. The recipient is named at the conclusion of the final game of the PFL regular season. The winner will be presented with an icon for their participant page.

*At the conclusion of the regular season a final overall standings table will be compiled. At the start of the next season participants will be re-seeded based on the end-of-season standings table from the previous season. Participants will be assigned as follows,
1st place will be seeded in the Blue Division
2nd place will be seeded in the Green Division
3rd place will be seeded in the Gray Division
4th place will be seeded in the White Division
This seeding will continue in the order until all participants have been assigned.

*When a participant decides not to return for another season they will be removed from the seeding. Every participant below them on the chart will be "bumped" up to the next higher position (or rank).

*New or former participants that did not take part in the previous year will be assigned a position via placement draft.