Rules and Ethics

LAKE FOREST HOCKEY CLUB RULES & ETHICS POLICY

(Effective 8/28/26)

The Lake Forest Hockey Club (LFHC) takes all Rules and Ethics complaints seriously and they are all managed and reviewed through the Rules & Ethics Committee. The Committee has the authority to suspend, place on probation, or impose other disciplinary sanctions against any player, parent/guardian, coach or team, up to and including expulsion from LFHC, for conduct deemed by the Committee to not be in the best interests of the Club, the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI) and USA Hockey, which includes any violation of the Codes of Conduct, Locker Room Policy, and SafeSport.

It is important to remember that LFHC players and families represent the club both on and off the ice. scoutshockeyre@gmail.com Rules & Ethics Committee has the discretion to bring in LFHC players,parents/guardians and coaches for a hearing for actions and behaviors taken off the ice including, but not limited to, in the locker room, in the stands, on social media, at club-sponsored events, and at away games or tournaments. 

RULES & ETHICS PROCESS

If any coach, parent/guardian or player would like to report a rules or ethics issue to be reviewed by this Committee, please follow the procedure below. If a player desires to file a report, the player’s parent or guardian must file it on their behalf. Please note: The LFHC Board and Rules & Ethics Committee do not handle any roster, team placement or playing time concerns/questions. LFHC is not associated with Lake Forest High School and Lake Forest High School does not have a place in this process.

It is the coach’s responsibility to report any game misconduct or match penalty brought against a player to the Rules & Ethics Committee by emailing a copy of the scoresheet to the Rules & Ethics Chair at scoutshockeyre@gmail.com within 24 hours of the game. The same applies if a player is ejected from a game or if parent/guardian is thrown out of a game. Please note that just because a report is filed, it doesn’t mean it will result in a hearing. If a player repeats behavior after discipline, the coach must report it. When in doubt, report it! 

1. COMMUNICATE VIA EMAIL: Send an email within 24 hours of the incident to the Rules & Ethics Committee at scoutshockeyre@gmail.com, which is received and reviewed by the Committee Chair.**Note: Any R&E issue or complaint that is verbally reported to any LFHC Board member or R&E Committee member must also be reported, by the person verbally reporting the incident, via email to scoutshockeyre@gmail.com so the issue may be addressed and responded to appropriately. The R&E committee will not investigate any report that does not come in via this process in writing.** If a Rules & Ethics complaint is verbally reported to a LFHC Hockey Board Member, the Board Member must also document the discussion via email to the Rules & Ethics Committee.  
2. REQUIREMENTS: The report should include the following information (where applicable): Name, phone number and email address of the person making the report, date of the incident, location of Incident, witnesses (if any), description of incident (include background information about the events before, during, and immediately after the incident). A template is provided on our website.
3. INVESTIGATION: Upon receipt of the emailed report, the Rules & Ethics Committee will be notified of the formal complaint and will conduct an initial review/investigation and determine if the issue warrants a hearing. The Rules and Ethics Committee shall reserve the right to refer the matter to a coach to address with their player(s) and/or team.
4. HEARING: If a hearing is deemed necessary, parties will be given 7 days’ notice (unless waived in writing) of a reasonable date, time and location for the hearing. In the notice, grounds for discipline and possible consequences will be stated. All hearings will be in person when possible. The hearing is a fact-finding process that may involve talking to the involved parties which may include, but is not limited to coaches, players and/or parents. After the hearing, the Rules & Ethics Committee will review the findings and report their decision(s) in writing to the involved parties, including coaches when necessary, within 7 days of the hearing. Discipline will not be imposed until after the hearing, with the following exceptions: Playing Rule Violations and Summary Suspensions.
5. APPEAL: Decisions of the Rules and Ethics Committee shall be final unless a Request for an Appeal is filed. Any player, coach or parent/guardian affected by a decision of the Rules and Ethics Committee may appeal such decision by emailing a Request for an Appeal to the Rules & Ethics Committee at scoutshockeyre@gmail.com, within 7 days of receiving the Committee’s final decision. To be successful, the appealing party must show that the Rules & Ethics Committee:

●Acted in an arbitrary or capricious manner without reasonable grounds or adequate consideration of the circumstances; or

●Made a finding of material fact that is clearly erroneous (a mistake has been made); or

●Misinterpreted or misapplied any controlling bylaw, rule, procedure or policy that made a difference in its decision.

The Appeals Committee will consist of the members of the LFHC Board who do not sit on the Rules & Ethics Committee including the Club President. After the Appeal Hearing, the Appeals Committee can choose to: (1) uphold the Rules & Ethics Committee’s findings, (2) overrule the Rules & Ethics Committee’s findings, or (3) modify (including increase or decrease) the Rules & Ethics Committee’s findings. This decision will be issued within 7 days of the Rules & Ethics Committee’s receipt of your Request for an Appeal.

Any suspension or discipline appealed from shall remain in force and effect until it expires, is reversed, or is modified by the Appeals Committee.

6.APPEAL TO AHAI: Any player, coach or parent/guardian affected by a decision from an LFHC Appeals Committee may appeal such decision to AHAI. Dispute resolution with AHAI shall be subject to the provisions of Bylaw 10, found in USA Hockey’s Annual Guide. Any costs incurred by filing an Appeal to AHAI is the responsibility of the party filing the Appeal.

Confidentiality

For the LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee to fully investigate alleged violations, the Committee encourages persons who report violations to identify themselves and to provide contact information that will allow investigators to obtain follow-up information. LFHC recognizes that in some circumstances, persons may be unwilling to identify themselves or provide contact information when reporting violations. In these rare situations, an anonymous incident report may be mailed to: Lake Forest Hockey Club Rules and Ethics Committee, P.O. Box 784, Lake Forest, IL 60045. 

The party who initiated the complaint will be notified when the issue has been reviewed, investigated, and closed. Details of the conclusion will be shared on a need-to-know basis, being mindful of confidentiality of minors and individual privacy concerns.

Committee

LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee representatives are selected on an annual basis. The Committee includes at least one representative from each team, plus an unbiased member of the community that is not an LFHC member who will participate in hearings only. A Committee member may recuse themselves from an investigation or hearing due to conflict of interest or risk of bias. At least 2 Committee members will be involved with each investigation, and at least 3 Committee members will be involved in each hearing. LFHC Board Members may be called upon to assist with an investigation and/or hearing if the Committee does not have enough members on a particular case.

Standard Guidelines

When determining the results of a hearing, the LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee considers both USA Hockey and AHAI requirements and guidelines for actions and behaviors of players and spectators on and off the ice. Hearing findings may result in consequences assigned by LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee that are in addition to those assigned by AHAI. Consequences assigned by the LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee may include, but are not limited to: game suspension(s), expulsion, loss of locker room privileges, community service and online courses.

●      LFHC strives for a safe, fair game and takes seriously any Game Misconduct Penalties. As such, the following guidelines will be in place for any player receiving a Game Misconduct penalty at any time.  This does not supercede a right to appeal under USA Hockey rules:

○ First offense: AHAI’s game suspension(s).

○ Second offense: AHAI’s game suspension(s), plus LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee will impose a minimum additional one-game suspension. 

○ Third offense: AHAI’s game suspension(s), plus LFHC  Rules & Ethics will impose a minimum additional two-game suspensions and a hearing with LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee.

○ Subsequent offenses: AHAI’s game suspension(s), plus a hearing with LFHC to determine  appropriate discipline. 

●  For Match Penalties, LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee will collaborate with AHAI’s Suspension Review Committee to determine discipline. Any player or coach receiving a Match Penalty is automatically suspended from all USA Hockey activities - including games and practices - until a hearing takes place, which must occur within 30 days of the incident.

●  LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee reserves the right to call a hearing for any matter they deem necessary for any player, coach, parent/guardian or spectator.

●  LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee will inform the relevant coaches of any additional suspensions imposed within 24 hours of informing the player. 

● Per AHAI, any spectator removed from a game will receive an automatic five-game suspension. LFHC Rules & Ethics Committee may impose additional game suspensions. This 5 game suspension will be upheld whether it is noted on the official scoresheet or not.

●. Any SafeSport complaints may be directed to: https://www.usahockey.com/makingareport. All cases involving alleged child physical or sexual abuse should be reported to local authorities in addition to (and before) reporting it to the SafeSport.

If you have any questions about the Rules & Ethics Committee or procedures, please contact the Rules & Ethics Chair at scoutshockeyre@gmail.com.

Resources: 

https://www.usahockeyrulebook.com/

https://www.ahai.org/about/by-laws-rules-regulations-policies/117111

USA Hockey Annual Guide:

https://www.usahockey.com/annualguide