Last Friday (September 14), Ice Hockey Nederland (formerly NIJB) has published the competition schedule for the third division competition for the 2018-2019 season.
A total of 16 teams will compete in two groups for the championship of this division.
Newcomers of the season are the Lions 2 and The Saints. Respectively from Dordrecht and Nijmegen.
Lions 2 comes from the fourth division and will participate in group B and The Saint will be transferred from the second division and will participate in group A.
Black Sheep is just like previous seasons in group A.
The kick-off of the 2018-2019 season will take place in the weekend of 6 October. Black Sheep has its first game on 13 October in Tilburg against the Midnight Players.
You can find the whole competition on the site of IJshockey Nederland.
Competition design
Preliminary round Third division
A single competition is played in each group (all teams meet each other out and at home). The preliminary round is followed by playoffs.
Semi-finals Third division
In the semi-final play-offs, the number 1 in pool A against the number 2 in group B and the number 1 in pool B against the number 2 in pool A play an all-deciding match against each other. The matches are played on the ice rinks of the numbers 1 or are determined by the league leader on the basis of the available ice age. The semi-finals must be played on 1, 2, 3 March 2019 or 8, 9, 10 March 2019.
Final Third Division
The winners of the semi-final matches play an all-deciding final match. This match is played on the ice rink of the team with the highest ranking in the regular competition or is determined by the league leader on the basis of the available ice age. The final match must be played on 8, 9, 10 March 2019 or 15, 16, 17 March 2019. The winner of the final competition will be promoted to the Second Division.
Degrading round Third division
In the context of relegation, the teams that finished last in group A and group B play an out and a home game in a best-of-two series. The order of the matches is determined by the ranking prior to the series. The team with the highest ranking plays the second home game. The competition committee can determine a different order based on the available ice age. The matches must be played on 8, 9, 10 March 2019 or 15, 16, 17 March 2019. The loser relegates to the Fourth Division.
Point count Third division
2 match points for the team that wins the match
1 match point for both teams in case of a tie
Body-checking is not allowed in the Third Division.
Body contact (allowed in competitions without body checks):
intention to first play the puck and physical contact is the result;
hardly the intention to play on the body, while two players skate in the same direction and physical contact is the result;
to lean against an opponent is allowed;
minimal contact with the boarding is permitted;
a player is allowed to keep his position.
Bodychecking (not allowed in divisions without body-checking):
A body check is characterized by physical contact of a field player with a field player of the opponent, the goal being to deprive the opponent of the puck. Each field player, who is in possession of the puck or has it under control, can be checked under the conditions:
a) The body check is performed with hip, body or shoulders.
b) The contact with the opponent takes place at the front or side and is not aimed at the head or neck area or the lower part of the body (under the hip).
There is no question of a pure body check aimed at the back, head or lower part of the body of an opponent.
There is no question of a pure body check that is performed with the lower part of the body, with the stick or with the head.
There is no question of a pure body check that is performed on a goalkeeper.
Age determination Second division, Third division, Fourth division and Fifth division season 2018-2019
a. In the Second Division, Third Division, Fourth Division and Fifth Division players may be born in 2002 (U17) or earlier (!).
b. In the Second Division, Third Division, Fourth Division and Fifth Division, goalkeepers in all age categories are eligible.
