MEMBERSHIP RESTRICTIONS
 
For the 1999 - 2000 season only, any team participating at the Division III level shall be eligible for participation in regional or national tournaments, without having to comply with the one (1) year prior membership rule. Thence foreword, however, all Division III teams must meet the one (1) year rule for inclusion in the regional and/or national tournaments.
 

MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA

Inclusion in Division III shall be limited to those teams:

from colleges and universities with total undergraduate student bodies of less than 10,000, unless said college or university fields more than one (1) ACHA team, in which case they may divide their undergraduate student body total by the number of ACHA teams they field and, if the resulting number is less than 10,000, they may place one (1) team in Division III; AND

that have never been affiliated with the ACHA or have been members of Division II for three (3) seasons or less and have not participated in, nor been invited to participate in, the Division II National Tournament within the previous three (3) seasons.

Teams from colleges and universities with undergraduate student bodies greater than 10,000 or which have been members of Division II for more than three (3) years, but have not participated in, nor been invited to participate in, the Division II National Tournament within the previous three (3) seasons, may petition the ACHA Board of Directors for a waiver and, if granted, can compete in Division III for three (3) seasons under that waiver.

Division I teams and former Division I teams are ineligible for membership in Division III without first competing at Division II for at least three (3) seasons.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS - DIVISION III

Division III student athletes shall be enrolled  as full time students in programs of study leading to associate, baccalaureate, masters, doctoral, professional, or equivalent degrees, as determined by the regulations of their university or college.

Division III student athletes must enroll in a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours for associate and baccalaureate degree students, or a minimum of nine (9) credit hours for masters, doctoral or professional degree students. An equivalent standard shall be applied to institutions utilizing a quarter system.

Division III student athletes must successfully complete a minimum of twelve (12) credits each semester for associate and baccalaureate degree students, or nine (9) credits each semester for masters, doctoral or professional degree students, to be eligible for play in the following semester. An equivalent standard shall be applied to institutions utilizing a quarter system.

Division III student athletes in the last semester or quarter prior to completing their degree are not required to meet the credit hour requirements in Article IV, Paragraph D, Subparagraph 3, Sections c and d.
 
Division III student athletes who are rostered in at least twenty percent (20%) of their team's scheduled games (pre-season, exhibition, regular, and post season games, etc.) shall be deemed to have used a full year of eligibility.  A Division III student athlete may be granted an additional year of eligibility if he was rostered in less than twenty percent (20%) of his team's scheduled games for any given season. The names of red-shirted student athletes must be submitted in writing at the beginning of the season along with the team's registration forms.

RULES OF PLAY
 
 Although there is no limit to the number of non-undergraduate students which may participate in their program, Division III teams may roster no more than four (4) non-undergraduate students for any given game.

 Division III games shall consist of three (3) periods, each of which shall be at least seventeen (17) minutes long.  Time permitting, and at the sole discretion of the home team, periods may each be twenty (20) minutes long.

RANKING PRODECURES - DIVISION III

Division III shall be divided into three (3) geographic regions (to be approved by the Board of Directors) and teams will be ranked on a regional basis with three (3) regional Ranking Committees.

The Division III Ranking Committee shall consist of three (3) Regional Subcommittees of three (3) coaches, one of whom shall serve as the Regional Coordinator. The Division III Coordinator shall appoint these members, and they shall serve one (1) year terms.

Division III teams need only compete in a minimum of six (6) games per season against ACHA Division II and Division III opponents.  Although discouraged, ACHA Division III teams may play Division I teams, however, the game shall be deemed an exhibition game and shall not be used for ranking purposes for either team."
 

NATIONAL TOURNAMENT - DIVISION III

For the Inaugural Division III National Tournament in March of 2000, only, a four (4) team format will be utilized.  The four (4) team field shall consist of the Host Team and the Number 1 ranked teams from each of the final pre-tournament rankings of the three (3) geographic regions.  In the Preliminary Round of the Inaugural Division III National Tournament Team A shall play Team B and the Host Team, Team B shall play Teams A and C, Team C shall play Team B and the Host Team, and the Host Team shall play Teams A and C.  The Host Team shall play in one of the final two games of the day during the Preliminary Round in order to support the financial viability of the tournament.

At the conclusion of the Preliminary Round the team with the best record shall automatically advance to play in the Championship Game.  The two teams with the second and third best records shall play in the Saturday evening Play-in Game. The winner of the Play-in Game shall advance to the Championship Game and the losing team shall play in the Consolation Game.
 

Friday
4:00 p.m. Team A vs. Team B
7:00 p.m. Team C vs. Host Team

Saturday
10:00 a.m. Team C vs. Team B
 1:00 p.m. Team A vs. Host Team
 
 7:00 p.m. Play-in Game
  (Preliminary Round #2 vs. #3)
Sunday
10:00 a.m. Consolation Game
(Preliminary Round #4  vs. Play-in Loser)
 1:00 p.m. Championship Game
  (Preliminary Round #1vs. Play-in Winner)
 

Should a team win the Championship Game three (3) seasons in a row that team shall automatically move to Division II the following season and shall not be eligible for participation in the Division III National Tournament while competing in Division II.  In the event the Defending National Champion is ineligible for participation in the Division III National Tournament the three (3) Regional Coordinators shall select the team to play in the place of the Defending National Champion.  The Regional Coordinators shall make their selection from among the third place teams in the final pre-tournament ranking, however, the third place team from the Host Team’s region shall not be eligible for selection.
 
 

The Inaugural Division III National Tournament format shall consist of a single tournament involving four (4) teams: the Host Team and the highest ranking team from each of the three (3) geographic regions.  The tournament shall be a three (3) day event and shall be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend in March.

2a. In the event of a tie in the Division III National Tournament Championship Game, the officials shall allow a three minute rest followed by a five minute, sudden-death, overtime period.  If the game remains tied, the officials shall allow a three minute rest followed by a second, five minute, sudden-death, overtime period, during which the teams shall play four-on-four.  If the game remains tied, the officials shall allow a three minute rest followed by a third, five minute, sudden-death, overtime period, during which the teams shall play three-on-three.  If the game remains tied, there shall be a new ice surface followed by successive, three-on-three, five minute, sudden-death, overtime periods with three minute rest periods between each period and a new ice surface after each third successive overtime period until a winner is determined.
 

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The Vice-President – Division III shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee and assume all duties of the President in his/her absence should the Vice-Presidents for Divisions I or II be unable to so serve.

* Additional Policies and Procedures for Division III will by followed in the ACHA Policy Manual.
 

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