Season Start Dates

How the Tiering System Works

Each division will play a four-round tiering season, with every team playing four games total — one per round.

Unlike a traditional schedule set in advance, pairings are generated round by round. After each round's results are in, teams are paired against opponents with a similar record so competitive balance improves as the tiering system progresses.

In divisions with an odd number of teams, one team will have a bye each round. Byes are assigned fairly and rotate so no team sits out more than necessary, while protecting teams whose games matter most for their eventual placement.

At the end of four rounds, final standings will determine each team's placement into the appropriate competitive division, such as Platinum or Gold, for the remainder of the season.

What This Means for Teams and Families

Because pairings are generated after each round rather than fixed at the start of the season, teams will not know their Round 2, 3, or 4 opponent — or where that game will be played — until the previous round's results are finalized.

This is a core feature of the format, not a scheduling delay. It allows the system to match teams fairly based on demonstrated performance rather than guesswork.

Families should expect:

• Opponent and ice assignments for each round to be released shortly after the prior round concludes, rather than weeks in advance.
• Some teams may play two games in one day, and the day/time schedule will vary by age group and division.
• Some flexibility will be necessary in early-season planning since a team's full four-game slate cannot be published at once in the same way as a traditional schedule.
• Clear communication from RMHF and each club after every round once the next round's matchups are set.

Game Regulations

All divisions — 14U, 12U, and 10U A & B — will play under the 10U game format during the tiering season.

Why This Change

RMHF believes this approach produces more competitive, appropriately matched games from the very first weekend of the tiering season and gives every team a fair shot at landing in the division that best reflects its level of play this year.