I’m Completely New to Hockey
So you’ve seen a hockey game and you want to get amongst it; that’s awesome!
Skating is the essential skill for any hockey player. The first step towards playing hockey is to get some skates and practice, practice, practice. New players can contact Phillip Ice Skating Rink for more information on personal or group skating lessons with ACT Figure Skating coaches, or can seek personal coaching through the hockey community.
Players new to the sport are encouraged to attend IHACT Academy programs. The programs are split into male and female, running for 4-6 weeks before the season starts and offer new players the opportunity to learn basic skills in skating and puck handling.
It’s also a good idea to become familiar with the basic rules of the game. Games flow a lot smoother once players reduce the frequency of offside or icing stops in play.
Skill Expectations
| Women’s League | Senior D | Senior C | Senior B | Senior A / Premier League |
| Skate forwardsStopTurn both waysStand up from being prone on the ice | Skate forwardsStopTurn both waysStand up from being prone on the ice | Hockey stop on at least one sideSkate backwardsPower turnAlternate dropping one knee to the ice and standing back up between blue lines (demonstrating balance)Puck handle during most drills | Demonstrate sufficient hockey skills to satisfy the League Coordinator, grade committees and the Head Coach. | Demonstrate sufficient hockey skills to satisfy the League Coordinator, grade committees and the Head Coach. |
I’ve Played Hockey Before, But I’m New to IHACT
Welcome to town!
You can check that you’ve got all the required gear in the equipment table below, and you can see when the winter and summer season’s key dates are in the schedule below, but what you really want to know is “which league will suit me best”, right?
All of IHACT’s local leagues play non-checking hockey. That’s not to say there’s no contact, there’s just no deliberate checking allowed. The only games involving contact are the representative teams playing in the IHNSW competition and the rare Senior A grade games.
While the junior leagues are based on age, the mixed senior leagues are based on skills and experience:
Winter
- B Grade → Most skilled and experienced league. Features many AIHL players and lifelong players.
- C Grade → Many lifelong players and some former B grade players.
Summer
- D Grade → Least skilled and Experienced grade. Entry point for 18+ males.
- W League → Womens and girls league for 14+ players of all skill levels.
Senior D and Women’s are association managed leagues with a league coordinator and Head coaches. The leagues have weekly league training sessions and games.
Senior C and B are self-managed leagues. The teams have a greater say in who is selected to play on their teams, management of the league and also manage the team’s financial obligations.
All new players to IHACT need to attend either a Grading session for Senior D and Women’s or a Draft session for Senior C and B. These sessions allow our IHACT accredited coaches the opportunity to see and assess your skill level ensuring it is appropriate and safe for the league you wish to join.
I’m Keen for More Game Time
Aren’t we all? Fortunately, some passionate and dedicated members of the hockey community take it upon themselves to book ice slots and organise their own games. These sessions aren’t organised or sanctioned by IHACT, so aren’t covered by the insurance that’s part of the IHACT registration fees. If you want to participate in these unsanctioned games, you’ll need to contact the organisers directly to get all of the details on who can/should play and what it’ll cost.
| Juniors | Seniors | |
| January | Summer seasons continue | |
| February | Summer seasons continue | |
| March | Come & Try Junior Academy | Summer seasons conclude. Winter registration opens for C and B |
| April | Winter seasons start | Winter seasons start |
| May | Winter seasons continue | Winter seasons continue |
| June | Winter seasons continue | Winter seasons continue |
| July | Winter seasons continue | Winter seasons continue |
| August | Winter seasons continue | Winter seasons continue |
| September | Winter seasons conclude | Winter seasons conclude. |
| October | Come & Try Senior Academy Summer registration opens for D and Women’s Leagues Summer seasons start | |
| November | Summer seasons continue | |
| December | Summer seasons continue |
Weekly Schedule
| IHACT Winter | IHACT Summer | Unsanctioned Winter | Unsanctioned Summer | |
| Mondays | Senior C games | Women’s League games | ||
| Tuesdays | Senior D games | |||
| Wednesdays | 10pm Fortnightly – Senators, by invitation | 10pm Fortnightly – Senators, by invitation | ||
| Thursdays | 6am – Last Change Hockey coaching. https://www.facebook.com/LastChangeHockey/ 10pm – Drop-in for intermediate–advanced players, $20 at rink. | |||
| Fridays | Senior C games | |||
| Saturdays | Juniors Midget Travel Team Women’s Travel Team | Drop-in for novice-intermediate players, $20 by transfer to organiser before playing. http://winterdropin.hockeysyte.com https://www.facebook.com/winterdropin/ | ||
| Sundays | Juniors Senior B games | Senior D games Senior A games | Drop-in for advanced players. |
Equipment
Senior Equipment is the same with the exceptions of optionally having a visor instead of face mask, and no requirement for a neck guard.
Where do I find this equipment?
The most affordable way to get your initial set of gear is on the second-hand market. The hockey community in Canberra is big enough that there are almost always members upgrading their kit and wanting to move their older gear on to enthusiastic beginners. Join the IHACT Members Group on Facebook and post a wanted ad. It will help if you include some pertinent details about the sizes of things you think you’ll need, but if you don’t know how gear sizing works yet don’t worry too much, just include the sizes of regular clothes you wear now. Height and build descriptions can also help. Members may offer to meet up with you and let you try on gear for sizing too.
Once you have a better idea of what you need, you might want to get a set of new gear of your very own. Locally we have the one pro shop at the Phillip ice rink. Further afield there’s Skater’s Network up in Sydney (some members get together for road trips to go there), and online there’s Ice Monster also in Sydney and Powerplay Sports in Adelaide. There are many hockey supplies stores online based out of the US and Canada, but be sure to take into account shipping costs and delivery time before making your decision.
Some Rule Basics
PLAYERS
- Hockey is played with six (6) players on the ice for each team; five (5) skaters, one (1) goaltender.
- There are an unlimited amount of substitutions and they can happen at any time; during play and/or a stoppage of play; except when the defensive team ices the puck.
ICING
- Icing is when the defending team shoots the puck down the ice, without touching another player, across two red lines, first one being the red centre line and the second being the goal line. The opposing team must touch the puck before the team who iced the puck, or the call will become void.
- In international rules, the rule is “no touch” icing; meaning the play is called dead once the puck crosses the goal line.
- The team who ices the puck is not allowed to substitute players during this stoppage of play.
PERIODS
- Hockey is divided into three periods, first, second, and third; they are each eighteen minutes long, with intermissions in between.
PENALTIES
- Penalties occur when a player interferes with another player in a way that is against the rules. The Player who caused the penalty must sit in the penalty box for the duration of their penalty, usually two minutes. However, depending on the penalty, the time may be up to ten minutes per penalty, or resulting in a game misconduct, where the player is suspended for the remainder of the game.
Two Minute Minor Penalties Include
- Hooking, slashing, delay of game, interference, goaltender interference, tripping, roughing, elbowing, boarding, cross checking, charging, holding, high sticking, kneeing, check from behind, spearing, unsportsmanlike conduct, too many men on the ice.
POWER PLAY
- When a team is penalized, the opposing team is rewarded a power play; meaning the other team will be short-handed for a distinct amount of time, playing with less players than the opposition.
- If the team on the power plays gets a goal, the power play is now over.
- If the short-handed team scores while killing the power play, the power play is not over.
OFFSIDE
- The puck must completely cross the offensive blue line before any player on the offence completely crosses the blue line.
FACE-OFF
- A faceoff ensues every time there is a stoppage of play. A face off occurs in the centre of the rink at the beginning of each period and after every goal.
- A face off is when the two teams line up in opposition to each other, and one player form each opposing team attempts to gain control of the puck after it is dropped between their sticks by an official.
For a more detailed description of the rules see the following link:
https://www.iihf.com/en/statichub/4719/rules-and-regulations
I have more questions
Email is the best way to get in touch with the board member who can best help you out, but everyone in the community is approachable; if you’re at the rink, chances are the folks scoring or officiating a game will be able to point you in the right direction. If your question relates to someone under 18 playing hockey with IHACT, best contact the Junior Delegate at junior.delegate@ihact.org.au. If it’s about someone over 18, your first port of call should be the Senior Delegate at senior.delgate@ihact.org.au.