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.
If you are aged 18 or under, please have a look at our Juniors page to find out more about junior hockey
If you are aged over 18, head to our Senior Hockey page for all the details about our adult leagues.
Equipment
Please see the below guide for all the equipment required for a junior player to play ice hockey in the ACT. Senior players must have the same equipment with the exception of optionally having a visor instead of face mask.
Note that all players must have a neck guard to participate in IHACT sanctioned event.
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. In pro games the periods are 20 minutes, in amateur leagues the tiing can be reduced to fit ice schedules and availability.
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. Check out the IIHF Rule Book for all the details of penalties.
POWER PLAY
- When a team is penalised, the opposing team now has an extra player on the ice – a power play! The other team is said to be ‘short-handed’ for the duration of the penalty.
- If the team on the power play gets a goal, the power play is now over and the penalised player can return to the ice.
- If the short-handed team scores during the power play, the power play is not over and the penalised player must remain in the box until either the penalty time expires or their team scores.
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.
You can see a good introduction to the basics of ice hockey on the IIHF Website here
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 18 years or younger 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.delegate@ihact.org.au.