Beginner League

Beginner League Details

The Beginner League is the lowest level of adult ice hockey at the Skatium. There are other leagues also available, including a D League and Skatium League. Click here for a link to information on those leagues.

We have some special rules for our games. They are listed here.

There is a special philosophy for the Beginner League. In order to continue to attract players to this unique game in our non-traditional environment, our philosophy is that Beginner League should be a particularly welcoming, patient, and non-judgmental place in which to learn the game. Otherwise hockey will falter and fade away as players move away and move on with no new players to take their place. To that end, the competition part of the game is of minimal importance in this league. While we realize that competition, winning, losing and the score are all a part of the game, players who wish to focus on competitiveness and scoring-at-all-costs should suppress acting on that until they move up to the D League. We have developed The 12 Commandments of Beginner League to remind players what this league is all about.

Also, we have developed some Tips for Instantly Being a More Effective Player. These tips don't involve spending hours refining your skating or stickhandling, but are designed to point out things that people (even those with experience) often don't think of but can make a big difference.

Details

Games are every Sunday night, starting at 730pm.
Seasons consist of 10 games.
There are 2 or 3 teams each season.
Seasons continue year round. After a season ends, there is generally 1-2 pickup games and then a new season starts.
League games are usually three, 20 minute, stop-time periods, but periods may be shortened or be run-time depending on number of players and other factors.
League games have a referee and scorekeeper.
Cost is generally $20-25 per game, depending on whether the season is prepaid, a punchcard is used, or paid for prior to each game.

Who the League is for

People who have never played hockey
People who have never skated (even ever)
People who have played street, roller, or field hockey and want to transition to ice.
People who played hockey briefly many years ago.
People who have played hockey but are recovering from a severe and need to take it easy for a while.
People who are older and slowing down considerably but want to continue to play (and are able to play at a much less competitive level)
People who, for whatever reason, do not want to or cannot play at a competitive level, skate well, skate fast, etc.

Purpose

The purpose of the Beginner League is to:

Be introduced to the game of hockey
Learn basic skating skills in a game environment
Learn basic hockey skills in a game environment
Develop enough skill to be able to move up to the next level

Further Purpose

As you develop skills, get faster, and get closer to moving up, it is also a good place to:

Try new positions that you aren't comfortable in (defense? center? goalie?)
Try to be a better passer
Try to skate under better control, not just fast
Try to skate with your head up (always)
Try new leadership roles or mentoring
Learn how to support newer players (example--don't just streak down the ice and shoot--try curling behind the net to wait for newer players to catch up and pass it to them)
Gain a deeper understanding of the game
Help mentor and encourage newer people, especially if you know the game well and can show them where to be or can help them learn to stop, catch a pass, etc