New to Hockey

Welcome to the world of girls hockey and Lake of the Woods Girls Hockey League!

Where to start? Hockey Canada and Sport Chek have a Hockey 101 brochure that you can download to get you started.

You can visit our hockey equipment list to see all of the equipment needed to get your daughter started. 

What to expect as a new hockey parent.

You, the parents, are going to have the most influence on a child's experience. Hockey will provide you with many opportunities to provide your daughter with important life lessons and memories that will last forever so be ready to take advantage of them. 

Here are a few challenges you are bound to run into along the way and some tips on how to deal with them (adapted from Hockey Minnesota):

Be Involved & Supportive

The main focus should be on letting your kids have fun while taking on a supportive role. It is important for you to be involved without being overbearing. Whether that means volunteering to coach or cheering from the stands, it can be a fine line for parents to walk. Let their coach do his or her job. Don't forget to savor the memories you make along the way.

Tame the Rollercoaster

Over the course of your child's time in sports, one of the best lessons they will learn is how to deal with adversity. Keep in mind these are opportunities to learn when something occurs and your protective instincts take over and urge you to step in.

Find a Balance

Just like everything in life, it is important to maintain a nice balance between hockey and other activities.  Encourage your child to become a well-rounded individual by pursuing other activities and interests outside of hockey. 

Volunteer!

The Lake of the Woods Girls Hockey League is a volunteer-run organization that relies heavily on parents to volunteer their time in order to keep hockey available locally and at an affordable price. Once you join youth hockey, the LOWGH will likely ask you to volunteer for such things as running the time clock or penalty box, helping man the auction tables during a tournament, folding bingo cards or answering the phones during bingo.

Relax and Have Fun!

Hockey is a great sport where girls learn how to work as a team, sportsmanship, how to deal with a loss, and so much more! Sit back and watch them have fun while improving their game at the same time. 

What to do if your daughter can't skate

Many players in Tykes start off not knowing how to skate. There will be tears for the first few weeks, but have faith in them. The tears will stop and the fun will start. Players can join hockey at any age even if they can't skate. For older girls, if your daughter is just starting off in hockey and is a beginner skater or she can't skate at all, we suggest that she go to public skating or practice skating with you at an outdoor rink. In Tykes (and sometimes Novice), many parents also put their kids into a Canskate program one day a week to help improve their skating. Please make sure the players attend practices as well and your daughter will catch up to the other players in no time. Feel free to also ask your coach what else your daughter can be doing. You'll be amazed at how quickly some of the non-skaters become good skaters. If they can skate, they'll find hockey much more enjoyable.

Here are a few other articles that may be of interest to you:

24 Tips For Raising Young Hockey Players

How to be a good hockey parent