Group Skating Classes Hockey 201 (Youth Learn to Play)
This USA Hockey 8 week group class held year round is designed to teach boys and girls the fundamentals of ice hockey and prepare then for future participation in our P.A.H.A. recreational hockey league. This program is designed for first time hockey players who have acquired basic skating skills. Children ages 9-14 years are invited to learn how to play while having fun!
Full hockey equipment is required. Complete Learn to Play packages are available at incredible SPORTS, our full service Pro Shop. All registered participants receive a 10% discount on most items. Certain restrictions apply.
Download Hockey Equipment List
Classes are held on Saturday mornings from 10:30am to 11:30am unless otherwise noted below. ONLY $199.00 + Tax per player to register for the entire session OR Drop In for just $35.00 + Tax per player per class.
Upcoming Spring Session now available:
March 17 to May 12, 2012, Saturday mornings 10:30am to 11:30am
Register TODAY by downloading and filling out the registration form below and returning it to the front office at Saveology.com Iceplex.
Download Registration Form
Sessions include:
What is "Cross Ice Hockey?"
From USA Hockey:
The USA Hockey Cross-Ice program is based on a model of practicing and playing hockey across the ice surface as compared to practicing and playing lengthwise along the full length of the ice surface. This cross-ice practicing and playing model has been used in many of the leading hockey nations in the world for a number of years and has stood the test of time. It has been shown that children who begin their hockey training in this environment have an outstanding hockey experience.
Parents may ask the question, “why should my child play cross-ice, what will this bring? I want my child playing like the professionals do, full-ice, because I want my child to experience "real hockey." To help address these questions, let's think about a child trying to skate with a puck while performing a drill from one end of the rink to the other, how long will this take? How much energy will this require? Will the player's decision-making skills be enhanced more in the close action of the smaller cross-ice surface or in the wide-open area of the full-ice surface? In which situation will the child be more involved in the action?
A study of hockey games played on the full-ice surface by George Kingston in 1976 found the following:
In a sixty-minute running time hockey game between 6-8 year old children, the average player had possession of the puck for 20.7 seconds. Top National Hockey League and international professional players were also timed and no player exceeded 85 seconds of puck possession time. In a sixty minute children's game the actual playing time of the game was 20 minutes and 38 seconds. Taking this into consideration, the individual player is only on the ice every third or fourth shift depending on how many players are on the team, resulting in even less ice time. An average of less than 0.5 shots per game for youth players and only 1.5 shots per game for junior and professional players.
The study concluded that:
Cross-Ice Program
To help you further understand the benefits of the cross-ice practicing and playing model, some of the advantages are listed below.
PRACTICING
ACTUAL GAME