Welcome to the fastest team sport in the world!

You and your children are going to love the exercise, discipline, and positive environment that ice hockey offers. Starting a new sport can seem overwhelming. Please see some common questions below to get started.

If you have additional questions or concerns,

please email any of the PAHA Board Members.

 

1. What's the deal with the "crazy named" age divisions? 

• PAHA conforms to USA Hockey and the Alaska State Hockey Association (ASHA) guidelines for age groups.
  • Mites: 8 & under
  • Squirts: 10 & under
  • PeeWees: 12 & under
  • Bantams: 14 & under
  • Midgets: 16 or 18 & under

• PAHA also offers an "Instruction and Practice" (IP) for beginning skaters
• All age groups have House (A and B) teams. The A teams consist of players who are identified during the annual evaluations.

2. What are the coach's qualifications?

• PAHA understands that coaches spend a great deal of time with your child and strives to have the best coaches possible. All PAHA coaches have completed the USA Hockey Coaching Certification. In addition, they have all passed background checks. Clinics throughout the season provide the coaches with additional instructions and model practices to learn from.

3. What equipment does my child need? 

• By nature, hockey can be a physical sport. Proper fitting equipment is mandatory and should be worn at all times on the ice. Players need:
  • helmet
  • mouth guard
  • shoulder pads
  • elbow pads
  • hockey gloves
  • hockey pants
  • shin pads
  • skates
  • hockey stick - preferably straight bladed until you know for sure if your child is a "righty" or "lefty"
  • smile

• PAHA offers Gear Bag Rentals that include: helmet, shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves, pants, and shin pads for $50 for the entire season! 

4. Seriously, how expensive is hockey?

• While hockey is typically considered to be one of the more expensive sports because players pay for hourly ice rental, PAHA strives to make hockey accessible for all children. By utilizing team sponsorships, association fundraising, and individual team fundraisers, teams and players can drastically reduce their overall cost.

• PAHA Registration fee is $50. This is registration only. Your child's jersey and socks will be billed at a later date.

• Monthly ice bills depend greatly on the size of your team and the amount of monthly practices/games. The total cost for ice utilization and referees for the month are divided equally amongst the players on the team. Mites typically have a YEARLY total cost of less than $800 (spread over the 6 month season). Remember, costs can be reduced by fundraising and volunteering efforts. It pays to get involved! 

• If your family has special circumstances, please see the PAHA Board of Directors for payment options.