The Prince Albert Raiders took part in Prince Albert Minor Hockey’s first Para Day on Monday at the Art Hauser Centre. (Lucas Chudleigh/Apollo Multimedia)

By Ian Gustafson

New Skills

P.A. hockey teams learn the basics of sledge hockey

Jan 16, 2020 | 11:19 AM

P.A. hockey clubs learned the basics of sledge hockey earlier this week as part of the first Prince Albert Minor Hockey Para Day.

Technical Director of P.A. Minor Hockey James Mays told paNOW the Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA) reached out to them to help introduce sledge hockey to players around the province.

Mays added there are few people who play the game in Saskatchewan as there are only seven teams across the province.

“They’re just trying to introduce it to pockets and places where they know a lot of hockey is played but no sledge hockey,” Mays said.

On Monday at the Art Hauser Centre the Prince Albert Raiders and students from Queen Mary School were given a demonstration of sledge hockey including basic skills and learning about the equipment led by knowledgeable people involved in the game.

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Mia Fairley, secretary treasurer and coach of the Cut Knife Sledge Hockey Club, and Tracey Arnold, goaltender for Canada’s national sledge hockey team engaged in a question and answer period after the first session. Arnold was the first Saskatchewan-born player to make the Canadian national team.

Afterwards the Prince Albert Northern Bears and P.A. Lehner Electric Bantam AA Foxes also came to try it out.

“It was good. It was a full day, and everybody had fun and I think it served its purpose,” Mays said.

Mays added he also tried out sledge hockey and said it’s quite difficult.

“It’s not as easy as it looks and you use different muscles,” he said adding some of the Raiders players said it’s hard on the core muscles and shoulders. “The one thing I didn’t know is you don’t have to be handicapped to play and I think a lot of the players were a little bit surprised at that.”

Fairley told paNOW they were asked by the SHA to attend because they’ve been involved in the game for 18 years.

She said when they are introducing sledge hockey to a group for the first time, they’ll get them familiar with the equipment first and then have them try it.

“We don’t get too in-depth with skills at first because a lot of times it’s just the whole sensation of being in the sledge learning to move and even learning how to handle the sticks,” Fairley said.

Players learned how to stop on the sled, puck handling, and how body contact works to name a few.

She added it can be a little overwhelming for people who are new to the sport.

“I find the more athletic people are, like when we had the Raiders and those guys in the sledges, we find their legs actually cramp up more than other people,” she said. “The reason for that is because they’re trying to use them. We find they tense up more; they’re trying to utilize every muscle they have available to them. But of course in sledge hockey — to make it a level playing field, you don’t have use of your legs.”

Fairley said overall the demonstration went well and everyone had a blast.

“There’s a lot of smiles, it’s pretty exciting, and like I said it is challenging and it’s pretty informative,” she said.

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Ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12