8 & under Ice times are:

Thursday @    5:45 pm

Saturday @  10:30 am

We often hear two questions about cross ice hockey.  What is it? & Why do it?  The second question is the easiest to answer in the simplest form; because the player will be a better player when he or she gets older.  This answer however. never seems to satisfy those that are asking so we'll attempt to give a more detailed answer below.

First, though we're going to answer "what is it?".  

Cross ice hockey is when you take a full sheet of ice and divide it into 3 sheets then play from side board to side board.  This in essence takes a 200'x85' sheet of ice and gives us 3 85'x64' sheets.  Play is then done 3 vs. 3 (4 vs.4 is also done, just not as often) with small nets and no goalies, score isn't kept, and the clock is only a curfew clock so parents, coaches, and kids know when the time is up.  You will usually have 2 coaches per section of ice with the kids.  The coaches are there to keep order, to give pointers to the kids, and to substitute players in the event of an extra child per side.

Now on to the big WHY? question.  As was said above cross ice hockey will make your child a better player later on in his or her hockey years.  How this is done is actually quite simple in it's purist form and that is by giving every child more time on the ice.  When playing on a full sheet of ice you have 5 players plus a goalie from each team or 10 players on the ice at one time.  When playing cross ice you have 18 (24)players on the ice at any given time. 

During a full sheet game a player can expect to average 3-4 minutes per 10 minute period on the ice.  Given 3 periods in a game, that doesn't have a 50 minute curfew clock, a child has about 9-12 minutes of ice time for that game.

During a cross ice match up, there are no periods, no stoppage of play for face offs, no freezing the puck, very little to stop the flow of the kids.  So under a 50 minute curfew clock a child will get  25-45 minutes of on ice time.  That can only make a child a better hockey player.  A player's benefit in cross ice play is also seen in the amount of "touches" the player has on the puck during play.  More time with the puck on your stick the better you will be later on. 

All parts of full ice can be seen in cross ice, as players look for passes, look to defend because of the "missing" goalie, learn to play in a confined area at an early age.  Remember that when the child is 14 years old a full sheet of ice will look like a cross ice sheet looks to them now.  

More about Cross-Ice

For any questions regarding the 8 & Under Cross-ice Program, contact Kenny Benson

at the Polar Palace (810) 245-7778

PRACTICING

• The children have more energy with which they can improve their skills when they are skating 85 feet across the ice surface as opposed to the 200 feet length of the ice surface.

• Group sizes become smaller which means learning and teaching will become more effective.

• The close feeling of belonging to a team will motivate a child to participate with even greater enthusiasm.

• Drills designed according to the varying skill level of players within the group are easier to organize.

• More puck contact, resulting in improved puck control skills.

• More repetition/frequency in drills in one ice session.

• Decision-making skills are enhanced, as more decisions must be made more frequently at a higher tempo.

ACTUAL GAME

• Playing on a smaller rink results in increased puck possession time for each player.

• Individual technical skills develop more quickly.

• More frequent line changes in the game means more ice time for each player.

• Each player's activity increases greatly.

• Scoring skills are enhanced since the players have more shooting opportunities.

• The game is full of continuously changing situations.

• The speed in playing situations increase, which will require quicker mental and physical reactions by the players.

• Due to increased tempo, all of the team members take part in solving the playing situations, which leads to a sharing of

• responsibilities between players.

• The feeling of being an important part of the action increases because of the small size of the rink.

• Hockey sense, or understanding the principles of the game, is being developed at a young age.

• There are no unnecessary breaks in the game (i.e. off-sides, icing).

GENERAL SPIRIT OF PARTICIPATION AND FUN

• More children get a chance to play ice hockey as it is more affordable.

• More children will experience a feeling of success when playing hockey.

• The same exciting and fun environment as in a "real" game is created.

• More and less gifted children will benefit from close/tight action on the ice.

• Children are excited and motivated to continue playing hockey.

• Hockey will be more appealing and rewarding to a wider range of children and their parents.