Half the battle of being able to play underwater hockey is the ability to swim.
When all the action takes place at the bottom of the pool, it also doesn't hurt to be able to hold your breath as long as a crocodile.
So when Stephen Rader was looking for recruits to stage the first-ever youth underwater hockey tournament in Prince George, he turned to a group of Barracudas. For the Sunday afternoon drop-in event at the Aquatic Centre, he's rounded up about 30 kids aged 8-15, most of whom have earned their swimming stripes with the Prince George Barracudas Swim Club.
The rules of the game are similar to hockey, with teams of four or six players per side. Players use snorkeling gear (diving masks, snorkels and fins) to stay submerged as long as they can to remain part of the game action. Each game is two 10- or 15-minute halves.
"A lot of the young players especially just use goggles, but then you don't know what's happening underneath you while you're catching your breath," said Rader, the faculty-sponsor for the Prince George Underwater Hockey club program at UNBC. "Normally there are six players on a side but in a smaller area for a tournament like this it works out better to have four players on each team."
Players use short wooden or resin sticks try to push a plastic-encased lead puck that weighs 1.5 kilograms along the floor of the pool. The target is a three-metre wide goal at either end of the pool, which consists of a sloped ramp that leads to a trough.
"The better players can lift the puck off the bottom of the pool when they make passes or shots," said Rader.
Minor penalties will be called for unintentionally hitting another player with your stick, playing or stopping the puck with something other than the stick, or blocking an opponent. Ejections can occur if a player is caught making a dangerous pass or shot near an opponent's head or for repeated minor penalties. Fouls that take place close to the goal area can result in a penalty shot being awarded.
The tournament starts at 1 p.m. and wraps up at about 4 p.m. and participation is open to the public. The entry fee is $10.
There are about 20 players in the UNBC club. Sunday night adult intrasquad games at the Aquatic Centre usually draw about 10 players. For more information call Rader at 250-964-6434.
