Hi, I'm a 12 year old girl and I'm looking to play Bantam hockey this year...with the guys. Should I play with guys?Or would I be better off with girls? What type of equipment would I need for this sport as I have no experience whatsoever in Hockey except for being the 2nd girl ever on my school's boy's floor hockey team.
Thanks for the help

your best bet for getting the gear that you need for playing hockey is going to your local hockey store and they will help you.

To play out(not goalie) you will need the following:

• Helmet
  
• mouth guard
  
• neck guard(since it says you are in Canada)
  
• shoulder pads
  
• elbow pads
  
• gloves
  
• stick
  
• Jill(girl's version of a jock also known as a pelvic protector)
  
• Sock holder(these now come with the jill in them and usually have velcro to hold your socks up)
  
• Hockey socks
  
• shin guards
  
• skates

Your choice to play with the boys or girls would depend on the level of the players you are playing with. Since you are just starting out, your best bet is to find a beginner program. If there is a girl's beginner program it would probably be better, since by the time boys reach bantams they are usually bigger in size and more aggressive. This is not a problem, in my opinion, for an experienced girl, but as you stated you are just starting out. IF there is no girl's programs available, then attend a boy's beginning program.

Have fun and keep us posted on your success.

Thanks for the info. Now my only question is...Would it be better to play on a girls or guys team? The girls I have talked to all play on A guys team so I was leaning twords that. I will be in Bantam this year. If I were to play goalie...What equipment would i need?

Playing goalie is more expensive than playing as a skater. If you are just starting and do not know how to skate, I would strongly suggest you skate as a forward for a year or two, before getting in net. But if you know how to skate and have some extra cash lying around to make the jump into goaltending, you will need the following:
[LIST]
Helmet(goalie helmets are different than player helmets and more expensive)
Chest protector
Glove
Blocker
Jill( but the goalie version)
sock holder(or you can wear sweats or long underarmor type pants
pads
goalie skates(however as a new goalie, you may be able to get away with forward skates, sharpened similar to a goalie skate)

Personally, I would recommend that you borrow as much of the equipment as possible to see if you even like playing the position.

With regards to where to play, a lot depends on what is available to you and how skilled you are at skating. If they have open hockey(pick up, stick and puck, rat hockey) in your area, go out and see how you fare with the other players on the ice. This would be a good way for you to get your feet wet and give you a better idea of what the varying levels of skill are in your area, as there will be a variety of skill during one of these sessions. Get some of your hockey friends to join you. There is no right answer with regards to whether you play boys or girls, it is up to each individual and where they feel most comfortable.

Good luck and let us know how it is going.
have fun

Well today was registration and I registered for boy's Bantam hockey. I'm in Tier 2 seeing as it's my first year and I am also going to be taking a power skating course. As for the goalie postition the people at sign up recommended that I play forward or defense so that is what I am doing. They said that I will be fine on the guys team as long as I'm tough and don't mine being hit(Which I am and don't) Thanks so much for all of your help I really appreciate it

I hope you have a great time. Keep us posted on how your season goes. Are there any other girls on the team? I am glad you chose to start as a skater before stepping in net, it will make you a better hockey player in the end. It is also smart that you are taking power skating, you will accelerate faster in your development with the extra skating lessons.

I am definitely in agreement with gotice's take on your situation.

And skating is definitely the most important part of the game. Especially in the checking part of the game skating skill will determine not only your vulnerability to a check (if your form is good you can sustain a solid check otherwise it will be a long season), but you ability to successfully carry the puck, pass and shoot.

Good for you that you are trying it with the guys. It is a different experience, but you should enjoy it anyway.

Good luck!

As a father, with a daughter (14 yrs. old), who has played for 5 years at a (AAA) level I'm surprised at everyone's eagerness to encourage batam boys hockey to a beginning girl. My experience says Batam age boys tend to be very aggressive towards anything that moves on the ice male or female. The most important skill required to play competent hockey is skating. I highly recommend private or group skating/hockey lessons prior to joining any "boys" team. My daughter has never played on a "boys only" checking team and hopefully never will. The fact of the matter is girls are built differently from boys especially in the shoulders and this is where the great majority of girls injuries occur. There are certainly girls with the proper skills and body types that can compete effectively against boys. I've recently had the opportunity for my daughter to train this summer with 6 currrent olympic women's team members and all have said they have sustaining injuries from playing boys hockey. Of course, many of these players grew up at a time when there just wasn't very much available for playing on girls only teams. In closing, you need a certain level of skill to skate with your head up at all times. This will help you aviod potential injury especially if you can see that your about be airborn.