House League   Our approach: players should have a good experience and want to continue to play The North York Knights provide non-contact house league ice hockey for children 6 to 16. We provide one game and one practice a week. Teams We form age divisions and teams at the beginning of the season. We try to balance our teams -- see our Balancing page. Games Games are 40 minutes long. Games are usually on Sunday afternoons and evenings; older kids play later. Games are full ice at all ages. Practices Practices are usually 50 minutes to an hour. There is a dedicated practice for each team until Bantam (age 14); the 14 to 16 year olds have shared practices. Is contact permitted in house league? Non-contact hockey means that body-checking is not permitted. There will be incidental contact, just as there is in soccer or basketball, but the elimination of body-checking reduces contact considerably. What about uniforms? Included in your fee is the cost of a jersey and socks. For other equipment, click here. Do you have Select Teams? If numbers permit we will have one or possibly more teams at each age level. We try to support two teams at the younger age levels in particular. Can girls play? We welcome girls. Girls have played in our league at levels from Tyke to Minor Midget. Can I coach my child’s team? We welcome and rely on parent coaches and volunteers. After appropriate training, you can coach or assist in coaching your own child’s team. We will point you towards helpful courses. Who determines ice time? All players have equal ice time. A player may be benched for disciplinary reasons, including missing practices without excuse or undisciplined play. Why do we have to go to practice? The practice time provided is one of the advantages of Knights house league. About 65% of your fees pay for ice time. Many other leagues provide an optional "skills session" for all players only. Practices give your child the opportunity to socialize with the other players on his team, handle the puck and basically be on the ice three or four times longer than in a game. This is where skills are learned. If you child does not attend practices he will not progress as quickly and will not make friends as easily. He will not have as much fun.