Equipment Information

	Hockey Helmet:
	It is required that youth players of all age groups are required to wear an HECC Certified Helmet that has a cage or visor that covers the entire face of the player. The cage or visor must be HECC Certified in order to be worn.

	Mouth Guard:
	It is required that youth players of all age groups must wear a mouthpiece that is attached to the helmet with the strap. Mouth guards must be colored. Referees cannot easily see clear mouth guards. These need to be custom fitted to the players mouth. Instructions should be on the package. For small children, about three quarters of an inch should be cut off both sides of the end of the mouthpiece with scissors prior to fitting. Then the mouthpiece part should be dipped into boiling water for about 10 to 20 seconds while holding the strap.(check the package for the exact amount of time - it varies with different manufacturers) Then allow it to cool enough to be put in your child's mouth. Sometimes dipping it quickly into cool water will suffice. Check the temperature of the mouth piece prior to proceeding. When it is cool enough, put it into your child's mouth and have your child bite down on it so that it will form to your child's teeth. It should then be attached by the strap to the face guard of your child's helmet.

	Inline Skates:
	There are several types of inline skates on the market today. The most common inline skates are fitness skates and hockey skates. Fitness skates have either laces with straps or just straps. Fitness skates also contain a brake on the back of the skate. Fitness skates may be used for inline hockey but it is highly recommended that hockey skates are used instead. If fitness skates are used, please remove the back brake from the skate as it will hinder the player's backward skating and most likely result in injury when the player falls. Hockey skates, unlike fitness skates, do not have the back brake or the straps. They use only laces. When buying hockey skates, it is best to get wheels that are made for smooth rink surfaces. (If such wheels are bought, it is recommended that the player does not skate off the rink for long periods of time as the wheels will wear down faster.

	Shin Guards:
	It is required that all youth players must wear shin guards. The shin guards should cover the entire shin and must have the kneepad attached to the shin guard to protect the knees.

	Gloves:
	It is required that all youth players must wear regulation hockey gloves. The gloves should have no holes and should come past the wrist.

	Elbow Pads:
	It is required that all youth players must wear elbow pads. Some elbow pads are just the plastic protection with minimal padding. It is recommended that the player uses an elbow pad with sufficient padding to prevent injury.

	Girdle (Hip Pads):
	Although it is not required by AAU Hockey rules that youth players wear girdles, it is highly recommended by Southernmost Hockey Club because girdles prevent several injuries that may occur during a game. It is also recommended that a player wears a girdle that contains a tailbone pad to prevent from bruising or breaking their tailbone.

	Shoulder Pads:
	Although it is not required by AAU Hockey rules that youth players wear shoulder pads, it is highly recommended by Southernmost Hockey Club because they prevent several injuries that may occur during a game. Although body checking is not allowed by Southernmost Hockey or AAU Hockey, there may still be incidental contact that may occur to the chest and shoulder area of the player.

	Stick and End Cap:
	A hockey stick's shaft may be made of wood, composite, or aluminum. Any other material is not allowed by the Rules Committee. The length of the stick should be measured with the player on their skates. While the player is on skates, they must hold the stick so that the tip of the blade is on the ground and the stick is perpendicular to the ground and parallel to the player. The end of the shaft must be cut so that the end does not sit shorter than the player's chin nor higher than the player's nose. Where the stick is cut is the player's preference as long as the length of the shaft is within the required length. The blade of a player’s stick shall not exceed 12.5 inches from the heel to the end of the blade, nor shall the blade be more than 3 inches in width at any point nor less than 2 inches in width. The end of a hollow stick must be fully covered using an end cap and tape to secure the end cap to the stick.

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