The House Hockey program (formerly called "REC") is designed to teach the fundamentals of the game of ice hockey to players of all abilities. The philosophy of this program is to ensure that players have fun while improving their skill level. Emphasis will be placed on good sportsmanship and equal playing time for all players. The house teams are balanced according to player ability. During the first few weeks of the season, players are evaluated to determine their skill level. The teams are balanced to promote fair and balanced competition.
House teams skate and average of two hours a week during the season. House teams play games against other NMICE house teams within the same age division and also with other hockey associations around the state including Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Taos. House teams travel to these locations a few times during the season as well as host games with these teams at the Outpost Ice Arena. The House Hockey season begins in early to mid September and ends in March of the following year.
The House Hockey program consists of teams in the mini-mites, mites, squirts, peewees and bantam divisions.
The travel teams are considered more competitive in nature. Try outs are held prior to the season and players are selected for the travel team. Additional costs are associated with the travel program for extra ice time and tournament fees. The PeeWee Travel team is currently the only NMICE travel team.
Various local High School teams are under the NMICE umbrella. Currently, Eldorado, La Cueva, St. Pius and Outkast comprise the NMICE High School Hockey Teams.
The program also supports a Junior Varsity level for those high school aged players that are relatively new to the
game are still developing their high school level skills.
NMICE has celebrated the success of women in hockey by sponsoring both recreational and travel teams in past years. Currently, girls will be placed on co-ed house and/or travel teams unless there is enough interest and participation to support a separte girls' team. If you are interested in helping with this effort, please contact Deborah Perez at HouseHockey@nmice.org.
