League FAQ's

Q. WHY SHOULD I SKATE WITH AWHL?

The mission of the Anchorage Women's Hockey League is to bring women of all skill levels together to play hockey in a fun, organized and supportive atmosphere. The board works hard to make sure every women who wants to play hockey in Anchorage, from beginner to advanced, has a team to play on at a level they want to play at.

Q. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PLAY?

AWHL has now reorganized into two divisions: COMPETITIVE and RECREATIONAL

REC is for beginners as well as experienced skaters who want to play a more easy going style of hockey. Every year, REC teams welcome new players who have never even had on hockey skates. The League currently manages most of the REC teams and offers open enrollment on a first-come first-served basis. Player Managed Teams may also now play in REC with League approval.
COMP is geared toward those skaters who want to play a more competitive style of hockey at a faster pace. Most of the teams in this division are Player Managed. AWHL currently offers one League Managed team in this division that is open to all players.
PLAY in BOTH Divisions! Each season we have players who sign up for both divisions - why not if it works for your life? We've got highly skilled players who want to play with friends or family in REC or those who want to improve their skills by either slowing it down in REC or stepping it up in COMP.

Q: HOW OFTEN DO YOU PLAY?

Our season runs from late September through late March. We average one game a week (every now and then a team may have two games in a week) generally on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights at ‘adult’ hockey times. Start times range from 4 pm on Sundays to 9:00 pm on weeknights. The board sets the budget and fees to schedule each team for 21-24 games total for the season including any tournament play.

Q: WHERE DO YOU PLAY?

In "normal" times, most AWHL games are scheduled at Dempsey Anderson Rinks on Sundays, in addition to whatever weeknight ice we can find there. We've booked ice again at the Wells Fargo Complex (UAA) on Thursdays And, at the beginning of the season, games may be scheduled out at the MTA Center in Palmer if there are Valley teams playing with us. Tournament games in March are scheduled after the school district's spring break wherever we can find ice.

Q: HOW ROUGH DOES IT GET ON THE ICE?

AWHL is a NO-CHECK league which basically means you’re not allowed to use your body to take another player off the puck. You CAN, however, expect some acceptable and inevitable forms of physical contact in the course of a game. That’s the nature of hockey. And, sometimes accidents happen where you fall, bump into someone or get tripped. That’s why we wear protective gear. AND that’s why we always have one, if not two official referees to monitor all aspects of play.

Player safety is the top priority, followed closely by having fun! Most of us play to get the stress out of our lives – not add to it. Everyone is expected to be a good sport. If someone is not, the referees deal with it on the ice and the board can take disciplinary action off the ice. This is very rare in our league which says a lot about the awesome women who skate with AWHL!

Q:WHO ARE THE PLAYERS?

AWHL players are a diverse group! We've got players as young as 18 and some who are now on the front side of 70. We quite can’t remember who said this but we like it: ‘If you still want to play, you're not too old!’

Our athletes have a wide range of experience from the hot-shot comp players who've gone on to conquer the college level to the hockey PLAYING moms and grandmas who decided it was time to get off the bleachers and get on the ice.

We all have one wonderful thing in common - we LOVE women's hockey!

Q: WHAT GEAR IS REQUIRED?

The following gear is required at all AWHL games

Helmet
Shoulder Pads
Elbow Pads
Gloves
Hockey Pants
Pelvic Protector
Shin Pads
Skates
Hockey Socks
Hockey Stick
Team Jersey (AWHL provides to Hunter players, Foraker & Denali provide own)

AWHL also recommends optional neckguards and mouthguards.

Q: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PLAY IN AWHL?

Season fees are set based on the cost of ice and referees. AWHL strives to keep the fees as affordable as possible for this expensive sport so there's no fluffy stuff in the budget. Currently, the league aims for a 24 game season and makes its calculations on that.

Player Managed Teams are responsible for paying one team fee with the cost split amongst their players. The 2022-23 TEAM fee is $6,000. Many self-organized teams have successfully found sponsorships to help offset their costs.

League Managed Teams offer women a chance to sign up individually for a team. These teams also have sponsors which help offset costs. The 2022-23 Season cost is $415 for players and $195 for goalies.

All players also pay a non-refundable Admin fee to help offset the cost of a part-time manager who schedules games, refs, tournament and pays our bills.

Q: CAN I STILL JOIN AFTER THE SEASON STARTS?

We strive to make sure all who want to play hockey find a team. When teams fill, the board starts a waiting list. Quite often, Player-Managed Teams also end up needing to fill spots and we can help connect you. email us at anchoragewomenshockey@gmail.com

Q: I'VE NEVER PLAYED HOCKEY....BUT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO TRY!

Most years, we offer Newbies a chance to DISCOVER HOCKEY at a fun, low cost clinic. We help gear you up and get a feel for your hockey chops! Check back for this season's dates.