WEST CARLETON – Feel that chill in the air? Good news, that chill means it’s time to start registering for one of Canada’s oldest outdoor hockey leagues.

Registration for the West Carleton Outdoor Hockey League (WCOHL) is already open in some communities with the rest sure to be open in the coming days. This season the WCOHL will have teams in Constance Bay, Carp and Fitzroy Harbour. The league accepts boys and girls between the ages of five and 15. The games are non-contact and non-competitive, but teams do practice, usually once a week with games on Saturdays.

“The best part of this league is this is a league that kids of all abilities can come out to,” Carp coordinator Ian Urbach told West Carleton Online last year.

Urbach has coached in the league for four years and his son has played in the league for that long as well. He says the league is a great way for kids to introduce themselves to the sport, but it’s also a great league for those who want more hockey in their life, to try something different or just get a chance to play on the same team as their friends.

The league is more than 42 years old and is allegedly the only outdoor league in Canada east of Saskatchewan.

Registration costs $70 for the season which starts as soon as the water is frozen at the participating outdoor rinks and runs until the ice is gone – usually from January to March. You do not have to be from the community hosting the team to participate on that team.

For more information, and to register in Constance Bay, click here.

To register in Fitzroy Harbour, click here.

To register in Carp, click here.

For updates on the WCOHL, visit their Facebook page here.