Hockey and hijabs: New to Canada and the sport, these girls have found their game

Newcomer girls in Ottawa are celebrating their new-found hockey skills at an end-of-season tournament, just as the Ottawa Charge prepares to take to the ice for the women's team's first-ever playoff game Thursday.

These teen players may be new or relatively new to the sport, but that didn't stop them from offering the pros some advice on the eve of the opening round.

"Good luck! You got this," said Nefisa Siyad, 14, a Grade 9 student at Woodroffe High School. "Believe in yourself. Don't give up," added her sister Idle Siyad, 17.

The girls are getting a chance to play thanks to Hockey 4 Youth Foundation, which provides free access to after-school hockey for kids in B.C., Ontario and Quebec. The foundation's motto is: "The only barrier should be the boards." 

Hockey 4 Youth estimates it costs families around $4,000 for one child to play hockey for one year, including equipment, team fees, ice rental and tournaments, among other expenses.

"We know that 71 per cent of newcomers express an interesting in playing hockey, but only one per cent ever will have an opportunity to play the game," said executive director Moezine Hasham, citing research from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. "We're providing that easy on-ramp for them."

But learning to skate and play hockey is anything but easy, especially for teens who are starting from zero.

"I was crying after I finished my first season. I was like, 'I can't do it, I can't do it,' and then I was like, 'No, you can do it!'" said Rokhsar Rahmani, 18, a Grade 12 student at Earl of March High School who's originally from Afghanistan.

Two years into hockey, she's discovered something powerful on the rink. "You feel so confident. When I'm on the ice, I'm free. I don't know how to