A Guide to Eating, Hydrating & Recovering for Women’s Hockey Players

Key Takeaways

• • Eat 1–4 hours before games, target 1–4 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight (0.45-1.81 g/lb).

• • Drink 5–7 mL/kg fluids with sodium 4 hours pre-game.

• • Consume 30–60 g carbs per hour during play.

• • Rehydrate with 20–24 fl oz per pound lost post-game.

• • Eat 20–40 g of high-quality protein after training or games.

Success in hockey starts long before the puck drops. It’s built by players who show up ready to go — skates sharp, legs fresh, and bodies fully fueled to perform. Female hockey players train hard, compete fearlessly, and push their limits shift after shift. But even the most dedicated athletes can lose their edge if nutrition takes a back seat.

Dialing in a fueling plan is your secret weapon — the difference between fading in the third period and skating with power straight through overtime.

This guide breaks down the science of sports fueling into clear, practical strategies made for female hockey players — what to eat and drink before, during, and after every game to stay energized, hydrated, and ready to recover fast.

Why Female Hockey Players Need a Nutrition Game Plan

Hockey demands everything — endurance, strength, speed, and split-second decision-making. Players cover more than two miles each game, accelerating, stopping, and battling for every puck while wearing gear that traps heat and challenges hydration. It’s a sport of power and precision — and that means your nutrition has to match your effort.

Female athletes face their own unique needs on the ice. With smaller glycogen stores and lower total body mass, women rely even more on steady carbohydrate intake before and during play to sustain energy and focus. Hydration is just as critical — despite the cold rink, it’s easy to sweat more than you realize under layers of pads and gear.

Think of nutrition as part of your training plan. Setting goals like “arrive fueled and hydrated for every practice” builds the same consistency as working on skating drills or strength training. Fueling isn’t just about eating — it’s about unlocking stamina, focus, and resilience all season long.

Pre-Game Fueling Guide: What to Eat & Drink Before Hockey Practices or Games

The goal of pre-game fueling is to start every session with full glycogen stores — your muscles’ main energy reserve. Carbohydrates are the foundation of that plan.

Timing and Composition

• • Eat 1–4 hours before a practice or game.

• • Include 1–4 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight (0.45-1.81 g/lb).

• • Keep meals low in fat, fiber, and protein, especially as you get closer to start time, to avoid stomach discomfort.

• • Hydrate early: drink 5–7 mL/kg of fluid (2.3-3.2 ml/lb) with sodium about four hours before play. If urine remains dark or output is low, add 3–5 mL/kg (1.4-2.3 ml/lb) two hours before game time.

Pre-Game Meal Examples for a 140-lb (64-kg) Athlete

Option 1 (~4 hours before):

• • 2 cups penne pasta with 1 cup marinara sauce

• • 4 oz French bread

• • 16 oz orange juice

• • Vanilla pudding with strawberries

Option 2 (~3 hours before):

• • Turkey sandwich on a bagel

• • 40 pretzels, large apple, 2 fig cookies

• • 20 fl oz Gatorade Endurance Formula

Option 3 (~2 hours before):

• • Bakery bagel with light cream cheese

• • 1 banana

• • 20 fl oz Gatorade Endurance Formula

Quick Carb Boosts (within 1 hour of play):

• • 6 Gatorade Energy Chews – 21 g carbohydrate, 70 mg sodium

• • 17 pretzels – 23 g carbohydrate, 450 mg sodium

• • 1 banana – 27 g carbohydrate

In-Game Hydration for Female Hockey Players: How to Stay Fueled on the Ice

Hydration and Sweat Rate

Even though the rink feels cold, female hockey players can lose significant fluid under heavy gear. A 2% loss in body weight from sweat can impair focus and slow reaction time.

Average sweat rates for female hockey players:

• • Professional -level players: ~1.0 L/hour

• • Varsity players: ~0.67 L/hour

• • To calculate your own sweat rate:
  Sweat rate (L/h) = (Weight lost [lbs] + fluid consumed [L]) / exercise time [h]. Use the Gatorade Sweat Loss Calculator!

Track this a few times each season to adjust your hydration plan. Each player has a unique sweating rate, knowing your individual numbers helps you develop a customized plan.

Smart Hydration Tips

• • Begin practices and games hydrated (urine = pale yellow).

• • Sip fluids regularly between shifts and during intermissions based on your hydration plan.

• • Use sports drinks with sodium to maintain thirst and electrolyte balance.

• • Don’t overdrink — balance intake with sweat rate.

Carbohydrate Intake During Play

Consuming 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour supports energy for sprints, checks, and shifts.
Examples:

• • 16 fl oz Gatorade Thirst Quencher = 28 g carbohydrate

• • 32 fl oz Gatorade Thirst Quencher = 56 g carbohydrate

• • 32 fl oz Gatorade Lower Sugar + 6 Gatorade Energy Chews = 38 g carbs

Plan to refuel during timeouts and intermissions to help maintain your performance. .

Post-Game Recovery Nutrition: What to Eat, Drink & Do After Hockey Games

After the final whistle, your body’s job shifts from performance to recovery. Muscles need carbohydrates to refill glycogen and protein to rebuild and adapt.

Carbohydrate Recovery

If less than 8 hours separate practices or games:

• • Eat 1.0–1.2 g/kg of carbohydrate  (0.45-0.54) every hour for 4 hours.

If more than 8 hours:

• • Follow daily needs of 5–7 g/kg/day (2.3-3.2 g/lb) for moderate training or 6–10 g/kg/day (2.7-4.5 g/lb) during heavy training phases.

Protein for Muscle Rebuilding 

Consume ~20–40 g protein (0.25–0.3 g/kg) as soon as possible after practice and competition.
Best options: milk, whey, eggs, or lean meat — all rich in leucine, an amino acid that triggers muscle rebuilding .Continuing to eat protein every 3-4 hours will help the athlete to continue to recoveyr throughout the day.

Plant-based athletes should vary protein sources (like beans, peas, lentils and grains) to meet amino acid needs. Soy and quinoa are the only plant protein sources that contain all of the essential amino acids the body cannot make.

Hydration After Games

Rehydrate with 20–24 fl oz of sodium-containing fluid per pound of body weight lost.
Sports drinks or a salty snack like pretzels can efficiently replace both fluid and electrolytes.

Game-Day Example: Claire’s Hockey Fueling Routine

Claire, a varsity hockey player, used to rely on pepperoni pizza before games. To create a fueling plan that works better for her energy and stomach comfort, she now eats:

• • Pre-game (3 hours before): Homemade pizza bread (French bread, pizza sauce, light mozzarella) + 12 oz Gatorade Thirst Quencher

• • During game: 28 oz GTQ, providing 51 g carbohydrate and 28 oz of fluid, plus water between shifts.
  By repeating this plan, Claire maintains energy through all three periods and recovers faster for practices and tournaments.

Season-Long Takeaway: Make Nutrition a Team Habit

Performance nutrition isn’t just individual — it’s a team standard. When every player arrives hydrated, fueled, and ready, the team is better equipped to perform at its best through the grind of the season.
For female hockey players balancing academics, travel, and competition, a structured nutrition plan is one of the most reliable ways to stay consistent and confident all year.