When I was eight years old, some players from the Sheffield Steelers ice hockey team visited my primary school, promoting the sport within the community. They gave us free tickets to watch a game. I went with my family and was instantly hooked, playing first on rollerblades on the estate where I lived before transitioning on to the ice when I was 14. I now play for the Sheffield Steeldogs in the second highest league in the UK.

I don’t think there’s any other game as fast, physical or entertaining as ice hockey. Teams are made up of five players and a goalie. It’s very fluid, with constant end-to-end action. Fitness is hugely important. On the ice, you never stop skating and you’re sprinting as fast as you can. You need endurance, because games last for 60 minutes, but you also need to be physically strong so you don’t get pushed off the puck.

It’s a contact sport, and while you’re not allowed to hit someone from behind, at the speed we’re travelling – up to 30 miles per hour – when you do get hit, it’s quite a collision. We wear a lot of protective equipment, but it still hurts. The puck is made of compressed rubber and travels at 80-odd mph. When it hits you, it’s absolute agony. I got caught on the ankle the other day and it chipped my bone. If I hadn’t been wearing skates, it would have snapped my ankle in half.

We play 60 games a season, sometimes 10 times in the space of 14 days, travelling up and down the country to do so. On top of that, I like to be in the gym four times a week to maintain my fitness. I also work nine-hour days and have a young family, so it’s a gruelling schedule and requires a lot of commitment.

It’s totally worth it. I love the speed, the skill and the discipline it teaches you, but also the friends I’ve made along the way, from Lithuania, Slovakia, Canada – all over. And when I’m out on the ice, doing something I love and enjoy so much, it’s a total release.

My weekend workout

How often do you play? Two match days and three team training sessions a week.
Most goals scored in a game? Two.

Go-to recovery meal? Pasta with chicken.

Five ways to get started: ice hockey

1 Even if you’re not the most competent ice skater, don’t be put off from having a go. While you do need to be an accomplished skater to play at the highest level, there are plenty of clubs that cater for complete beginners, too.

2 Most ice hockey players enjoy the sport’s physicality, but it is perfectly possible to play without getting hit. At the recreational, beginner and junior levels, there are non-contact, semi-contact and full-contact leagues.

3 To skate backwards, dig the front edge of one skate into the ice, push out, and bring your foot around in the shape of a C, transferring your weight from toe to heel as you do so. Now do the same with the other foot, and so on.

4 Ice hockey gear isn’t cheap, but you don’t have to fork out before your first time. Most clubs will offer Learn to Play sessions for novices, where they’ll provide all the necessary protective and playing equipment.

5 There are ice hockey clubs all over the UK, but no central governing body. Most are covered by either the English Ice Hockey Association or the Scottish Ice Hockey Association.

Essential kit