Eating healthy food and drinking fluid after a practice or game is key for solid mid- and late-season performance. (Kevin Light/CBC Sports)

Q: I'm curious to know what you think are the best foods and drinks to have after a game or practice?

Sean, Humboldt, Sask.

A: This is a really important question to ask, because refueling properly after a game is often overlooked and can have a serious impact on mid- to late season performance. Not eating and drinking properly after a game or practice can make you more susceptible to injury and illness. At any rate, you won't have the energy you did during the opening months of the year.

These recovery foods should be taken no later than 30 minutes after you've stepped off the ice. Blood flow to the muscles is greater at this point, and the muscle cells are more insulin-sensitive. This should be followed-up with a regular meal or snack two hours after exercise.

Foods rich in carbohydrates and protein, plus fluid intake, are the key to good recovery nutrition. The number one recovery item on the list: chocolate or soy milk. As our nutrition expert, Jennifer Gibson says, "it has everything the body needs for recovery - fluids, protein, carbs — and it tastes great."

Take a look at Gibson's blog on the subject for more info.

But one word of advice before you go: to the bane of pickup hockey players everywhere, alcohol after ice time is NOT a good idea. It can actually impair muscle recovery.

Q: I'm a 14-year-old female hockey player, and my goal is to play for the women's national team in a few years. I want to start exercising now to get a leg up on everyone. What should I focus on?

Claire, Red Deer, Alta.

A: Best thing to do is work on your speed, according to our women's hockey blogger, Kim Mccullough. She says:

"Getting to the elite levels of women's hockey is all about being first. You have to be first to the puck, make the first save and be first in on the forecheck and backcheck.

"And in order to be first, you have to be fast. With the absence of full body checking, the female hockey players with great speed have always had a big advantage. Even the smallest players could fly down the ice at full speed without worrying about getting drilled through the boards."

Take a look at her entry on developing hockey speed to get more info on becoming a speed demon on the ice.