'Fall and get back up': Girls in Montreal learn hockey basics in free, 10-week inclusion program

Nishika Venkatachalam has been ice skating for years but, up until recently, the 11-year-old had never played hockey. "It's pretty expensive to buy all the equipment," she said. Nishika is equipped with a stick, knee pads, shoulder pads and a helmet. She's ready and eager to give hockey a shot. She is one of nearly 30 students at Cedarcrest Elementary School in Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough — all of them girls — that are getting the chance to learn and play hockey, free of charge, as part of