Minor hockey officials from across the Lower Mainland have elected to remove body checking from its recreational (house or "C" level) leagues beginning in the 2012-13 season.

At an extraordinary meeting of the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association on Sunday, minor hockey officials voted 123-39 to remove body checking from house hockey.

The association, which oversees minor hockey programs from Vancouver to Hope, from Seattle to Whistler, made the move in response to a rise in injuries to young players.

Body checking is currently permitted at all levels of play beginning with the peewee (11-and 12-year-olds) for PCAHA organizations.

Separate motions to remove body checking from all levels of peewee hockey resulted in split results.

The Lower Mainland has been one of the few areas of the province that still allows body checking for house league players. After Sunday's vote, only organizations in Northern B.C. and the Lower Mainland permit body checking while Vancouver Island, the Kootenays, the Okanagan and the Interior have banned house league body checking but still allow body contact.

Furthermore, a report from the PCAHA shows that most provinces have removed body checking from house leagues while Alberta gives players a choice of body checking and non-body checking leagues.