''If you stick it [hockey gear] out in the frost it will kill a bit of the smell, then you have to dry it out properly,'' though she adds often the gear ''never dries out''.
The three Frear boys play in the New Zealand Ice Hockey League.
Michelle Pankhurst also has three boys playing ice hockey, but hers are younger and aspire to be New Zealand league players.
''You really need a drying room, if we ever built again ...'' she said.
On Friday and Saturday,Mrs Frear's sons Cameron and Mitchell played for the New Zealand Ice Blacks, while younger son Lachlan played for Queenstown side the Southern Stampede.
It was a case of whether to support club or country but Mrs Frear said she supported whichever team was winning at the time. That worked out well, considering the Ice Blacks won 5-3 on Friday and the Stampede fought back to win 7-5 on Saturday.
Both women said an All Blacks rugby game would not stand a chance if the Stampede was playing at the same time.
Smelly gear aside, Mrs Frear said ice hockey was a true family affair and the sport had expanded their family.
''Lots of families become our family.''
And the family is growing.
This year, the Queenstown Ice Hockey Club was boosted by an additional 20 children, bringing the number playing in the junior grades to 75.
Ice hockey had the benefit of not being a victim to rain, Mrs Frear said, although the sport was known for big hits and on-ice fights.
''It's boys being boys. Some hits might be better than others,'' Mrs Frear said.
Mrs Pankhurst said she was horrified ''the first time I saw them training for checking''.
However, Heath told her the training had been nothing but fun, and knowing the children were receiving guidance about how to check without causing injury had allayed most of her fears.
Mrs Frear added ''it looks worse than it actually is'', although son Mitchell, who now plays for the Dunedin Thunder, had to have stitches near his eye after an incident in a recent game against the Canterbury Red Devils.
''I freaked out more than he did. It's not a tiddlywinks sport.''
The sport requires a huge investment of both time and money from parents.
''Every year I say to them `do you want to do this?', because it's expensive, and they say `yes','' Mrs Frear said.
She can be found at the Queenstown Ice Arena on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays weekly during the hockey season, helping out and scoring other leagues.
She will also be there for two nights during the weekend, if the Stampede has home games scheduled.
Other hockey mums, like Stampede forward Max Macharg's mother, Lindsay, also have their assigned duties - such as making sure the game pucks are frozen for 48 hours before the weekend.
Before home games a dozen pucks are stored in the Machargs' home freezer.
Mrs Pankhurst said her boys took ''every opportunity'' they could find to be at the ice arena.
