I've used an A60 and I think the "normal" ISO speed is 50. Going up the ISO scale on a small digital gets noisy really quick - my Coolpix starts at 100; 200 is questionable and I can't really even use 400.

Shooting inside a dark space with fast action is just difficult. I've never shot hockey but have shot a lot of concerts, and my standard is a digital SLR at ISO800 with fast lenses (f2.8 isn't fast IMO). If it's a small (darker) place I'll use b&w film at 1600 or 3200. It's just that dark - but stages may even be brighter than some hockey rinks and the action is faster. IOW, it's a tough thing to do.

The other thing (other than quicker lag time) you'll gain with a DSLR is a much larger sensor. This will let you shoot at higher ISO's with much less noise. ISO800 on my Fuji S2 looks really good for example. The newer Canons look good even at 1600.

You will also have more flexibility with editing - when you try to bring up the levels on a very underexposed shot from a small camera, the image just falls apart. Of course you should try to nail the exposure, but with some Photoshop work it's possible to save a very underexposed shot (not optimum but probably good enough for newspaper reproduction).