Your hockey stick completes the equipment puzzle. Like gloves and skates, hockey sticks can be a very personalized piece of equipment, but as a beginner, you do not need to get the latest "pro-level" composite shaft/blade. Instead, look at the bargain bin, and buy two decent sticks from there. Ideally, they will be the same because I'm recommending that you buy two and that you bring both with you whenever you practice or play. Why? Because when your stick breaks (and they'll find a way to get broken), you will be wishing you had an extra one to finish your game or practice session.
Make sure your stick is the appropriate "curve" (right-handed or left-handed), and buy some stick tape. This is almost always black, and it's tacky (sticky). One of the first things that's drilled into hockey players is to keep your stick on the ice; this results in frayed tape at the bottom edge of your blade. Eventually, you will have to retape your blade, so buy tape.
In the mid-1990s, when I played regularly, I always bought wooden sticks. I was considered "old school", but I couldn't see myself spending over $50 on a fiberglass shaft. My first penalty ever was playing with a broken stick (guys said they could hear my stick breaking, but I didn't realize it until the ref blew his whistle). Finally: label your stick in some way, or wrap the knob with a distinctive color or manner. When you're in a locker full of other sticks, it'll help you find yours quickly.