Working on the Ice Has Kept Ciska Hot on the Football Field : All-star game: Three-year starter for Laguna Hills says hockey experience has helped.

NEWPORT BEACH — Dan Ciska points to the small scar on the side of his right knee.

“Crushed it between the wall and the Zamboni machine a few months ago,” he said. “It was all swollen up, really bad. I could have lost my knee.”

Such are the hazards of Ciska’s part-time job at Glacial Garden, an Anaheim ice rink where the Mighty Ducks will practice in the fall.

His official title is “rink technician,” whose duties range from replacing paneling to refinishing the ice with the Zamboni.

Fortunately for Ciska, the Zamboni only bruised his knee and didn’t cause any serious damage.

It’s a small battle scar from a 30-hours-a-week job at the rink, where he also plays defense for the South Coast Sabres, a junior league team.

“I like to hit,” he said. “It’s fun. I like beating people up.”

Ciska earned a reputation for doing just that during his high school football career, which will end as a member of the South team at the Orange County all-star game. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Orange Coast College.

Ciska, a three-year starter at Laguna Hills, was known as one of the Pacific Coast League’s hardest hitters. He caught the attention of a handful of Division I college recruiters, but he struggled academically and decided to play at Saddleback College this fall.

It’s no secret where Ciska, 6 feet 1 and 195 pounds, developed the balance, speed and power critical for a linebacker.

He has been skating since age 2 and competing in youth hockey for 13 years. For him, crushing someone in football cleats is a lot easier than checking someone on skates.

“Hockey has helped me a lot,” he said. “It made my legs strong, playing almost every day. My feet are much quicker because of hockey, and it keeps you in good shape. You skate for a couple minutes, and you’re pretty winded.

“Hockey’s not much different than football, just in that you hit with your shoulder and you can’t grab anybody. Sometimes, hockey gets a little rougher and scarier. You can really get worked (over) in hockey.”

And you can dish it out, too. Ciska says he does that quite well.

“We were playing this team from Canada up at Glacial last December and I knocked one of their players over the boards and into their bench,” he said, smiling. “That was a pretty good one.”

There’s no question that hockey toughened Ciska. He started competing in Chicago youth leagues at age 5.

When his father, Joe, transferred to a new job and moved the family to Laguna Hills, Dan joined the South Coast Sabres’ youth teams. He currently is with the Canucks, a team of 19- and 20-year-old players within the club. Ciska is 18.

“I’ve always played with older players,” he said. “It’s better competition.”

The same was true for football. He started on the varsity by the third game of his sophomore year, outplaying teammates and opponents who were older and bigger. As a junior, he helped anchor the Hawk defense that won the Southern Section Division VII title.

As a senior, Laguna Hills Coach Steve Bresnahan asked Ciska to play two positions--running back and linebacker. All-Southern Section tailback Dave Webber had graduated, and Bresnahan was looking for a replacement.

Ciska, who had played both ways as a freshman, quickly accepted.

After a tough start, he averaged nearly 100 yards rushing and was among the league leaders in tackles.

He delivered on offense and defense in two big games:

--He rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown and added two sacks in a 28-7 victory over league rival Estancia.

--He gained 90 yards and scored a key fourth-quarter touchdown on a five-yard run that set up Laguna Hills’ 28-24 comeback victory over Lakewood Artesia in a Southern Section Division VIII first-round game. He and linebacker Fred Kim helped slow an Artesia passing offense that had ripped the Hawks in the first half.

Although Laguna Hills didn’t make it back to the section championship game, Ciska looks back fondly at his senior year, particularly the Artesia game, where the Hawks overcame a 24-9 deficit in the final quarter.

“I totally thought we would lose,” he said. “Artesia thought they had it won, and we came back, pounding and pounding at them.

“That was the hardest game I’ve ever played. I woke up the next morning in pain. My arms were bruised and my back hurt. I had a headache for the next two days.”

Colleges took a look at Ciska and passed. Utah State, Iowa State, Oregon and Oregon State all showed interest early, but there were no scholarship offers.

Part of the problem was his grades. Ciska struggled with certain subjects, particularly ones requiring him to read aloud. His tongue always got tied, the words never made it out, and his grade-point average dropped through the floor.

Ciska blames himself.

“I was a slacker in school,” he said. “I just didn’t care the last few years. I finally woke up before my senior year and decided I wanted to study.”

He worked on his own over the summer, overcoming the reading problem. He studied harder. He says his GPA for his senior year was a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, a fact he’s proud of.

“I think I can go to Saddleback and do well the next two years,” he said. “Then I would like to go to a good Division I school, maybe a USC or a UCLA.”

In the meantime, Ciska’s waiting for the community college football season to start. His hours at the ice rink will probably drop in the fall, when classes and practices take up most of his time.

He’ll still make time to work and skate, though. Hockey’s too much fun to give up.

In fact, he and his buddies want to scrimmage some of the Mighty Ducks when they open camp this fall. The Ducks might just let them try.

But just don’t let Ciska near their Zamboni.