‘Winter’ Doesn’t Come Close to Fulfilling Goal

School buddies separated by war and the draft. Awkward sexual initiations. The Big Game. Of all the challenges facing the 1966 come-from-behind Minnesota high school hockey team in “The Boys of Winter” at Theatre/Theater, the most daunting by far is a script as derivative and predictable as its title.

This dramatic deep-freeze rehashes every cliche in the playbook. Will our hero Doug, earnestly played by Adam Frost (a better-behaved critic would let the moniker pass without a parenthetical note), overcome injury and pesky academic requirements to win the athletic scholarship on which his college career depends? Will the sweet, brainy heroine (Ange Billman, alternating in the role with Sarah Denison) win his heart from the scheming, buxom cheerleader (Amy Collett)? Will his amiable drafted pal (Steve Howey) pen an ironically poignant letter after being shipped off to Vietnam? Will the grizzled die-hard Coach (William Knight) nab that elusive championship in his final year before retirement?

Alas, finding out the answers entails an extended trip to the penalty box.

There’s a difference between telling a story about high school and reverting to it. The distinction seems to have eluded authors Dean B. Kaner, Eric Small and Jeffrey Vlaming, proving once again that crafting dialogue is rarely a team sport.

Small’s staging reflects a genuine enthusiasm for hockey, with game highlights depicted in silhouette behind a white fabric screen providing the most engaging moments. Costumer Marco Rivera only suggests the players’ uniforms from the waist up, however, leaving a jarring array of loafers, tennis shoes and lace-ups. Maybe a more appropriate title might have been “Soles on Ice.”

* “The Boys of Winter,” Theatre/Theater, 6425 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Sunday. $15. (310) 289-2999. Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.