High Sticking

Quite a hockey game broke out recently at Staples Center.

The Kings’ comeback over Detroit? Try Mira Costa High’s 7-6 squeaker over Thousand Oaks last month for the championship of the United High School Hockey League.

Thousand Oaks rallied from a 5-1 second-period deficit to tie, 6-6, only to lose in the final minute before 1,000 energetic spectators.

No miracle on ice for the Lancers, who mopped up the Ventura County competition of the 29-team league, which includes Westlake, Agoura, Simi Valley, Moorpark and Ventura.

Still, the playoffs continue--for the Kings and their high school counterparts. The Ice Station High School League in Valencia, an original six, of sorts, will hold its inaugural playoffs April 28-29.

The league is comprised of Canyon, Hart, Saugus, Valencia, Granada Hills and Antelope Valley.

Hart (3-5) twice defeated Canyon (2-6) in intense games.

“In the first game, I got high-sticked in the face,” said Hart center Kevin Davis, the Indians’ scoring leader with 12 goals and four assists. “There’s a lot of tension between us, just because it’s different schools. We don’t like anybody.”

High school hockey, a longtime interscholastic outcast, is gaining momentum among those who take to sticks and skates rather than spikes during adolescence.

Although not sanctioned by the CIF, organized efforts have provided young players the pleasure of playing for their schools and checking their cross-town rivals before cheering classmates.

The United League, co-sponsored by the Kings, is expected to expand to 35 teams for its third season and reconfigure its five-league alignment that includes teams in the South Bay, San Diego and the San Fernando Valley.

Chaminade, El Camino Real, Campbell Hall, Burroughs and Montclair Prep have teams in the United League. Schools from the region continue to inquire about joining. Most games are played at the Iceoplex in North Hills and at HealthSouth Training Center in El Segundo.

“Pretty much name a school and they’ve shown interest,” said Mario Valentino, the league’s director.

The Ice Station League, which typically draws crowds of about 200 for Monday night games, also is considering expansion.

All games are played at Ice Station, which opened with three rinks last fall.

“More and more people are getting into it,” said junior wing Matt Kemp of Saugus, who switched to hockey from volleyball. “I have more fun with hockey.”

The sudden exposure is welcomed by players accustomed to facing off largely against strangers while competing in travel leagues. Clearly defined allegiances and sparkling school uniforms add spice to the up-tempo game.

Strolling through campus with a shiner has its advantages, too.

“Since we started, a lot more people know my name just because of hockey,” Hart’s Davis said. “Everybody knows everybody who’s playing. That’s one of the best parts of this league.”

Strong school rivalries in the Santa Clarita Valley have contributed to the Ice Station League’s success.

The crowd for Monday night’s game between Saugus and Valencia far outnumbered the gathering for a high school softball game between Hart and Saugus with first place at stake.

“That’s the reason I play high school hockey,” said Saugus center Joey Howard, the league’s scoring leader with 23 goals in seven games. “People come up to you and know who you are.”

Saugus improved to 8-0 with an 8-1 victory over Valencia. Howard, a senior protected by the junior-A Topeka Scarecrows, scored twice.

Howard and most elite players continue to play in travel leagues. But more are suiting up for their high schools. The high school experience, Howard said, has been a pleasant surprise, competitively and emotionally.

“I like it because you get to hang out with [teammates] during the day,” Howard said. “On other teams, you don’t get to see the person until you get to practice. I always thought it would be great if we had hockey in high school, but I didn’t think it would ever happen.”

As for the sport becoming sanctioned by the CIF, the odds are slim.

Several roadblocks, mostly financial, preclude the sport from joining the mainstream of interscholastic competition. Moreover, the Southern Section has a moratorium on adding new sports through 2002.

“I would hate to say never, but in the foreseeable future, I would say no,” said Thom Simmons, Southern Section spokesman. “A lot of issues would need to be resolved--facilities, insurance, expense.”

Football is the most expensive sport sanctioned by the CIF, Simmons said. Hockey, despite smaller rosters, would be more expensive solely because of the cost of equipment and facilities, Simmons said.

Schools in local hockey leagues foot the bill on a case-by-case basis, but players generally pay for their own equipment. Outfitting a player can cost between $300 and $500. Schools in the United League pay an entry fee of $3,500.

Denise Thompson, coach of Thousand Oaks, approached school administrators for support after learning rival Westlake was preparing to enter the United League.

“The school was not really responsive until the Kings-United League came along,” Thompson said. “It is very expensive. Out where we are, the hockey community is very small.”

Spirited games against traditional rivals have made the endeavor worthwhile.

Thompson, whose son, Cole, is a junior and plays wing for Thousand Oaks, said the team intends to return to the league next season.

“It’s very competitive, but it’s not ugly,” Thompson said. “When the kids are done on the ice, it’s over. They hang with each other outside of school.”