Stars take to the ice for kids

There’s something about hockey goalies, a mutation in their DNA that makes them want to get in the way of a frozen object traveling 90 mph. So it wasn’t entirely surprising to see Bobby Farrelly -- half of the duo behind such offbeat films as “Dumb & Dumber,” “There’s Something About Mary” and “Stuck on You” -- between the pipes in a charity game at the L.A. Kings’ El Segundo practice rink.

Farrelly was the story of the celebrity match, which raised about $50,000 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation benefiting sick kids. He turned aside a barrage from the likes of David E. Kelley, creator of TV hits ranging from “Ally McBeal” to “The Practice,” Kiefer Sutherland of “24,” Ken Jordan of the dance music group the Crystal Method and Dave Silk, a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic team.

The onetime goaltender for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York made all the standard saves -- glove, shoulder, leg pad, skate -- in an 8-5 victory with teammates including “Alias” heartthrob Michael Vartan, “CSI’s” Paul Guilfoyle and Hollywood mainstay Alan Thicke. But the stop that had everyone talking was a shot that ricocheted off one of the two Budweiser cans affixed to the sides of Farrelly’s mask.

Indeed, the Jan. 17 game was as laid-back as they come: no slashing, roughing or high-sticking of any consequence, and certainly nothing close to the bench-clearing brawls that event co-host Fred Roggin shows on KNBC’s sports highlights. Even so, Thicke wasn’t taking any chances during his shifts on the right wing.

“I’m preaching the gospel of the face mask,” he said while taking a break on the bench. “I lost five teeth and got 30 stitches from a puck hitting me in the mouth last year. My SAG insurance doesn’t cover that.”