`HECK OF A JOB'

The story of an underdog peewee hockey team that proves it's for real isn't just the stuff of Disney's Mighty Ducks movies. The Inland Empire Warhorses lived it this year without any help from Hollywood.

The Warhorses became the first Spokane team to reach a national youth tournament in 12 years.

The 16 boys from area junior high schools compiled a 1-3 record, good enough for sixth place at the USA Hockey Peewee Tier I National Championship. They skated against elite teams from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Michigan, where hockey passions run high.

"We may not have won, but we did a heck of a job," said Tommy Maxwell, a wing. "We made a real impact on everybody back there."

They also received the tournament's sportsmanship award.

Now the Warhorse players, coaches and parents want their hometown, their friends and classmates to take notice as well.

"I have the privilege of playing for one of the best teams in the nation," said defenseman J.C. Thomas, who will be an eighth-grader at Glover Middle School this fall. "I just wish I had the recognition at school for playing a sport."

But being on a top team gives players a feeling of pride, and traveling to games is exciting, said Maxwell, who will be an eighth grader at Sacajawea Middle School.

The Warhorses played more than 90 percent of their games on the road. One trip required a seven-hour drive to Lethbridge, Alberta.

Players must keep a B-plus average, so weekends on the road meant juggling schoolwork and class schedules. Maxwell did his homework on a laptop computer on the way to games. He and Thomas saw the travel as an educational experience, a chance to meet people and to play more competitive hockey.

Goalie Zach Cardella, soon to be an eighthgrader at Salk Middle School, said he'd prefer familiar surroundings to distant rinks.

"As much as I like hockey, I'd like to have home games. Then I could see my friends who aren't on the team, and relatives," he said.

Hockey takes up so much of Cardella's time that he had to quit the school's basketball team to stay a Warhorse.

But the time crunch isn't the only strain players and parents deal with. Buying equipment and paying for ice time to practice is expensive.

Marilyn Cardella, Zach's mother, said a complete set of goaltender gear costs as much as $4,000, with leg pads alone running about $1,000.

Facing off against bigger, stronger Canadian players each weekend can be daunting, Maxwell said. But those are some of the best players anywhere. Canadian schools include hockey in their academic programs, so it's not unusual for a town of 500 to have a spectacular ice rink for its youth teams.

Next season the Warhorses will have a place to call home when they move to Planet Ice, a rink under construction in the Spokane Valley.

It will be a big change from their old practice facility, a temporary rink at the former Walk in the Wild Zoo site that was only three-quarters regulation size.

Early in the season the boys had set a goal of winning the regional tournament in Seattle. They endured a good deal of skepticism along the way, as other coaches and teams told them they couldn't do it.

At the regional tournament, the Warhorses outscored their opponents 20-2 and won all five games. Their dominance at regionals vaulted them into the national tournament in Washington, D.C., where they faced the nine other top peewee teams in the country.

"I was nervous because I knew that the offense of the other teams had to be good," Thomas said. "But after the first game, I realized that they were smaller and a bit easier to control."

The Warhorses managed to keep their games close, except for an 8-1 defeat.

Now that the season is over, the boys have a chance to relax somewhat, but they also have new goals. All but three of the 16 players will move up to the bantam level for 14- and 15-year-olds next year.

Cardella said his main concern is being able to step up and play successfully against bigger, more skilled players.

Several Warhorses, including Thomas, play in summer leagues or attend hockey camps during the three-month break.

The boys still practice regularly, but they also find time to enjoy other activities. such as rock climbing, golf or basketball.

But all are waiting for September and a new season with memories of how it feels to be one of the best.

Copyright 1999 Cowles Publishing Company
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.