GRAND COUNTY CATCHES THE HOCKEY BUG
LOCAL SKATERS HIT THE ICEBOX
By Cindy Kleh / Photos Courtesy of Fraser Valley Metropolitan Recreation District

NICE ICE: Since the FVMRD and Boxwell Construction built “The IceBox” rink at the Fraser ball fields, it has rarely been empty. Equipped with under-ice tubes for a future chiller system, “The IceBox” is fueling a passion for hockey in Grand County.

It’s 10:00 pm and most fathers are winding down the day in front of the television. But Dave Dresen is tightly lacing his hockey skates for the 10:30 game. Late-night hockey is nothing new to him – he’s been skating at all hours of the day since he was a kid.

Dresen was the only one in his Denver family that was a “rink rat.” He caught the hockey bug early – at five years old, he was already learning to sprint the length of indoor rinks until he was heaving for air. As a teen, he practiced skating drills and stick work three times a week at 6:00 am practices year round, and watched every hockey game he could find on TV. But what he loved most was playing his heart out in games against his peers.

Dresen never lost that passion for hockey. Today he is Founder and President of the Fraser Valley Hockey Association (FVHA), helping local kids learn the ropes of this fast-paced sport. With the Fraser Valley Metropolitan Recreation District’s (FVMRD’s) addition of “The IceBox” outdoor rink, it’s just gotten easier for kids to jump onto the ice.

“It’s a team sport,” Dresen explains. “Everyone gets to touch the puck. Young kids can skate 45 seconds to a minute, and then they get tired.” With 36 minutes of action and up to 15 players on a team, coaches must constantly send in fresh, rested players, and everyone gets a chance to play.

Although checking and fighting are not allowed, “incidental contact” is. Last season, the local Rotary Foundation and the Town of Winter Park donated 15 sets of kids’ padding and four sets of goalie pads. The National Hockey League’s “Goals and Dreams” program matched that donation with 15 additional sets. This equipment can be rented for $25 per season for the youth programs.

The Fraser Valley Fighting Eagles pose for their team photo.

“I love the speed of the game ... the flow,” says Jeff Williams, Vice President of FVHA. Williams grew up in Virginia, and discovered the sport through inline street hockey. “I’m the worst skater on the Pub Team, but I learn more each game – how to make a pass or score a goal. I find myself thinking more and more about hockey. It’s exciting! Sometimes it takes a while to get to sleep after coming home from a game.”

Williams’ son, Max, is one of 40 local kids who are in the FVHA program. “I was refereeing the game when Max scored his first goal. I wanted to congratulate him, but I had to be the referee.”

“I’m surprised he got into the sport as much as he did,” says Dresen of his 12-year-old son Josh (whom he swears he has never pressured to play hockey). Dresen also has a 10-year-old daughter, Nikki, who figure skates at the new rink. With Dave’s wife, Robin, teaching the youth after-school figure-skating program at “The IceBox,” skating is truly a family affair.

The FVHA is currently growing and accepting new kids and adults into the program. The group is a member of the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) and has done the preliminary work needed to be a USA Hockey-certified program, which requires trained referees, coaches with proper certification and additional safety regulations. To find out more about FVHA and how you can join a local hockey team (regardless of your age), contact Dave Dresen at 303.587.1433 or email him at snowmtnbuilders@aol.com.

“The IceBox” also offers facility rentals, youth figure-skating lessons, broomball, family open-skate, and stick and puck time. Visit www.fraservalleyrec.org to see program offerings and the monthly schedule. FVMRD also handles registration of all the youth hockey and adult learn-to-play leagues.

READ MORE STORIES FROM THIS ISSUE:
• Winter 2011 Articles