HOCKEY: Las Vegas heat doesn't stop love of ice

It may not be long before a kid from Las Vegas earns an ice hockey scholarship to a Division I school. At least, that's what former pro hockey player Rob Pallin thinks.

Pallin, the manager of the Santa Fe Station Ice Arena, recently guided the Las Vegas Mustangs midget travel team (ages 17 and younger) to a 36-15-3 record against squads from Arizona, California, Washington, Oregon and Utah.

Pallin, who played for the top farm team of the Chicago Blackhawks before playing professionally in Europe for six years and for the Las Vegas Coyotes pro roller hockey team, said several players on his squad have the potential to play at the next level.

"A lot of kids playing here can play Division I hockey," Pallin said. "You'll find that kids who skate five or six days a week here are going to be just as good as kids who skate five or six days a week in Minnesota and Wisconsin."

Pallin, who played college hockey with NHL star Brett Hull, said, for instance, that his top defenseman, Eddie DelGrosso, is further ahead than he was at the same age (15).

"Eddie has the puck on a string, and if you ever see the way Scott Stevens hits, it's pretty much the same way he hits, and he's not a big kid," Pallin said. "I compare him to when I was his age and he handles the puck better than I could and he can hit better.

"I could've gone to about 20 Division I schools and now there's 20 more of them. The opportunity's a lot better for these kids."

Santa Fe Station offers youth hockey leagues for ages 5-17, with midgets, or high school aged kids, the highest level.

Since there are no high school hockey teams in Las Vegas, Pallin said some of his premier players would have to go to the Midwest, the East Coast or Canada to play junior hockey to attract the attention of college scouts.

Micah Sanford is the first such player to do that. The former Las Vegas Mustang is currently playing in a junior league in British Columbia, Canada, in hopes of landing a scholarship.

"It's a highly scouted league," Pallin said. "He'll probably be the first kid from around here to go Division I."

Pallin, a native of Minnesota, helped turn around a team that went 4-31 two years ago, in part, using the philosophy he learned from his junior hockey coach -- current Air Force Academy head coach Frank Serratore.

"This program is all about my kids and everything I teach them is just preparing them for the next level. I've been there before and it seems like just yesterday I was doing this," Pallin said. "I run my program just like if I was in Minnesota. Whether it's in the heartland of hockey in Canada or here, I run my program the same.

"My goals for this year are to get all 18 kids working really, really hard together and all pulling the rope in the same direction. I don't base the success of the team on wins and losses, but on how they look in September to how they look in March or April. If they don't grow as hockey players -- and as people -- I don't think I've done a good job as a coach."

Pallin, whose 2A squad upset Phoenix's 3A team twice this year -- a squad that advanced to the national semifinals -- is looking forward to excelling at the 3A level next season, which starts in September.

"This year is going to be a really exciting year for the kids. I anticipate they'll make the national playoffs at their level," he said. "I really think they can step it up next year and be overachievers."

The Mustangs, who are slated to take on the top midget teams in the Midwest and Canada next year, will return all but two players on their team -- and several outstanding newcomers are expected to make the squad better.

DelGrosso, a junior defenseman from Vo Tech, is expected to return, along with team MVP Travis Roseberry, a senior from Cimarron-Memorial who led the Mustangs with around 40 goals this season.

"He shoots the puck really hard," Pallin said.

J.C. Caron, a senior defenseman also from Cimarron-Memorial, was second on the squad with close to 30 goals, while Spike Neely, a junior forward from Mojave, twirled the twine around 25 times.

"I pretty much stress here, with the kids, not so much football on ice. I like to really control the puck and focus on the real finesse part of the game," Pallin said. "But my kids compete hard. They're tough kids.

"We play a very, very high tempo, very physical (style of hockey), but we're very disciplined. Some people think hockey players are hooligans, but I'm so tough with these kids on and off the ice to be good people. All the kids on the team are great kids. They're good students, too. Around nine or 10 of them probably have a GPA of 3.75 or better."

Cody Fulwiler, a senior goalie at Foothill, is the Mustangs' top net-minder. He was recently named MVP of the Disney Ice tournament in Anaheim, Calif., where he helped spark the Southwest Roadrunners to a thrilling triumph over a team from British Columbia in the championship game.

"The kid really, really competes," Pallin said.

Josh Jasek, a junior forward from Cimarron-Memorial, scored a goal in the 3-2 win. Jasek, who is expected to be one of the top players on the Mustangs this year, played under Steve Chelios, brother of NHL star Chris Chelios, last season in California.

Ed Samuels, a junior at Cimarron-Memorial, is also expected to make an impact on the Mustangs. Samuels, whose father keeps track of the Mustangs at EdSamuels.com, played hockey in Colorado last year.

Other players slated to play for the Mustangs include Sean Darby (Green Valley), Sean Fox (Green Valley), Chris Anderson (Centennial), Jason Allen (Foothill), Justin Grossman (Palo Verde), Mike Sullivan (Durango), T.J. Craig (Green Valley), Zach Whisman (Basic) and Steve Novotny.

Joe Dramise, a recent graduate of Green Valley, and Pat Eugenio played for the Mustangs this past season. Dramise will play Division III hockey in Wisconsin next year.

"Some of these kids are so dedicated. They're here every day," Pallin said. "They can't find enough ice time and these kids just love to play. I call them, where I grew up, rink rats.

"All of these kids want to play at the next level."

Pallin said the popularity of hockey in the valley is the result of the trickle-down effect Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky had on the game when he joined the Los Angeles Kings.

"I think Gretzky had such a huge impact on the whole Southwest," Pallin said. "He did so much for the game of hockey by leaving Edmonton and playing in L.A."

Those interested in the Mustangs can call 658-4993.