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The locker room carpet is littered with unlaced skates and California Wave hockey sweaters logged with sweat from another brutal practice.
In a new documentary, the players – seventh-graders – shiver in their hockey armor, their baby faces pink with fatigue.
Coach Mike Lewis isn’t happy. He warns them, “You’ve got to want this bad. You got me, boys? You’ve got to want this.”
They have dedicated eight months to get to this: the 2005 USA Hockey Tier I 14-and-under National Championships in Bensenville, Ill.
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/...cle_1545400.php
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TROY POWER: The California Wave forward loves hockey but knows the rest of the country "thinks our team is a bunch of surfer kids."
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CALIFORNIA WAVE: Players wait to take the ice at the national championships in April 2005. The team lost in the quarterfinals.
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And Helene Elliott's LA Times article on Dec. 10: "Movie should increase interest in youth hockey"
Oh, and if you're curious about the 2006 tournament results: game recap
