Secret Sports

From the perspective of goalie Adam Kubalski: Winger Carlos Cazares drives toward the goal, with defenseman Jefferson Sanka close behind.

Copyright © Mark Berndt

Hit the Ice

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Power Play

"Midnight F_ _ _ _ _ _ Madness!"

On a cool night in October, several delirious Bruin fans noisily enter the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo — practice facility of the Los Angeles Kings — and happily take their place in the stands among approximately 40 other bundled-up spectators. They watch as their team warms up on the ice and cheer as the starting lineups are announced. The arena is brightly lit, rock music blares over the loudspeakers and everyone's ready for a good time.

The only thing out of whack is the starting time — 12:40 a.m. — but no one minds. The players are used to the lateness of the hour because such starting times are typical for their practices, says law school student Alex Fineman, president of the UCLA men's ice hockey team. "Ice time is in demand because there aren't many rinks in this area," he says. "That's why we end up practicing at 11 p.m., or even after midnight on some nights."

Team captain Jake Gunn, a senior majoring in biology, admits it can be hard. "Less sleep and a lot of work," he says, smiling. "A game like tonight, I'll get home at 4 a.m. and have to get up at 7 for a class. So it's tough." Goalie Adam Kubalski, a Design | Media Arts major who was named First Team All-Pac-8 last year, solves the problem by not taking any classes before 2 p.m.

Still, you don't hear any of the players complaining. After suffering through a few losing seasons, the team came in third place in the Pac-8 (ACHA Division II) two years ago; last year, they had to forfeit five wins because of an ineligible player and finished in third place again. This year, they're determined to win the championship.

Before that can happen, however, the ice hockey team must fund-raise to keep its program going, just as the other club sports teams do. The Bruins are selling tickets to the Los Angeles Kings/St. Louis Blues game on January 18, after which they'll take to the Staples Center ice to play the final game of their best-of-five Crosstown Cup series with USC. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.aegtickets.com/ucla.

"Midnight Madness," meanwhile, ends with a UCLA victory over Loyola Marymount University, 6–3. The Bruins leave the ice, exhausted but satisfied, at 3 a.m.

"A lot of us have been playing hockey for a long time — it comes almost as naturally to us as breathing," says premed student Marty Galstyan, the team's leading scorer. "We play for pride, we play for the workout, we play for the school.

"And personally," he adds with a smile, "I like winning."

Published Jan 1, 2007 8:00 AM