In the land of surf and sand, ice hockey and San Diego aren’t exactly two words that normally go together. But for University City High School Sophomore Ian St. Louis, hockey seems to be his life. St. Louis plays for a team based in Yorba Linda, the Orange County Hockey Club (OCHC).

The OCHC is not an ordinary hockey team. They travel all over the United States and Canada playing in various hockey tournaments, including the prestigious Silver Stick Invitational. According to the  official Silver Stick website, it is the largest youth hockey tournament in North America. St. Louis’s team has an upcoming regional qualifier for this tournament in Las Vegas, where they will be pitted against the West Coast’s best hockey teams (silverstick.org).

But playing hockey in California is not an easy task. Given the fact that hockey is not as popular or played as much as other sports is challenging. “There are fewer players in California, but this makes the game much harder because it leads to tougher competition. Every game, we face the cream of the crop,” said St. Louis.

Also, the obvious lack of snow and ice in Southern California gives hockey players a serious disadvantage compared to players from other parts of the country. “We don’t get a lot of time on the ice or to practice. But kids on the East Coast can play anytime they want because ice is all around them,” said St. Louis. However, these minor setbacks have never stopped St.Louis.

Playing for the highly successful Orange County Hockey Club, which ranked as high as second in the nation last year, requires  a major time commitment. This includes making the two-hour trek up to Orange County five days a week, and to Escondido once a week. Despite the obvious travel issues, St. Louis continues to live in San Diego. “I like it here too much. I can get the best of both worlds. It’s all worth it,” said St. Louis.

Ian St. Louis may seem like an ordinary Southern California teenager, but his life  is anything but ordinary. Hockey players in San Diego are a rarity, let alone  successful ones. But could this be the beginning  of something special? Perhaps a journey to the National Hockey League?