North Texas High School Hockey Players Hit Ice

Originally published in the November 2006 issue of the North Texas High School Sports Report. http://www.nortexsports.com

It's hockey season, for more than just the Dallas Stars. The AT&T Metroplex High School Hockey League season is also underway, at Dr. Pepper StarCenters across North Texas. Seventy teams, for young men and women in JV and varsity divisions, are taking the ice.

The league does not fall under UIL jurisdiction, so rather than being organized by local high schools, the Dallas Stars oversee the league. Independent groups organize the teams, which often represent a school or city.

"The growth has been amazing," says Mark Spain, commissioner of the league. "We started the league in 1997 with just four teams (including Plano), and this year, we have 70 teams." The league was the brainchild of Lance Langford and has grown, in no small part, to the Stars' success in the NHL and the availability and accessibility of ice rinks at local StarCenters. "As the hockey fan base grows, participation on all levels of hockey programs at StarCenters has grown," Spain says. "Kids love the chance to play in front of friends and family."

Six local StarCenters serve as venues for the High School League. The varsity teams are placed into Gold and Silver divisions, with gold teams being the more established and more experienced. In the Varsity Gold division are teams from Allen, McKinney, Plano, Highland Park, Southlake Carroll, and Plano West, among others. In the Varsity Silver division are teams from Frisco, Plano East, Lewisville/The Colony, and Denton. JV teams also are divided between gold and silver divisions. Individual teams hold tryouts and assign players to teams as they see fit. Play began in October and continues through the spring with playoffs and a championship game.