“If I had the chance, I would play hockey 24/7,” said DeWitt, 11, of Half Moon Bay.
The two don’t just play, they win. They were part of the California Cougars, an 11- and 12-year-old hockey team that won the state title late last month.
 Photo courtesy of ActionPhotos.net Sam Winters celebrates his game-tying goal against San Jose. He and Coastside resident Jackson DeWitt have been playing hockey more than half their lives. |
Winters, 12, of El Granada, scored the game-tying goal at the end of the second period. Following a scoreless tie in the third period, the game went to overtime. DeWitt scored the winning goal with 2 minutes, 38 seconds left in the first overtime period.
“I wanted to hug my goalie right away,” DeWitt said. “But halfway there, the rest team tackled me on the ice. I was eventually able to hug the goalie.”
The two Coastside residents have been playing hockey for more than half their lives. They have played roller hockey as well.
They are part of a trend. Ice hockey is becoming bigger in California. Both boys say it’s nothing like in the hockey hotbeds of the Midwest and Canada though.
The two have participated in camps in more fervent hockey grounds. Winters has visited a friend who lives in the Northwest Territory in Canada.
“There’s a hockey rink every six miles,” Winters said. “There are a lot more people who play there. Here, we only have six teams that play.”
DeWitt added California youth hockey is sometimes disparaged by people in the game.
“We had a coach who told us the best hockey players come from Minnesota and New England,” DeWitt said. “He said players from California aren’t real hockey players.”
The boys have dreams of proving that coach wrong. They have aspirations of playing professional hockey some day.
In the meantime, they are looking forward to participating in a tournament in Anaheim next month, and playing roller hockey here during the summer.
Next year will be different as the two, due to age guidelines, will be on different teams.
“I really want to stay with Sam,” DeWitt said. “He was a big help to our team. He’s also a very nice guy.”
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