Sparta hockey team stands firm on thin ice

Sparta - They don’t mind the schedule. Home? Away? It’s makes no difference. How long? How far? Now, that’s what players on the Sparta High School ice hockey team, their parents and the fans that support them usually ask. There are no home games for the Spartans, just long bus rides to places like Monsey, N.Y., South Orange, Englewood, Randolph and Hackettstown. There is no place like home for the Spartans, not since Skylands Ice World in nearby Hardyston closed its doors this past spring. “That’s what we’re missing this year” said coach Mike Vrabel, whose team is off to a 3-4 record in just its second season. “Skylands was so close. We had a great support system. But it’s understandable not everyone is willing to drive an hour to see a hockey game.” It’s an unwelcome dilemma, but a fate the Sparta players and coaches are willing to accept. Everyone involved is just happy to have a team. After a successful inaugural season last year, Vrabel figured the team would return to Skylands, where practices were held after school, usually from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. “The kids would get right out of school and get going,” said Vrabel. “We’d be done by 5 p.m., and the kids could get some homework done.” When Skylands unexpectedly put the Zamboni away for good in April, Vrabel was on thin ice. He was now among the local high school hockey coaches scrambling to find ice time for practices and games. There were limited choices, often none at all. When the Spartans did find space for three practices each week, two of the sessions had to begin at 10:15 p.m., one on Thursday nights. That would mean an hour-long bus ride back to the high school parking lot by midnight, where rides home would be waiting. “It’s a bonding experience for the kids,” said Vrabel, making light of one dark evening too many. “It can be a late night. We’re on the bus longer than we are on the ice.” School regulations prohibit players from driving themselves to games and state governing boards forbid teams from traveling after midnight. The players, coaches and parents are willing to pay the cost, but it’s not only time that has been consuming. Vrabel said the team is self-supporting through individual pockets and fund-raisers held throughout town. Last year, boosters raised some $15,000 to purchase ice time, which can cost as much as $370 each hour at Chill Out, the new ice rink in Hackettstown, and $17,000 per season for transportation to and from practices and games. Vrabel said parents must then cough up an additional $1,200 per player to make up the difference. It can all be tough to swallow, even for the coaches, who volunteer their services and creativity to defray costs. After a snowfall last year, Vrabel shoveled out an area on Lake Saginaw for the team to practice on. When he returned, the Pope John hockey team was making good use of his energies. There’s also the cost of equipment. Vrabel said a player can expect to pay around $800 for a full uniform, including $300 for skates. “It takes a special breed to be a goalie,” said Vrabel, noting the athleticism and $1,500 worth of pads senior goaltender Mike Ryan brings to each game. The coach said he has been asking the school board for financial assistance, but the administration has made it as clear as ice that the puck stops at the state level and the environment in Trenton isn’t playing games with financial aid. “There’s a lot of interest in Sparta,” said Vrabel, whose program includes a roster of nearly 40 players and a budding youth program waiting in the wings. “At some point, you would think we’d get some funding, but that’s up to the school board.” Until then, he keeps his fingers crossed that Skylands will reopen next year after the existing owner exhausts the advantages related to having an infant business and sells the ice rink property on Route 23. “We do what we have to do,” said Vrabel. “The kids love the sport. The coaches love the sport. We’re just happy to have a team on the varsity level this year. Hopefully, it will last for a long time.”