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Ridgewood High Shoots For Hockey Team

By ERIC HORCHY

The Suncoast News

Published: May 3, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Ridgewood High School athletes are close to getting the chance to strap on skates.

They could hit the ice as early as next fall, if coaches Mark and Dean Liptak can score their goals.

The brothers already have created the Ridgewood in-line hockey team, and Mark Liptak predicts the time is right for a transition to a frozen playing surface.

Two Pasco County schools already have such teams: J.W. Mitchell High School in Trinity and River Ridge High in New Port Richey play in an eight-team high-school league that competes almost exclusively at Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar.

Ice hockey is not a sanctioned Florida High School Athletic Association sport; therefore, no official affiliation exists with the participating schools.

"My brother is a science teacher at Ridgewood and we know they don't have a team," Mark Liptak said.

"We've been playing all our lives. We mentioned starting a team last year and I've been a Level 3 certified referee and coach the last five years."

The Liptaks used the in-line team as a first step toward getting on the ice.

The roller hockey league began playing in late March at the Sportzone 2 rinks in New Port Richey. As of this week, the Ridgewood team remains undefeated (5-0) in the six-team league.

The two coaches are suiting up nine in-line players and will be looking for at least 17 to 18 for ice hockey, Mark Liptak said.

One of the major difficulties organizing an ice hockey team, he said, is the upfront expense for skates, pads, sticks, gloves, helmets and other gear.

Because of that, Liptak said, there's a possibility of combining efforts with the Mitchell High team.

Such an arrangement isn't uncommon in hockey, such as the Dunedin-Tarpon Springs-Countryside team that plays in the Tampa Bay Jr. Lighting league.

"We might have to mix with Mitchell," Liptak said.

"Hockey's an expensive sport, so it's hard to have a pure team."

Tryouts were held last week with Mitchell in an attempt to generate more interest, and the brothers are enthusiastic about recent progress with the Tampa Bay league board.

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