Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/101613
Late Night Warriors Like many hockey moms, Melissa Mumma took up the game because she wasn���t content to sit on the sidelines and watch her husband Greg and her kids having all the fun. ���I love watching my husband play and being a ���hockey mom,��� but I wouldn���t be content to just be on the sidelines now.��� ���Melissa Mumma for the adult hockey league at The Garden���s Ice House and often works as a scorekeeper during adult games. The rink is her home away from home.��With a background in figure skating and encouragement from husband Greg, she started playing ice hockey at the age of 28. Statistically, there are far fewer women than men in adult league ice hockey, and her comments reflect the importance of hockey in her life. ���I love watching my husband play and being a ���hockey mom,������ she says, ���but I wouldn���t be content to just be on the sidelines now.��� She is devoted to her women���s adult league teammates. ���I play for the friendships and the bonds I���ve created playing hockey. It���s a sisterhood.��� It���s a passion that spans the gender gap. Mike Dunlap, a 41-year-old computer engineer, husband and father of two, picked up the game at the age of 33 and has never looked back. He currently plays on two adult league teams, and serves as captain of one of them. ���I have always been a fan of the game,�����he says.�����I read an article in the Washington Post about adult league ice hockey and decided to give it a try.��It���s more fun than any other sport.��� Fred Hoover, a 41-year-old construction worker and father of two, couldn���t agree more. He is the patriarch of a typical hockey family, with a son and daughter playing youth hockey. ���Hockey is a great sport,��� he says. ���It is exciting and really challenging. It gives me a sense of belonging to a group ��� a chance to hang out with the guys.��� In hockey, Hoover finds the perfect outlet for the stresses of his daily life. ���And it gives me a chance to work out some of my aggression.��� ����The action on this particular night is not much different than any other adult game. The puck drops at 10:10 p.m., and despite the lopsided nature of this contest, both teams battle to the end.�� They continue to shoot and dive in front of shots until the very last minute of a 5-0 contest. As with most hard-fought battles, there is pushing and shoving, and the occasional cross check. Still, the anger eventually gives way to laughter and smiles as players shake hands and retreat to their respective locker rooms. By the time they remove their sweaty, odorous gear and shove it into their hockey bags, grab their sticks and make their way back into the cold, the clock is close to striking midnight. The alarm clock will toll in the not-too-distant future, and they will return to their day jobs and night classes, corporate offices and college campuses. Tomorrow is another day and another chance to venture out on a cold winter���s night, gather with kindred spirits who share a love of the game, and leave it all out on the ice. That���s dedication. That���s adult hockey. N Barbara Banks is a freelance writer from Rockville, Md. 155,756 ADULT HOCKEY GROWTH 1990-2012 150,000 100,000 32 JANUARY. 2013 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 2003-04 2002-03 2001-02 2000-01 1999-00 1998-99 1997-98 1996-97 1995-96 1994-95 1993-94 1992-93 1991-92 0 28,709 1990-91 50,000 Photos By Zachary Babo