SARASOTA, Fla. — Despite having a very successful professional team, Florida may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think about ice hockey.
But thanks to many transplants from up north who moved to the Sunshine State during the pandemic, the sport is starting to gain more popularity.
The Florida heat didn't stop one Sarasota mom from finding a team for her sons to play on, even if she had to create it herself.
"A few years ago when we moved to Florida from Massachusetts, my son Kevin was going into middle school and he had watched his brother play middle school hockey. He moved down here to find out that not only was there no middle school hockey for him but there was also not high school hockey team for him," Laurie Moore said.
Moore is the founder and manager of the Sarasota Ice Rays, the new J.V. hockey team in the Lightning High School Hockey League. The team will make its debut Friday at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex in nearby Manatee County.
Moore's sons are the inspiration behind the team starting with her first son Todd, who is a junior in high school. Todd's interest in hockey began a few years before middle school when they lived in Massachusetts. Todd, who originally started with skiing, recalled crying on the way to the rink when his mom finally gave in to his request.
"I don't remember anything about being on the ice but I do remember getting off the ice and my little waddle over to my mom and saying that was the best day of my life," he said.
By the time her second son Kevin was almost done with middle school, there was still no ice hockey team where they could play competitively, so Laurie made a promise.
"I said at the time that I would create one. I asked him if he still wanted me to do that, and he said yes and here we are a year later with a New Sarasota Ice Rays," Moore said.
"There have been a couple of teams in Sarasota County in the past but they have not stuck. There haven't been enough ice hockey players in the county to have a team consistently year after year, and there's actually no sheets of ice in Sarasota County so not as many ice hockey players," she added.
Moore did some research and connected with other transplanted parents in her social circle. Once they signed on with the Lightning High School Hockey League, word of mouth traveled fast about the new team. So far, they have recruited 22 male and female athletes from different Sarasota high schools and two coaches.
"The excitement is there. The Tampa Bay Lightning are just building support. New teams are popping up everywhere, new rinks, new arenas, it's just a blast and kids are having fun," Brand Ramsey, coach of the Sarasota Ice Rays, said. "It keeps them out of the heat and keeps them in a fun and hopefully safe environment and we try to guide them through that."
Todd's brother Kevin who didn't really like ice hockey at first said he now loves it and even plays more than his brother. He also said it is a cool way of making new friends and staying in touch with old ones.
"Just having a lot of fun, getting to know people, playing with some friends I play with in other leagues, and just enjoying playing hockey," Kevin said.
Now the next goal for the Ice Rays is to first have fans fill up the stands, watch them steal pucks and hopefully win a lot of games.
"I feel you can't go without appreciating this lady right here who made it all happen," Todd said as the two brothers hugged their mom.
The Sarasota Ice Rays J.V. high school hockey team plays the first game of their inaugural season at 9:45 p.m. Friday at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. Admission is free.