A desire to get through his paper round quickly has made a star out of Rick Parry. Ten years ago, as a Northern Advocate paperboy, Parry bought a pair of rollerblades to get the papers out faster. This sparked a love affair with roller hockey which later progressed on to the ice. Nowthe 19-year-old is the number one goalie in the New Zealand Men's Ice Hockey League. Having saved 182 of 200 attempted shots at goal, the New Zealand representative will take on Canada to progress his sport. "Kiwis have a lot of heart and skills, but our isolation does not help," Parry said. "To be the best you have to play against those that lift you." Training four days a week in Whangarei, Parry imported a puck machine to combat the absence of a skating rink. In 45 minutes he can face up to 400 pucks, equal to around 10 games. The other days he trains and plays in Auckland at Avondale's Paradice rink. "The pressure to step up, the speed and the fact it is a little different makes ice hockey a great sport." So much in fact that he started his own goalie school where he coaches teens one on one. "I hope to lift the level and give kids the advantages and skills I wanted and needed at that age," Parry said. The sport - known for its all-in fighting - is a lot calmer in New Zealand as referees don't let scraps start. "There are still dangers. Despite all the gear you can still feel the pucks hitting you," he said. Bruises are common and he has suffered concussion despite his goalie safety gear. "Mum gets a bit scared when the guys get too close." A former representative of the under-19s and under-20s ice hockey teams, Parry hopes to join the Ice Blacks to represent New Zealand in next year's world champs.
