By Cynthia Scott

Just about the time that winter-weary Minnesotans begin to prowl the internet for cheap tickets to Florida, thereís a boy who lives near West Palm Beach whose fantasies transport him northward to the ice of a frozen pond in Chisago County.

Thereís no place on earth that Casey Ryan ñ a born and bred Floridian ñ would rather be in January than in Minnesota.

In fact, a couple of months ago he told his mom that the only thing he wanted for his 10th birthday on Jan. 27 was a trip to Minnesota. The reason? To indulge in his one true passion ñ hockey ñ in its proper surroundings: outdoors.
His mom, Ginny, who home schools Casey, told him he could make the trip as long as he spent his Christmas vacation getting caught up on his studies.

And so for one blissful week beginning Jan. 25, Casey stayed with his aunt and uncle, Judith and Mark Kissner, on their farm in Fish Lake Township, and he spent every minute he could playing hockey on the Kissnerís frozen and well-groomed pond.

Playing hockey on the pond captured Caseyís imagination after Kissner sent him a photo of it freshly groomed.

ìI saw the picture and I knew I wanted to go,î he said.
This was not Caseyís first trip to Minnesota, but it was his first time playing hockey outside.

ìMy uncle shaved off the snow but thereís still snow packed on it and thereís cracks in it, so you have to work harder skating outside,î Casey reported after one of his initial forays onto the pond. ìSkating outside might make me stronger because I have to work so hard.î

Packed snow and cracks notwithstanding, Casey is smitten with the snow, the ice, and the sport he initially fell in love with after his Uncle Mark, the assistant boysí hockey coach at St. Francis High School, introduced him to it about five years ago. Thatís when Mark and Judith first took Casey and his brother Connor skating at the North Branch municipal rink, and Kissner cut a stick off and let Casey hit tennis balls around.
It was love at first face-off. To hear Casey tell it, hockey is plainly a superior sport.

ìI like it because I watch golf and all they do is sit there and hit a ball and in soccer they just kick it and in baseball sometimes they just stand around but in hockey youíre never out unless you get a penalty. Itís funner because thereís more action ñ you go faster and keep skating.î

Casey is serious about improving his skills. Every summer for the past four years he has attended hockey camp at the Blaine super-rink. He also plays at his local ice arena in Lake Worth, Fla., and attends games of the NHLís Florida Panthers.

He has aspirations of playing big-time hockey. He would like to move to Minnesota for high school and play on the St. Francis High School team. And heíd like to play college hockey at ñ where else? ñ Minnesota.
ìI really, really want to play for the Gophers. I went to a Gophersí camp and got autographs from the center and two wingers,î Casey said.

Casey, a defenseman, coolly assesses his skills at the game.

ìI think Iím real good at hockey,î he says. He has to think awhile when asked about areas of his game he needs to work on, and finally abandons the effort to identify a weakness. ìIím actually pretty good,î he concludes.
Last Sunday a group of 17 gathered at the Kissner pond for an afternoon of hockey. Fourteen of the 17 were members of Kissnerís St. Francis team, and Casey played goalie. According to him, he recorded ì a lotî of saves in his teamís 10-3 win.

However, his team lost in the championship round to Kissnerís team.

ìIt was so, so, so, so fun,î Casey reported.
Besides playing hockey during his visit, Casey cross-country skied and snowboarded. His assessment: thumbs up on both, but snowboarding is better because you can go faster.

Who needs sand and ocean when youíve got ice and snow? After all, as Casey says, ìWhen you go to the beach you canít make snowballs.î

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