Miller brings hockey skills to Canada

By Katie Von Behren
Staff Writer

After falling in love with hockey in sunny Manhattan Beach at a young age, senior Ryan Miller finally seized his chance to play the sport at a competitive level last winter.
Miller travelled to Colborne, Canada as the only California athlete to play for the high level amateur hockey team, the Colborne Hawks, a team included in the World United Hockey League. He continued to play across the border for five straight weeks, returning home to continue training during the off-season.
“It was not only an honor, but also an incredible opportunity to be selected, as it lets me gain exposure to the experience of playing extreme levels of competitive hockey that I had never been part of before,” Miller said. “I have improved as an individual player and sharpened my communication skills so that I can make any team a stronger unit.”
The Colborne Hawks finished in fourth place out of five teams in their league. Miller played three games for the team and contributed five assists. He played wing for the 18AAA Anaheim Jr. Ducks club team this past season, and currently plays for the Mira Costa ice hockey team.
“Hockey is the perfect sport for me, especially because I love the speed at which the game is played, which means I can’t miss a moment of action,” Miller said. “It is a purely physical sport that requires you to sort things out very quickly to make the right move for the entire team.”
Miller returned to play for Costa in hopes of winning another championship, after being a member of Costa’s 2013 varsity championship team.
“We had a great season my sophomore year,” Miller said. “Now I hope we will be able to bring home another championship for Costa in my final year here. We are off to a good start, and we hope to finish strong.”
Now as a senior, Miller plans on going to junior training camps during the summer and hopes to one day play at the collegiate level, but he is uncertain of where he will play next year.
“Miller is a very strong, valuable member of the Costa team,” junior Austin Bowkus said. “He deserved to travel to play with the leagues in Canada, especially after all of his sacrifices.”