Logan Brownlee, a seventh-grader at Scotts Valley Middle School, competed this week in the national playoffs for the nation’s best PeeWee AA hockey teams.
Teams are participating in the ultimate faceoff in San Jose this week as they compete for the 2011 USA Hockey Tier II 12-and-under National Championship.
Brownlee, a defender for the Junior Sharks, got his start at the Scotts Valley Sports Center before it closed last year.
He now commutes to practices in San Jose three times a week on Metro’s Highway 17 Express.
Former sports center owner Bob Slawinski recruited Brownlee to play on his roller hockey team after watching him skate as a 7 or 8 year old. From there, Brownlee was hooked.
“It’s really been a great experience.” Brownlee said. “I got to travel all over, even to Canada, and meet some amazing people. My teammates are awesome, and that makes playing and traveling with them really fun.”
With the traveling hockey team, Brownlee has played in a number of big-city venues, including stops in Quebec, Chicago and Cleveland, to help the team improve on the ice while traveling the country.
The tournament at Sharks Ice in San Jose will feature 34 teams from across the county. Pool play began Wednesday, March 30, where the Junior Sharks beat the Wisconsin Ice Hawks who had won the Wisconsin state championships. Pool play will carry on through the weekend, with the national champion being crowned Sunday, April 3.
Sharks Ice is hosting the tournament because it is the largest hockey facility west of the Mississippi and one of the few arenas capable of hosting such an event, with four National Hockey League-size rinks under one roof.
For schedules and information: www.sjjrsharks.com/tournaments/2011-USAH
