In the heat of the summer, on some of the longest days of the year, more and more people have discovered one of the coolest sports on earth.

Temperatures are still rising and Carolina Hurricane mania remains at a fever pitch, helping to draw young and old alike north (well, north of Chapel Hill) to Hillsborough's Triangle SportsPlex for hockey camps, clinics, clubs and conditioning.

The Hurricanes' great season and 2009 NHL playoff run certainly help push the numbers, says Steve Crooks, a hockey enthusiast and co-founder of Road Dawgs, a youth pick-up hockey club that scrimmages on Sunday mornings at the SportsPlex rink. "Even more adults start playing when the 'Canes are doing well."

Mark "Hammer" Hamlett, a veteran NHL official and now the SportsPlex hockey director, sees more people showing at his introductory classes.

"It won't happen right away, necessarily," Hamlett said. "... But when you see a great season with the Hurricanes, it always helps us here at the rink, that's for sure."

He noted that some hockey fans, even the most active, put off playing themselves until they're done watching the Stanley Cup playoffs and have more free time and money.

"There's a big bubble (in the numbers) of participants, where you can see when the Hurricanes won the championship," said Elena Barnes, watching her 12-year-old son play.

Play it cool

"A buddy of mine and I started this a ways back to offer fun, pick-up hockey on Sundays," Crooks said as he monitored some Peewee play Sunday morning. "We usually try to have at least one adult out here at all times to keep a level of control."

Barnes' son, Keegan, learned the game at the Sportsplex and then kept moving up through youth play to join the Red Dawgs as a goalie.

"They held a goalie clinic, which he attended in equipment that they loaned him," Elena Barnes explained. "He came off the ice just beaming. He was just so excited."

Like Keegan, Eric Cooper's son Jordan, 11, has been playing for just a few years but is hooked.

"He's been involved for probably three years now," Eric Cooper said Cooper's father said. "He started in Raleigh."

The SportsPlex also offers adult competitive play for men and women in an adult hockey league, designed all skill levels and divided to suit one's individual ability.

The USA Hockey's local league offers 13 regular-season games, then four playoff games.

Next up for hockey enthusiasts may be a women's team this fall, Hamlett said.

"We'll be trying to get in contact and get folks together over the summer," he said. "We've had a lot of females getting involved with the day league in the adult division and in Learn-to-Play. It's really growing on the women's side."

Chilling out

The SportsPlex offers in-house instruction in skating and hockey for beginners and intermediates, from pre-schoolers to retirees.

For those just getting ready to lace 'em up, there are Skate School classes for all ages throughout the entire year at the Sportsplex. Registered students receive a punch pass to come out to public skate to practice their skills. Each class includes 30 minutes of group instruction, and skate rentals are included. Class dates and times are available on the SportsPlex web site.

Youths as young as 3 years old can sign up for the Rink Rats program (a "Mice on Ice" skating program is recommended).

Learn-to-Play hockey programs include a jersey and stick, skates on loan, and basic hockey instruction. Participants should have basic skating skills and must bring a hockey helmet, elbow, knee, and shin protection, a hockey stick and hockey gloves.

Adult and youth Prep Clinics are designed for Learn-to-Play graduates to further develop ice hockey skills and learn position dynamics, helping them prepare for league play.

Those wishing more information on hockey instruction offered at the Triangle SportsPlex can call Mark Hamlett at (919) 644-0339, ext. 243, or email mhamlett@trianglesportsplex.com.

The play's the thing

For men and women 16 and over looking for competitive play without the commitment of a league, the SportsPlex sponsors pick-up play for $12 per class, $110 for a 10-punch card or $200 for 20 visits. Goaltenders play for free.

There also are Stick and Puck sessions, open time ice for players of every age and skill level (helmets are required). These sessions are for individual practice only, and not for pick-up game. The cost is $10 per visit, $90 for a 10-punch card, or $170 for 20 visits.

Youth league play is available at the SportsPlex through the independent Triangle Youth Hockey of North Carolina, with both house and travel teams. Those wanting more information can visit www.tyhnc.org or contact TYH president Vance Tucker-President at 419-4413.

Triangle Youth Hockey is still accepting registration for fall teams.

The Road Dawgs Youth Pick-up Hockey Club plays in age groups on Sunday mornings at the SportsPlex, and all youth hockey players are invited. Costs are $12 per session, $110 for a 10-punch card or $200 for 20 visits. Those interested can visit the SportsPlex web site or contact Scott Stingley at sstingley@nc.rr.com.

Coolest summer camps

Young hockey enthusiasts have their choice of three more summer campus after the one that just finished last week at the SportsPlex.

Hamlett's Hammer Hockey Camp for players 7 and 15 years old with some experience will be July is July 6-10.

A Hockey Ministries International Camp, sponsored by the Hurricanes' Glen Wesley for players of all levels, will be held July 26-31.

The Sportsplex's summer hockey schedule concludes with the Lucas Miller Hi-performance Hockey camp Aug. 3-7 for more seasoned players.

Hamlett, who boasts 17 years and 1,300 games of pro hockey officiating experience in the NHL, AHL and ECHL, has spent most of his life around the ice.

"I grew up around the old Daniel Boone ice rink, where my mother was a dance teacher," he said. "Every since I was 7 years old, I was at that rink every day."

Hammer's camp is offered through the Learn-to-Play sessions at the SportsPlex. The camp will emphasize stride power skating, positioning, shooting skills, offensive scoring tactics, goaltending, and checking for older ages. Each camper receives a free jersey, T-shirt and certificate of completion.

Hockey Ministries International has "the only camp in North Carolina where the skaters can stay in dorms at UNC," Hamlett noted. It's also one of only two offered south of Pittsburgh by HMI, which hosts more than 20 across Canada and the northern USA.

Wesley, a defenseman for Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, had his number "2" sweater retired by the 'Canes last February.

HMI's camp is for all young players, from beginners to experienced. It costs is $569. Those interested can check the link at www.trianglesportsplex.com/hockey.htm or call (919) 381-8808 for more information.

The Lucas Miller camp is for high-level junior players, "getting them back in shape for travel hockey," Hamlett said. With a fee of $490, the week-long camp features 15 hours on-ice, five hours of dry-land training and five hours of chalk-talk.

Days may be getting ever-so-slightly shorter already, but the weather won't be getting any more comfortable for a good while. In the meantime, hockey enthusiasts can hang with the cooler crowd and head just north to the Triangle SportsPlex to chill out for the remainder of the season.

- chn -