Westlake teen takes center ice

Lola Mormino is only girl on Ventura Mariners bantam hockey team



FACE OFF—Lola Mormino, 13, stars at center for the Ventura Mariners ice hockey team. Lola will be a freshman at Westlake High in the fall.

FACE OFF—Lola Mormino, 13, stars at center for the Ventura Mariners ice hockey team. Lola will be a freshman at Westlake High in the fall.

Lola Mormino laced up ice skates for the first time when she was 11 years old.

“I couldn’t stand up,” she said.

She donned all her equipment— stick, gloves, helmet, shin pads and Chicago Blackhawks sweater—ready for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals or a morning skate at a local rink.

She kept slipping on the ice at the Iceoplex in Simi Valley. Every time she fell, she got right back up.

She never got discouraged. In fact, she couldn’t stop smiling.

“Every time I get on the ice I have so much fun,” she said. “I make the most of it.”

The incoming Westlake High freshman feels at home in the coldest venue in Ventura County, with a hockey stick in her hands, ready to win another faceoff, wind up for a slap shot and carve the puck for a top shelf goal or nifty assist.

Lola, who turns 14 in July, is the only girl on her Ventura Mariners bantam team. She completed her second Gretzky Hockey School camp earlier this month.

“It’s cool for the girls to fit in with the boys,” said Ty Gretzky, a 2009 Oaks Christian grad who runs the camp. “Lola fits in right here. It’s so cool to see how much she’s improved.”

“She’s breaking the stereotype,” said her sister, Mia, an incoming senior captain of Westlake’s dance team.

Lola can hang with the boys.

“A year ago she couldn’t shoot a puck to save her life,” said her father, Carmen Mormino.

She’s now one of the most promising youth hockey players in Ventura County.

Lola’s dreams aren’t ordinary.

They are extraordinary, just like her.

“I want to be in the NHL,” Lola said. “They’ve never said girls can’t play, so I might as well be the first.”

• • •

Lola isn’t just a hockey player.

She’s a fighter.

She started fighting for life before she was even born, entering this world with a 2½-pound tumor.

“We almost lost her and my wife,” Carmen Mormino said.

When she was a week old, Lola underwent a six-and-half-hour surgery to remove the malignant tumor. She suffered third-degree burns on her forearm during a routine postoperative procedure, which prolonged her recovery.

Two years ago, Lola had hip surgery.

In the summer before fifth grade, she lost the use of her legs for three weeks. Doctors couldn’t figure out why she temporarily couldn’t walk.

She’s even had a concussion playing the game she loves.

“She’s extremely tough,” Mormino said of his youngest daughter. “She battles through everything.”

Lola caught the hockey bug from her dad, who grew up in Chicago playing the sport. She got her indefatigable spirit from her mom, MaryLee, a breast cancer survivor.

“We’ve been through a lot as a family,” Carmen Mormino said, “but we have each other.”

• • •

On the last day of Gretzky Hockey School, campers split up into two teams.

Everyone wears jersey No. 99—just like Wayne Gretzky, The Great One—but it’s easy to spot Lola from the stands. Her long brown hair sticks out from her helmet.

She glides on the ice during warmups. The center wins the opening faceoff; she has a knack for consistently seizing possession of the puck. She’s an accurate passer and has the speed to keep up with action on offense and defense. She also likes contact—she enjoys playing tackle football with her hockey buddies in her free time.

Coaches and teammates admire Lola.

“Her development from last summer to this summer is huge,” said London native Dan Fuller, a camp coach and defenseman for Missouri State. “She really loves the game. She’s got great character and she’s positive all the time.

“Everyone loves Lola.”

Lola and Conner Souza, 12, an incoming eighth-grader at A.E. Wright Middle School, are friends and teammates with the Mariners.

“She has a lot of confidence,” Conner said of Lola. “She can pass really well. She knows the game of hockey.”

Conner racked up a hat trick during the exhibition. He’s played roller hockey for seven years, and he picked up ice hockey six months ago. He grew up playing soccer, basketball and baseball.

The forward said Lola doesn’t need anyone holding her hand on the ice. She scored her first hat trick May 15, 2015, and notched three goals during a June 14 game at the Gretzky camp.

“Because she’s a girl, people underestimate her,” Conner said, “but she will fight back.”

Before school, Lola and her dad go to the Iceoplex at 5:45 a.m. to skate, shoot and handle the stick for an hour.

She won’t suit up for the East County Outlaws of the Los Angeles Kings High School Hockey League in the upcoming season. She’s playing the long game; she wants to get stronger and improve her base. She will try out for the Outlaws in June 2017.

“Sometimes I do get frustrated, but I work at it until I get it down,” she said. “I’ve learned to take a deep breath and keep trying very hard.”

• • •

The Mormino sisters share an unbreakable bond.

They bring out the best in each other. They also have their own inside jokes and traditions.

During a family trip to San Diego, Lola and Mia walked the hotel halls in bathrobes and pretended that they were from different countries. When they were younger, they’d hide candies and Barbie dolls from each other throughout the hotel and initiate their own scavenger hunts.

They both started dancing when they were 3. They participated in a dance recital together earlier this year.

Mia, who also trains at the Calabasas Academy of Dance, said she admires her younger sister’s ability to be graceful in one endeavor and aggressive in another.

“It’s cool how strong she is playing the sport because it’s a tough sport,” the 16-year-old said. “At home, she’s very goofy. We’ll make jokes all the time and laugh a lot. Out here, she’s intense and really focused.”

The girls support each other.

“She always cheers me on,” Lola said of her older sister. “She helps me with everything.”

In the fall they will attend the same school. Lola’s big sister will be looking out for the wunderkind on ice, but the truth is, they’ll protect each other.

“She’s one of the strongest people I know,” Mia said. “She’s gone through some hard things. For being so young, she’s been through some pretty intense situations. That’s something I admire about her.”

• • •

On the last day of camp, Ty Gretzky hands out raffle prizes to players.

Every kid gets a glossy signed photo of Gretzky’s father, The Great One. The players eat pizza and show off their cool new swag, including autographed jerseys from NHL stars Patrick Kane and Sidney Crosby.

Ty Gretzky drapes a medal around Lola’s neck. She poses for photos with teammates and coaches.

She’s in the center of the hullabaloo, but she’s more comfortable floating around the periphery of this party. Many of the boys are loud and rowdy, but she’s polite and thoughtful. With no one looking, she offered a slice of pizza to a writer.

The boys will get older. They’ll skate faster and get bigger. Lola is undeterred.

“I just have to work harder,” she said.

A proud family watches the youngest daughter play ice hockey. Dad films the action on a camcorder. Mom’s finger is on the camera shutter. Big sister cheers.

Lola is a hockey player, fighter, sister, daughter, friend and all-around great kid. She’s a wellspring of inspiration.

“She came into this world fighting,” Carmen Mormino said. “Maybe that’s why hockey found her or she found hockey. Maybe that’s why she loves it so much.

“She went to the gym this morning and couldn’t do something. She was so frustrated, but she doesn’t get discouraged. She doesn’t become the victim. She becomes the victor. She finds a way to overcome.”

Email sports editor Eliav Appelbaum at eliav@theacorn.com.


IT’S ALL NICE ON ICE, ALL RIGHT—Lola Mormino, 13, started playing ice hockey two and a half years ago. She grew up dancing.

IT’S ALL NICE ON ICE, ALL RIGHT—Lola Mormino, 13, started playing ice hockey two and a half years ago. She grew up dancing.

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *