Las Vegas high school players form a Storm on ice

They come from Palo Verde and Rancho. From Faith Lutheran and Bishop Gorman. From Arbor View, Sierra Vista and Desert Oasis.

A few are home schooled. A couple attend Odyssey Charter. But every weekend since October, they’ve come together as one — the Las Vegas Storm high school hockey team. Eighteen hockey-loving souls whose families have spent an estimated $7,000 each to represent Las Vegas in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League.

The Storm has no home games. It travels to California on Friday afternoons, plays three games over the weekend, and returns home Sunday night — sometimes at late as 1 a.m. — so the players can attend class Monday morning.

They must maintain a minimum 2.0 grade-point average and have no failing classes to be eligible. They practice twice a week in Las Vegas and caravan to California, sleeping eight or nine to a room in motels near the rinks.

“It’s been a great experience, a lot of fun,” said Mike Yocum, the team’s leading scorer and a junior at Faith Lutheran. “The competition is really good and it’s an honor to represent Faith Lutheran and Las Vegas.”

Despite a 4-10 record, the team has qualified for the playoffs, which began Saturday in Anaheim. All teams qualified for the playoffs, which has a single-elimination format.

“These kids love the game and they’ve really developed a special camaraderie,” said Storm coach Jeff Bruckner said. “When we started, we had kids who were house league players combined with experienced travel team guys. But the house league kids have improved so much and the really skilled kids have helped them. We truly are a team in every sense of it.”

Team manager Maria Conroy said she hopes the Golden Knights will follow the Ducks’ blueprint for a Las Vegas high school league.

“The Ducks have been great to us,” she said. “We’re traveling a long way every week to play. But they’ve been very supportive and we’re hoping that at some point we can stay home and play.”

The Ducks began their high school league in 2010 with one team. This year, there are 40 varsity and 16 junior varsity teams.

Until a similar league — perhaps one backed by the Golden Knights — sprouts from the Las Vegas desert, Bruckner will keep his team on the road and hope more local players get involved.

“I think it’s a matter of time,” he said. “But we’ve had a good experience with the Ducks and as word gets around, I think you’ll see more players playing high school hockey here.”

Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.