Daily Record from Morristown, New Jersey • 83

I 8 Wednesday, January 30, 2008 '1 in rm Up To 70 OFF IV VI I from Hhnamm 20 OFF r' Of $60 Or More I I I I name 7I-IM-1M Hockey Philadelphia Growl, Aston (Pa.) Demolition, Philadelphia Revolution and Feasterville (Pa.) Fury The 32-game regular season runs from December to April, followed by playoffs that run from May into early June. The, Stampede are 3-7 this season. The national finals are held at a different, neutral location every year to determine the winner of the Founders Cup. Last year, the finals were held in Colorado Springs, Colo. Havelock is like many of the players brought in for tryouts after being spotted in small leagues.

"A lot of the players get involved because they're playing in a house league," he said. "They advertise try-outs during the summer." Inlinehockeycentral.com, a "virtual hub for all inline hockey talk" according to Havelock, is one of the larger sources for information on the league. Love of the sport Although the players are unpaid, their travel expenses are generally covered by the team and sponsors. During the playoffs, the league covers travel costs. The players aren't in it for money, anyway.

They do it for the love of the sport. "It's challenging, but it's fun," Havelock said. "I'll be playing until I'm 50. I'll never stop. porates some of the more exciting aspects of NHL hockey.

"It's pretty much a nonstop-action type of sport that we play," he said. The Stampede are involved in a number of ways in the community. The team holds both youth and adult clinics and helps out with food drives. Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello came to one game for a ceremonial puck drop. Community focus "We go to schools and talk to the students," said Doherty, a New Yorker.

"It gives them something to look up to. "I don't really live in the area, but (Morristown is) a great little town." The team has a partnership with the Morristown Madams roller derby team and has local sponsors such as Cornerstone Chiropractic in Riverdale and Valley Sports in Edison. "We've been trying to bring in some sponsors to reflect that we are a community-driven team," D'Aloisio said. Games are played in doubleheader format. They are 24 minutes in length and split into two halves.

While there are more than 40 teams in the league, they are split into the East and West conferences and have divisions within them. Division foes include the (Wellington) New Jersey Grizzlies, Jamie Mendelsohn of Boonton, center, and Andrew Warga of Pleasantvllle, right, watch the New Jersey Stampede take on the Northeast Phllly Revolution at Morristown Roller Hockey Rink on Dumont Place. CONTINUED FROM1 "It's a lot like Major League Lacrosse." Havelock, a Boonton resident who also serves as the team's general manager, works closely with the team and the league. He also has a newly formed marketing company, Grassroots, which is based out of Boonton with satellites in California and Connecticut, D'Aloisio spends the week working in a law firm in northern New Jersey. Doherty's job involves heating, air conditioning and refrigeration.

For those accustomed to traditional ice hockey, there are differences in the association's brand of inline hockey. Games are played four-on-four instead of five-on-five. Additionally, there is no checking. "You can play the body, but you won't see anyone getting blasted," Havelock said. "What makes it unique is it makes the defensemen's jobs that much harder.

"It allows for players to pull off mind-bending moves. You can really see who the fastest skater is because they have so much room to get going." D'Aloisio said that the sport incor playing. "We're here on our own goodwill," Havelock said. "Everyone's here for love of the game." The Stampede's next home game will be held on at 7:15 p.m. Feb.

9 against the Feasterville Fury. Tickets are available at the door of the rink or by contacting Havelock through the team's Web site, for $5 each. Scott Fontana can be reached at (973) 428-6678 or tfontanagan nett.com. "If I'm not playing, I'll be coaching. If I'm not coaching, I'll be owning.

One way or another, I'll never leave the sport." In its short history, the team has had a few different names. Originally the Morristown Minutemen, they were renamed the New Jersey Minutemen in 2006 and just recently adopted the "Stampede" nickname. The Stampede have a minor league team for younger players. Whether playing in on the main team or the minors squad, Stampede players agree on their reasons for 1. h' 0 tit i n- V' ft I rii K- i cfk -L, 1 VV1 Q-1 The New Jersey Stampede, a team In the Pennsylvania-based Professional Inline Hockey Association, has been based out of the Morristown Roller Hockey Rink since 2003, when the league was In Its Infancy.

The Professional Inline Hockey Association Is semi-pro In a legal sense, as the players are not paid for their time and hold other jobs. As a result, games are played only on weekends. 'Everybody has real Stampede forward Chris Havelock said. 'It's a lot like Major League Stampede fans Nell and Phil Cooper, bov, take In a game against the Northeast I Phllly Revolution at Morristown Roller Hockey Rink on Dumont Place. The teams; spilt a double-header.

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