MAITLAND, Fla – A couple of days after skating at the Orlando Solar Bears open tryout, Matthew Panzo was sitting in a classroom at Valencia Community College when his cell phone went off. He waited until an appropriate time and then went to check his messages.
The phone call was from Solar Bears head coach Drake Berehowsky letting Panzo know that he was one of two players to earn invites to the ECHL expansion team’s main training camp that begins October 1st. He and fellow camper Edward Levens will have a shot to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming professional hockey players.
“I went into the bathroom to listen to my messages and I heard the news. When I got back, we had to do a writing assignment and my hands were shaking so bad that I couldn’t write. I was just so excited,” Panzo said. “This is a wonderful opportunity and I couldn’t ask for more.”
For Panzo, getting the opportunity to make the opening night roster has been a bit of a round trip experience. He was born and raised in Eustis, Florida which is northwest of Orlando – not exactly a mecca for hockey. After playing in local youth hockey leagues, his parents sent him north to Canada to expand his hockey experience.
His time in Ontario led to an offer to join the team at Gilmour Academy just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Following his prep school stint at Gilmour, Panzo returned to Florida to play for the Tampa Bay Juniors squad in the EJHL. Under the guidance of Tampa Bay coach Brett Strot, a former 11-year pro player himself, Panzo notched 17 points in 28 games in 2010-2011.
“I had a great experience (in Tampa). He’s (Strot) got a great training facility. I sure gained a lot of speed – his focus is on speed. That’s the game these days,” Panzo said. “You can be a smaller player if you’ve got the speed. He’s a great coach and that’s what I took away the most. It was good competition. It was a lot of fun.”
Levens’ story isn’t much different than Panzo’s. A native of Windermere, Florida, Levens played youth hockey in the Chicago area with several teams including the AAA-level Chicago Chill. He made his junior hockey debut during the 2006-2007 season with the USHL’s Indiana Ice (where he was a teammate of fellow Solar Bears signee Ron Cramer). In 46 games with the Ice, he posted seven points and 100 penalty minutes.
In 2008, Levens made the choice to return to Florida, putting his hockey dream on hold. He became an employee of Midwest Chemicals and like Panzo played in local men’s leagues. When he heard about the tryout camp right in his backyard, he knew he had to give it one more shot.
“I’m living here. It’s my home town. I feel like I’m young enough to where I feel I can still do something in my life,” Levens said. “I just wanted to go out there and pretty much just have one more go at it and see if anyone would be interested in me.”
Levens stood out in the scrimmage portion of the tryout camp. He scored three goals, all of them coming as a result of brilliant end-to-end rushes. In between he used his size to his advantage, making sure that the Solar Bears staff noticed him.
“My game is a very physical game. Focus on making the good passes, not let guys get around me,” Levens said. “It was a great experience. (To) get back on that horse and really go out there and give it your all, it was just an amazing feeling playing very competitive hockey again.”
Panzo stood out in the first morning practice session. At 5’ 10”, his game is more about speed and stamina. That was never more evident than at the end of the 45-minute practice when he out-skated the rest of his campmates in a series of “gassers” (if you’ve seen the movie “Miracle”, U.S. Olympic coach Herb Brooks famously used them to get his team in shape as well as to get their attention).
“I felt pretty good, especially in the skate (drill). In the skate, you just have to put your head down and just go. I tried to give every drill my all,” Panzo said. “That’s what you’ve got to do and that’s what I’m planning on doing for the main camp.”
Berehowsky said that although there was plenty of talent on the ice during the tryout, Panzo and Levens stood out from the rest. Every member of the Solar Bears staff took notice of both players, making Berehowsky’s decision an easy one.
“Eddie came out and he was hitting guys. He scored a couple goals. He really stood out – everybody was at a level, he seemed to step above the level,” Berehowsky said. “Matthew has great speed. He made some great moves. He was great during the practices.”
Noting that this really is an opportunity of a lifetime for both players, Berehowsky said that they have plenty of work to do before October 1st rolls around.
“Right now they’re at one level. In order to make that next jump, they’re going to have to improve their game that much more. I think a lot of people don’t realize that you don’t just keep going and going. You have to keep improving. You have to keep proving yourself,” He said. “They have to come out the first couple days of camp and really stand out. They’ve got to come out, be in great shape, finish in the top scorers out of the group. They’ve got to impress everybody that’s watching them.”
Knowing that he will be facing players who have pro experience, Levens said that he will be working on his physical fitness and endurance before training camp starts. Panzo said he too will be working hard to be ready when camp time comes.
Both players are well aware of the magnitude of the opportunity and the fact that they will need to be more than ready to meet the challenge that lies ahead.
“I know that me and him (Panzo) will be working as hard as we can. We’re going to try to exceed everyone’s level because we are the underdogs and we don’t want anyone to take us lightly here,” Levens said. “We will be there at camp ready to go and we will be pushing each other as far as we can.”
Whether or not they survive the final cut and wear the Solar Bears crest on October 12th against the Florida Everblades, Matt Panzo and Eddie Levens have gotten farther than many others. Their dream is still alive, something that both are very grateful for.
“I don’t think that I would have ever thought that I would have made it. It took a while to hit me but it’s a dream come true. This is what all those hours of work, sweat, pain and loss (come to),” Panzo said. “It’s great that you get a moment like this that shows you that all your hard work has paid off and it was for something. I’m very grateful and just very happy.”
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com Follow Pro Hockey News on Twitter – @prohockeynews
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