Ice hockey: Parents proud to support sons' sporting ambitions

Luana Frear was a proud mother when she watched son Mitchell captain the New Zealand under-20 side to a win against Turkey at the Dunedin Ice Stadium on Sunday night.

Luana (43) and husband Niel (49) moved their family from Invercargill to Queenstown 16 years ago for their ice hockey.

She skated for recreation herself when she was growing up in Invercargill and still has the occasional spin on the ice. But her main role now is to support the ice hockey ambitions of her three sons, who have all represented New Zealand in junior teams.

"My role is to be emotionally supportive for the boys," she said.

"Ice hockey is emotionally draining and my job is to give them the strength to go further in the game."

Mitchell (18) had captained the under-18 team but to have the role for the under-20 championships meant a lot to him.

"It was awesome to lead the boys this week," he said.

The first member of the family to represent New Zealand was Cameron (21), a commerce student at the University of Otago, who plays for Dunedin Thunder.

"I was a bit small for rugby and started ice hockey with a couple of mates who were also keen on skiing," he said. "I fell in love with the game from the start. My heroes were Simon Glass and Brett Speirs from the Stampede."

Cameron was only 16 when he represented the New Zealand under-18 team in China. He also played in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

"Ice hockey is a good way to see the world," he said.

Lachlan (15) played for the New Zealand under-16 team and travels to Bulgaria in March with the New Zealand under-18 team.

Father Niel has been hooked on ice hockey since Cameron started the sport at the age of 7.

"I'm proud of the boys," he said. "They have put in a lot of effort to develop their skills."

Luana and Niel were volunteers during the week-long championships at the Dunedin Ice Stadium.