Aaron Ing started playing ice hockey at age 6 at The Ice Palace in the city of Aiea, the only rink in the state of Hawaii, and he was coached by a former NCAA Division I player.
Ice hockey soon led to inline hockey at the Kapolei Inline Hockey Arenas (KIHA), as inline hockey is more popular in Hawaii and he often competed at national and international tournaments. His inline coach also played junior and professional hockey in the NAHL, USHL and ECHL.
Ing’s dad, Matthew, also was active in hockey. He used to coach a roller hockey team on his home island, Maui – and Matthew went to USC around the time that Wayne Gretzky played for the Los Angeles Kings.
Matthew signed up Aaron and his older brother, Zachery, for ice hockey at The Ice Palace when they were old enough.
“Hockey in Hawaii is a relatively small community,” Ing said. “Both the ice hockey and inline hockey rinks have (adult) leagues with several different divisions, based on skill level. The youth hockey (is) small recreation leagues with two to four teams for each age group. When I played inline hockey with KIHA, we had enough players to make a competitive travel/tournament team and we played in several international and national tournaments.
“Hockey is a sport that I’ve fallen in love with, so I want to stay around the game for as long as I can – as a player, coach or scout. I want to have a career in the sport and my goal is to play at a level such that, I can one day build some type of career from.”
Now, Ing is a senior goalie for the Lake Forest Academy prep hockey team – some 4,500 miles and a 9-hour nonstop flight from home.
“When I decided that I wanted to play at a higher level, I reached out to my old coach, Ken Perel, who went the prep hockey route to playing NCAA Division I hockey at Union College. I asked him what I could do to reach that level and he said, ‘Find a prep school that, one, has a rink on campus that players could use whenever. This way, I could train as much as possible to close the development gap between myself and players who grew up in hockey-rich areas. Second, (find a school that has) a lower-level team that I could play for and develop with, getting valuable game experience, so that one day I could make the jump to the higher team and be ready to play.
“With that information, I began a google search for boarding schools with hockey programs. When Lake Forest Academy accepted my application and after a visit to the school, I knew it was the place to be. The campus was beautiful and after watching one of the team’s practices and meeting (head coach) Darrin Madeley, it was an easy decision to come to LFA.”
Ing, 18, in uniform No. 1, doesn’t remember much of his first meeting with Madeley … well, much beyond being a bit intimidated as a small kid from a small hockey community. When he first saw the LFA prep team in practice, it was the best hockey he had ever seen other than the NHL, and the players looked like giants.
Madeley quickly calmed Ing’s nerves.
“He introduced me to some players and they were some of the most welcoming people who I met,” Ing said.
Four years later, Ing said his LFA experience has been nothing short of unreal.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better place. The people at LFA are nothing but kind and welcoming,” he said. “I was nervous moving so far from home as a 14-year-old, but the people at LFA helped me make a quick adjustment. Whenever I needed help finding a classroom or finding somewhere to print a paper, I could ask anyone walking by, student or faculty, and I would get an answer. The campus is beautiful and offers everything that an aspiring student or athlete needs to be successful. The teachers are wonderful and incredibly understanding when it comes to challenges in your learning. I have never met people so eager to help you understand test material, discuss learning strategies, or even write letters of recommendation for colleges.”
Ing and his Caxys teammates skate in the Midwest Prep Hockey League, as well as games against AAA teams and other prep schools.
The highlight of his career was his first start – the first home game last season, his junior year.
Ing was unusually calm for the game, mostly because he had no idea he was starting until Madeley announced the starting line up before the team left the locker room for the ice.
“It was a surreal experience to finally break the lineup, after working day in and day out during my freshman and sophomore years. I ended the game with a shutout and more importantly, a win. It was the best feeling in the world, celebrating a win with the team, knowing I had a role in the win,” Ing said.
Ing is hoping to play junior hockey for a year or two after graduating from LFA next spring – and then hopefully land on a college hockey team’s roster.
“I am a small goalie who relies on athleticism and good skating ability. I have a very aggressive style, almost always playing at the top of my crease to take up as much of the net as possible,” he said. “I rely on my skating ability to get me in position as quickly as possible and I rely on my athleticism to make saves on plays where I’m out of position, or a breakdown happens and I just have to battle.”
Stopping Slapshots With … LFA’s Aaron Ing
Favorite NHL Team: Nashville Predators
All-time Favorite NHL Player: Pekka Rinne
Current Favorite NHL Player: Juuse Saros
Favorite Sports-themed Movie: Creed II
Favorite TV Show: Rick and Morty
Favorite Pre-game Meal: Pasta with a strawberry-banana smoothie blended with oats, peanut butter and whey protein
Favorite app: Instagram
Celebrity You’d Like To Meet: Brock Purdy
Best Hockey Tip: “The best hockey tip I received was from Jeff Lerg, a coach I work with in the off-season. He won a couple national championships with Michigan State University and played professionally for the Toledo Walleye. As an undersized goaltender himself, he told me that I need to find a way to battle and compete for every puck; I can’t be picture-perfect every save because I’m not a giant, but if I can find a way to combine athleticism, compete and good skating on every play, I will find success.”
Giving Thanks: “All of my coaches from Hawaii, LFA and my off-season coaches have had immense impact on my development and I wouldn’t be the player I am today without them. The biggest influences on my career would be my parents, who are my biggest supporters and have always been in my corner, through the highs and lows. My parents have been there to make sure I have a positive attitude and never give anything less than my best effort. None of this would be possible without their belief in me and willingness to support my aspirations.”
Off The Ice: Enjoys weightlifting, “which translates to my athleticism and power on the ice. My leg days (in the gym) involve a mix of heavy compound lifts like back squats, front squats, hex-bar deadlifts and several plyometric exercises to build explosiveness.”
Summertime Training: Works with Taz Stevenson and his company, GiftednFitted, based in Mililani, Oahu. “He helps me get ready for the season through personalized and goal-specific workouts that push the intensity. Our focus for most workouts is building lower body explosiveness, especially laterally, while also maintaining mobility and strength in my hips and groin.”
Hobbies: Bow hunting and fishing
Hockey In Hawaii: “The fact that we have an ice rink in a tropical place like Hawaii is amazing. Yeah, the ice isn’t as great as the rinks I’ve played on here on the mainland, but it’s still something.”
Making Memories: “I want to stay in the moment and just enjoy every second of my last season with LFA; I want to cherish the road trips and the experiences with my teammates because I won’t be able to play with same group of guys again. I have never been closer to a group of guys, teammates then I have been with my teammates at LFA. Since my sophomore year team, there isn’t a single guy who I won’t stay in contact with and I have made some of my closest friends while being a member of this team. I only grew up with one brother in Hawaii, but since LFA I’ve found 45 more.”