By Wandoo Makurdi Jeff Parent, seen guarding his net as a player attempts to score, wants to create an ice hockey team for members of the Marine Corps in the National Capital Region.

So when only eight others showed up for his team’s first official tryouts and practice at the Prince William Ice Center in Dale City, Parent shook the ice off his skates and carried on with the show.

Unlike the group playing in the rink across from theirs, which drew a decent crowd of spectators, Parent’s group had only an audience of four to show how good the team can be if given a chance. Lynn Smith, wife of Parent’s teammate Timothy Smith, and their two children, Wyatt, and his younger sister, Reagan, 5, were the other three spectators. At just 7, Wyatt, who plays baseball, talked excitedly about the skating classes he takes in hopes of following in his father’s footsteps.

At 7 p.m., Parent got the group together after a brief warm up and they broke into two groups of four—one player served as a substitute—and played on 1⁄3 of the rink; much like a depleted basketball team would do on a half court.

Parent and his teammates play with the passion of a team who’s out to prove a point. There were no scouts looking for the next Sidney Crosby or Dominik Haöek, yet they attacked the net like it was game seven of the Stanley Cup. Parent, the goalie on one team, dropped down to his knees grimacing when he allowed a goal through his net. Smith and a few other players showed visible frustrations at missed opportunities at the net. Even with their audience of four, they are committed to this practice like an NHL team is to a regular season game.

Later, they switch to a barely full court game, with both nets placed a few feet closer to the center line to shorten the distance. But by the time practice has rounded up to the hour, the players show telltale signs of wearing down. Their reactions are slower and they are starting to lose speed. They could easily have taken breaks in between play, but perhaps, knowing that another group would be taking over at 8 p.m. was all the motivation they needed to maximize this practice time. In fact, the team’s still on the ice when the cleaning crew hops on to buffer the ice for the next group. This time, it is an actual game featuring the Wolverines, a team from the local adult B-league team.

Parent gestures excitedly, pointing toward the game while explaining how different the real game would be. You can hear the longing in his voice, hoping for the day when his team can play its first official game. He says he’s heard from a lot of players who are interested in joining the team.

‘‘We know we’ll have a team,” Parent said convincingly. ‘‘It’s just trying to get everyone to come out at the same time.”

And judging from where some of the night’s players have come from—the second goalie is an active Marine from Indian Head, Md.—it seems likely a team would indeed be formed.

When quizzed on why it has taken so long to put together a team despite the increasing interest, Smith, who has played hockey for 15 years, suggested that the expenses incurred in procuring the gear and equipment for the team was the biggest reason. Smith said that unlike some sports where relatively few equipment have to be purchased, ice hockey requires a lot of equipment to get on the ice.

‘‘We’re hoping to get some MCCS funding ... to help pay for tournaments ... jerseys, and also sponsorships and donations,” Parent said of the support the team is seeking from the Marine Corps Community Services.

When Parent is able to put together a team, he thinks the team would have plenty of opportunities to play. He’s already pondering a summer schedule involving either a weeknight league at the Prince William Ice center, or a weekend league in Fredericksburg, to help build the team’s chemistry. In the fall, he’s contemplating an independent schedule against teams from the likes of the Naval Academy, FBI, Baltimore Fire Department, New York City Fire Department and some local charity games.

Now with a detailed plan on how he expects to produce the capital’s first Marine Corps ice hockey region, all that’s left to complete the goal is the unknown variable: audience support. Parent hopes the team will garner enough local support at their games. He is even soliciting some ideas from Sentry readers for a creative name for the team.

‘‘We could take a poll,” Parent said. ‘‘To find the person that has a creative name would be great.”

Either way, Parent will carry on his goal with the same fervor that he speaks and plays with; just as he did before his small audience. And because he knows that at the end of the day, the show must go on.