Northland's Rick Parry is a big hit in the chilly south of the country and his success in his chosen sport, ice hockey - although strange to his family and friends in the north - saw him recently named as the Otago University Sportsman Of The Year.
With the university famous
for its sporting prowess and research in sport sciences, receiving the top sporting honour was a big lift for the goalkeeper of the New Zealand men's ice hockey team and the Otago Thunder regional team.
The award recognised his contribution to what will be seen as a golden period in the short history of the sport in New Zealand.
Parry played the perfect game against Ireland to record only the second shutout in "Ice Black" history during an 8-0 win in the third-division world championships, helping New Zealand win the gold medal.
He was also the goalkeeper when New Zealand beat Australia for the first time at the Winter Games.
He has been selected in the team to contest the second-division world championships in Estonia next March.
