Before the Ice Melts follows a young small-town hockey player, Nora (Molly Peyton), as she prepares for an upcoming professional draft. Today is her last chance to be eligible, and if she’s not drafted her dreams of being a pro athlete will be dead. Life in this out-of-the-way corner has an inertia that’s difficult to escape. Nora sees all around her the bitter wreckage of failed plans to get out, and dreams that did not come true.
Her mother, Carol (Sonia Satra) is worried that she won’t have a marketable skill, and no employment prospects. Her current employment is a job working the local ice rink, where she cleans toilets and runs the concession stand while wearing a hockey puck hat with her name on it. Her mother’s doubts notwithstanding, Nora is surrounded by positive people cheering on her for the draft. Carol, of course, is more likely to be right, as the film glosses over the fact that many more players fail than succeed. Like Hollywood, in sports luck is as much of a factor as skill and effort.
The antagonist takes the form of smarmy realtor, Ted (Charles Hubbell), who is thinking of hiring Nora to work in his office if (when) she fails to be drafted. Ted has a meltdown when he catches Nora coaching his daughter at hockey instead of working on the figure skating lessons he paid for. He tells Nora that hockey is a bad look for a young lady.
When the draft begins, Nora gathers with friends, family, and other candidates. The names are announced in turn, as everyone bites their nails. Will she be chosen and launch her life as a pro player?
” Nora prepares for an upcoming professional hockey draft “
The hockey play sequences are tight, with dynamic cinematography and choreography. Nora flashes back in her mind on the greatest goals of her hero, Wayne Gretzky, as she skates. Directors and co-writers Nicholas Hagen, Hamid Torabpour scored cameos from known players to fill out the roster of candidates for the fictional draft, as well as clips from hockey luminaries such as Luc Robitaille. There are also corporate sponsorship placements in the film, such as the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo. Including famous players and sports media personalities is a nice perk, but doesn’t entirely make up for the tired, clichéd script.
Except for the role of Nora, which Peyton delivers with grace and confidence, and the pro player cameos, the rest of the characters are two-dimensional NPC’s. That’s to be expected, as Nora and the game are the stars. The scenes are punched-up with earnest light rock tunes reminiscent of early aughts Coldplay, Keane, or Death Cab for Cutie.
Before the Ice Melts has a feel-good “very special episode” vibe, and serves as a quality example of young adult inspirational cinema, in this case meant to promote hockey. That, however, limits its appeal outside the target demographic. This is light entertainment spotlighting hard work toward big dreams and having faith in the face of adversity. It is aimed at hockey fans and young women looking for inspiration.
"…Nora refuses to put her dreams on ice"
