RAPID CITY - Now that her high school tennis career is over, Lauren Shultz can finally admit it: she is happier on the ice playing hockey.

"Hockey is my number one," said Shultz, a center with the Rushmore Hockey Association girls varsity, as she prepared for a team skate Thursday at the Rushmore Thunderdome ice arena.

"Tennis was something my parents wanted me to do. Hockey was just another sport, they were thinking, because I had tried just about everything. I was even on the swim team for awhile," she said.

Shultz kept her hockey ambitions back-burnered with Rapid City Stevens tennis coach Jason Olson, especially last fall when the Raiders lost another player, Kaitlyn Wright, to a shoulder injury suffered during a summer basketball camp.

"I didn't think he'd like me playing hockey, especially after what happened with Kaitlyn, so I didn't say that much about it," she said.

Shultz still swung a pretty good racket to close out her five-year prep career with the Raiders.

She finished fourth in Flight 1 singles and teamed with senior Morgan Paluch to win third in Flight 1 doubles at last month's state tennis tournament in Rapid City.

Shultz concluded her tennis career third on the Raider's all-time singles win list with 107 wins and 16 losses.

And less than a week later, she was suited up and on the ice getting ready for the Rushmore Hockey Association club season, which starts play next month.

Her interest in the game was sparked several years ago when her family was visiting Sun Valley, Idaho.

A babysitter took Shultz to watch the Sun Valley Suns, an adult senior team based in Ketchum, Idaho.

"It looked like a lot of fun. I thought I'd like to try it," she said.

Shultz' development as a hockey player has mirrored the growth of the sport in Rapid City.

"About the time I got interested in it, they were still playing on the pond by the dog race track. I started at the Roosevelt Ice Arena and now we have our own place to play," she said.

Shultz said hockey's appeal is its speed and many nuances, and she likes being part of a team.

"I love it. It's just so fast. There are so many aspects. You're never going to be the best. There are so many things you can work on," she said.

A highlight for her was being one of 17 players statewide chosen for the South Dakota Select team as a sophomore. That Select team played in the Chicago Showcase, involving high school teams from across the country, and also won a tournament in North Dakota.

Shultz hopes to continue playing hockey after high school.

"I'm starting to look at a few colleges. I'd like to play at the Division I or Division III level," she said.

She also enjoys watching hockey on television.

"I'll watch a game, because there's always things we can learn. I really like to watch college men's and women's games, because it's more open, like the way that we like to play."

Having a new Central Hockey League franchise, the Rapid City Rush, beginning play this fall will also help youth programs to a higher level.

"Hockey is definitely moving up with the Rush starting here," she said. "Kids can start earlier and be a little more competitive."

Heavy contact checking between players isn't allowed in the Rushmore girls varsity league, but Shultz often skates with the boys' teams and doesn't mind the occasional check.

"I've gotten some bumps and bruises, but I've never had to sit out a game with an injury," she said. "I like playing it safe."

Once the Rushmore Thunder season gets underway, Shultz' team will be traveling to Minnesota, where girls' teams play with a higher contact level.

No problem, according to Shultz.

"That's okay," she said. "I like it like that."