Ice

A dream had carried the boys so far from home, some 5,000 miles across the ocean to a cramped and dingy apartment in Philadelphia: a hope that ice hockey could change their lives. Ivan Pravilov could fulfill that dream, they were told. He could take them from the daily grind of post-communist Ukraine to the gleaming ice of the NHL. He'd done it before. He'd done if for Andrei Zyuzin, who went on to play for six NHL teams. He'd done it for Konstantin Kalmikov, a third-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1996.

The exotic dancer said she fell for a man named Ice, and now she's in the cooler charged as an accomplice in a murder that Ice allegedly committed. Ice has given the cops the slip. Wanda Alamo, 19, of Penn Street near Harrison, Frankford, told Homicide Detective Walter Hoffner that Ice (she doesn't know his real name) persuaded her to lure Vincente A. "Tony" Peralda, 26, of 15th Street near Wingohocking, to her apartment on Dec. 29, so he could rob him. Assistant District Attorney Arlene Fisk said that, when Peralda arrived, Ice bound and gagged him and stole the victim's money.

Jim Colembeski and his daugher Rebecca, 12, join up for some partner skating yesterday at the Blue Cross River Rink at Penn's Landing, during an outing for students at St. Peter's School on Lombard Street.

Gliding through their routine, above, Tracey Walker (left), 18, of Bethlehem, Pa., and Kelly Bowersox, 18, of Harrisburg, try out for parts in Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom on Ice, which is now appearing at the Spectrum. Open auditions were held yesterday before performance director Tami Martin, but none of the five who tried out were selected. At right, Colleen Moyer, 19, of Lansdale, gets a card and an invitation to try again next year from Martin.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported people with no criminal history and who posed no threat to the public or national security, according to a report by the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The report, "Immigration Enforcement Off Target: Minor Offenses With Major Consequences," is a compilation of 200 cases nationwide of immigrant clients who were arrested by local law enforcement and eventually detained by ICE. According to the report, released Tuesday, nine of those clients were from Pennsylvania, two have been deported, one left voluntarily and six cases are still pending - including one in Philadelphia.

A new and more dangerous form of an illegal drug that plagued Philadelphia in the early 1980s is making a comeback in Hawaii and on the West Coast. The emergence of "ice," a clear, solid form of methamphetamine that can be inhaled when heated, has the public health and safety community worried that the drug may spread if cocaine becomes less available, opening a new chapter in the nation's drug crisis. "Ice potentially poses a grave health and crime threat to our entire nation," said Rep. Lawrence Coughlin, R-Pa.

Princess-for-the-day Brooklyn Ludwig, 9, of Fishtown, looked dazzling in sparkling silver eye shadow and powder-blue-swirled cheeks. She and her prince charming - father George Ludwig - glided around the ice at the "Royal Celebration" opening weekend at Blue Cross River Rink at Penn's Landing. Daughters and fathers were in abundance, taking advantage of the many princess perks. Little girls made tiaras and had their faces painted and dusted with glitter as they waited for the Zamboni machine to smooth the ice. The "Royal Celebration" theme included visits from skaters costumed as Disney princesses, including Ariel and Snow White.

Imagine the pressure of working at "Walt Disney's World on Ice. " Each year, you have to conceive and produce blockbuster family entertainment that meets ever-rising public expectations. This season, Disney comes through with a beautiful version of "Beauty and the Beast. " It features the original voices from the motion picture, including Angela Lansbury, Robbie Benson and Jerry Orbach, as well as marvelous skating and costumes. Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Goofy and friends appear at the beginning of the show to set the scene.

There is magic enough in Walt Disney's latest skating extravaganza for even the most savvy of youngsters. The special effects in Walt Disney's World on Ice - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which will start a two-week run at the Spectrum on Monday, are sophisticated; the props and costumes, bigger than life. And even though the skaters get disappointingly little show-off time, there are flashes of Olympic quality. Yet after all these years - after the Grimms' fairy tale of the gentle princess and the Disney animated classic that sprang from it, after technological advances that leave little to the imagination - the basic story of Snow White still captivates us. As Minnie Mouse says at the end of this latest production, "Oh, Mickey, that's such a romantic story.

Food: Handmade ice cream in unconventional flavors. Earl Grey Srichacha sounds like a bad idea. We assure you, it is not. There are usually six flavors, three Philadelphia-style (with 16 percent butterfat cream from Trickling Springs Creamery in Chambersburg) and three nondairy. Who's behind it? Founded one year ago by Pete Angevine, Martin Brown and Jeffrey Ziga. What's in that name? Ziga says: "It sprang out of the ether. It's emotional. I'm a little baby, you're a little baby.

When Steph Heresniak was little, her parents took her ice skating at Rockefeller Center. "When we got home, I said, 'Mom, I want to skate,' " Heresniak said. "She thought I meant figure skating. But I said, 'No, I want to play ice hockey.' " Such was the beginning of an ice hockey career that has taken the Paul VI junior to places as far as Canada. Power, she said, is an asset the sport provides her. It's a quality she has used at the plate as the Eagles' cleanup hitter in softball.

When Steph Heresniak was little, her parents took her ice skating at Rockefeller Center. "When we got home, I said, 'Mom, I want to skate,' " Heresniak said. "She thought I meant figure skating. But I said, 'No, I want to play ice hockey.' " Such was the beginning of an ice hockey career that has taken the Paul VI junior to places as far as Canada. Power, she said, is an asset the sport provides her. It's a quality she has used at the plate as the Eagles' cleanup hitter in softball.

By winning Game 2 Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center, the New Jersey Devils officially snatched home-ice advantage away from the Flyers. Oh, well. There was a time, not so long ago, that would have seemed ominous. There would be stories about the Flyers' need to go to Newark and get the home advantage back as quickly as possible. It would seem puzzling that the Flyers could have been beaten in Philadelphia, with the emotional support provided by a packed house of orange-clad crazies.

Del Maguey's "single-village" mezcal series almost single-handedly pioneered the image of the agave spirit's makeover from "tequila's wormy rotgut cousin" into one of world's most intriguing premium pours — smoky and mysteriously complex, made to 400-year-old artisanal Oaxacan traditions. Accordingly, most are quite pricey. The relatively recent release of Vida, however, brings a less expensive bottle to their line, still ringing with roasted agave smoke, sandalwood, and bright citrus notes, but affordable enough to also use as a blender.

A water ice shop owner who had just closed his store, was approached by two men early this morning as he entered the front door of his Philadelphia home, then robbed after being forced inside, police said. The 31-year-old victim, whose business is on West Chester Pike in Upper Darby, initially gave the bandits $420. But they forced him to a safe, which he apparently opened and gave them additional money. Police would not verify that amount, but initial reports put it in the thousands of dollars.

WITH JAMES NEAL banned from Game 4, Flyers rookie Sean Couturier had one less thing to worry about on Wednesday night. The fact that Couturier, 19, was back on the ice for Game 4 - considering Neal's blindside blow to the head in the waning moments of Game 3 - is a bit of a surprise in itself. That's because Couturier, as a guest of Comcast SportsNet's "Daily News Live" on Wednesday evening, said he was "knocked out" and "unconscious" after Neal's suspension-worthy hit late in the third period.

1 can regular coconut milk (13.5 oz.) 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons agave syrup 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 1. Whisk ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Let chill in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. 2. Add to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's directions. When done, transfer to container and let freeze for a minimum of 2 hours before serving. From Ross Olchvary, Sprig & Vine Per serving: 334 calories, 2 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams sugar, 23 grams fat, no cholesterol, 98 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fibers

In one sense, Johnny Gaudreau's freshman season at Boston College was nothing less than remarkable. In another, it was nothing more than typical. Gaudreau has been skating circles around conventional wisdom for years. He has been too short, too light, and too young at every level of ice hockey. He has dazzled and dominated them all. He did the same thing as an 8-year-old playing with the 10s, and as a 12-year-old playing with the 14s. He did the same thing at Gloucester Catholic, where he scored 48 points (21 goals, 27 assists)

I HAVE STRONGLY resisted the urge of accepting the concept of a post-racial America often pushed by members of the right, as well as their cries for less government. In part this is due to a sneaking suspicion on my part that has some significant historical basis. To some, less government is a good thing, and certainly there should be a happy medium. I am less inclined to have a knee-jerk reaction to say "yay" to such a concept. You see, it was government intervention that passed Brown v. the Board of Education regarding equality in education, and laws striking down miscegenation, as well as host of other draconian post-slavery legislation meant to continue the enforcement of social-exclusion policies (i.e., equal access to public places, transportation, voting rights etc.)