TOUGHEST TEST FOR WOLVES : WEST VALLEY FEELS PREPARED.

Byline: Rizza Yap Daily News Staff Writer

For the West Valley Wolves Mite A division hockey team, this weekend's state championship tournament is all about the survival of the fittest.

Todd Bowman, 9, has been shooting at least 300 pucks a day, three to four times a week, to enhance his scoring power.

Josh Rabbani, 8, has given up french fries and soda to keep in shape as right wing.

And Joe Shelly, 9, said he has stopped doing homework late at night - after 8:30 - to sustain his energy as the team's only goalie.

This trio, along with 14 teammates, is gearing up in hopes of winning the first California Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) title for the Wolves since 1993. They already are the Southern California champs in their division.

``I feel good about (making the playoffs),'' said Bowman. ``A lot of the kids turned out to be really good. They just got better and better every time (we played).''

This year, the West Valley Wolves are hosting the CAHA championships at the Iceoplex in North Hills. From today until Sunday, they will play against Norwalk - whom they defeated for the Southern California title - and the top two Northern California teams in a round-robin competition.

Teams from four other age groups are participating in the tournament. The Wolves, a club program consisting of 16 teams, is also represented in the Midget A division (15 to 18) and Squirt A (10 to 11), which will play in the CAHA finals for the third consecutive year.

The Mite A team has come a long way from its 8-7-1 performance last year. In the Southern California Amateur Hockey Association's (SCAHA) 1996-97 season, they have earned a 15-0-1 record after defeating teams from San Diego, Anaheim, Ontario and other areas.

However, as a travel team, the Mite A Wolves also compete in various tournaments, sometimes outside of California. They play more than 50 games each season, and this year they are 49-2-7, losing only to a team from Chicago, which was second best in the nation last year.

``We had only four returning kids, and we didn't really know, even after tryouts, how good this team was going to be,'' said assistant coach Paul Szilagi.

``These kids are unselfish. There is no selfish player, so they work better together. And they're very strong defensively. It's hard for teams to score goals against us.''

In fact, the Wolves have shut out seven of the SCAHA teams they played this season. Shelly has recorded at least 15 shutouts so far. He said part of his success stems from practicing with two goalie coaches, who ``teach me how to stay up. . . I've been dropping down a lot when the puck is shot at me. It's kind of tough.''

Each year the Wolves begin practice in July, and the regular season extends from August to March. The rules of the game are similar to NHL regulations, except the players are not allowed to check. Checking is allowed only in the older divisions.

The North Hills Iceoplex is the team's home rink, where they practice twice a week. Since the West Valley Wolves is an organization of 16 teams of five different age groups, the Mite A division has to rotate ice time with their fellow Wolves. This means that on some weekends, they practice as early as 4 a.m.

Randy Bowman, the team's first-year head coach, also conducts off-ice practice hours. The kids gather at his Calabasas home on weekends and work out by sprinting uphill on roller blades and shooting weighted pucks to strengthen their wrists.

``With these kids, they just keep going and going until the outcome is in their favor,'' Bowman said. ``And even then they still keep going.''

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Photo: The West Valley Wolves Mite A division hockey team has had a breakthrough season.

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Box: WEST VALLEY WOLVES