In a NY State of Mind
So I am heading back to Florida after a great weekend with Jason, Vio, Bill Coon, and the rest of the gang from Long Island. Without a doubt, this event is one of my favorites. While it is not the biggest of qualifiers, the Roadrunners and Black Ice are like family! We see them a ton throughout the year, as they are our biggest supporters, but there is something unique about being at their home rink. The atmosphere is always entertaining with Mrs. Mula, the DellaMorte’s, Mr. Schiavo(special thanks to Mrs Schiavo for the delicious brownies!), and of course Mr. Mac around all weekend. These people have all been around the game so long, it’s always great to get their vibe on the sport today. Some people question why we continue to run a qualifier in NY, but it is very important for us to give back to these teams and this market. It was great to see some of the PA teams return the favor and travel into Long Island for this event. That type of reciprocation does not go unnoticed, and is vital to ensure successful events in the future!
There was a lot of chatter this weekend from folks who are getting excited about making the trip over to Taylor, MI for our National Championships. The Roadrunners and Black Ice will be well represented, and Bill Coons NY Terror 16u team has also confirmed they will be making the trip. With only 3 qualifiers left, we are beginning to shift our attention to Nationals, and have reason to believe this will be our biggest event ever!
As for the event this weekend, I will run through a quick recap...
In Squirt, Jay’s Mission Black Ice 02 won a great game 5-4 against Vio’s Tour Roadrunners 02 in a back and forth battle.
In what was a very even Peewee division, Vio’s Roadrunner 2000 team returned the favor with a 5-0 win over Black Ice to take the championship. The PA Predators put up a valiant effort only to come up just short.
The Bantam division was our most diverse division, and Vio’s Roadrunner 99 team was the class of this division, beating the Pittsburgh Tour Bandits 98 in the championship.
In Midget, the Pittsburgh Landsharks and Pittsburgh Tour Bandits 98 battled it out with Vio’s Roadrunners 99 and a Black Ice Roadrunner squad, but it was the 99’s who again were too much to handle, winning the championship!
Our Adult division featured 2 teams that came over from Skate Safe, with Sean Sloman entering the Savages and the Ratpack in addition to a couple Black Ice teams and the Roadrunners. This division was full of pro players with names like Schiavo, Tiefenwerth, and Petito skating this weekend. It was the Black Ice Blue team that took home the crown.
So that was it for the weekend. Would like to extend a very special thank you to Mrs. Mula, who was a tremendous help to us all weekend long. Off next weekend for Memorial Day, then off to Florida for our qualifier in the sunshine state! Enjoy your holiday weekend everyone!