Greater Boston Saints win second straight Harrisburg Superbowl Bye Week Invitational

Congratulations to the Greater Boston Saints for earning their second straight Superbowl bye week Invitational title, this years game was won in dramatic overtime battle against the Buffalo Fusion.

In the quarterfinals the Saints pulled away from the up and coming Jersey Fresh, 4-0. The Fresh had made the playoffs in their first trip to Harrisburg which was quite an accomplishment.

In the Semis, The Saints recovered from a 2-0 1st period deficit, and controlled the speedy Penn Hills Arsenal for the remainder of the game for a hard fought 4-2 win.

Then in the Finals the long awaited perennial big rink powerhouse Buffalo Fusion, who pulled away from Phoenixville Graffix in the semis. A back and forth affair fittingly went to overtime, as Fusion's Chris Haynes scored with 17 seconds left in the 3rd to tie it. In overtime the teams traded powerplays and punches. Very late in overtime Tournament MVP Andrew Guduco fed a wide open Jeremiah Lynch in the slot, who put it past Fusion goaltender Brandon Junik. Mr Junik played incredible in the playoff round despite the loss.

Tournament organizer George Tarantino would like to thank all who put the time and effort into coming to compete  and said "it is always flattering that you all choose to come to this tiny little town for some top notch ballhockey!"

The 2017 All Tournament team was as follows:

Forwards

Daniel Setacci- Pittsburgh Gods
Bobby Housser- Leominster Red Star
Denis Hickey- Jersey Fresh
Scott Veneziale- Jersey Fresh
Tyler Caba- Phoenixville Graffix
Justin Dunnivan- Penn Hills Arsenal
Ryan Crossey- Penn Hills Arsenal
Ricky Mastropietro- Greater Boston Saints
Cody Warila- Greater Boston Saints
Denny Schlegel- Buffalo Fusion
Michael Christopher Haynes- Buffalo Fusion
Andrew Guduco- Greater Boston Saints
Andrew Maas- Fusion Killer Bees

Defensman

Jason Whitenight- Buffalo Fusion
Taylor Fulmer- Phoenixville Graffix
Mike Williams- Leominster Red Star
Anquan Smith- Penn Hills Arsenal
Jeremiah Lynch- Greater Boston Saints

Goaltenders

Brandon Junik- Buffalo Fusion
Bryce Erb- Phoenixville Graffix
Matt Gilchrest- Greater Boston Saints
Andrew Grivnovics- 4 Aces

Tournament Most Valuable Player - Andrew Guduco- Greater Boston Saints
Tournament Most Valuable Defenseman - Jeremiah Lynch- Greater Boston Saints
Tournament Most Valubable Goalie - Brandon Junik- Buffalo Fusion
"Hardest working man in hockey" - Coby Sweat- Buffalo Fusion

Cool Hockey Events announces 2017 Youth North American Championships

Team Armenia seeking Ontario based players for 2017 World Championships in Czech Republic

Are you over the age of 16 and of Armenian descent? Check out the information below to find out how you could try out for Team Armenia.

The 2017 ISBHF World Championships are taking place June 1-10 in the Czech Republic.

Please contact Mark Guergis at (705) 794-2871 for more information.

Registration opens for ballhockey.com's Niagara March Break sports camp

If you are looking for something fun to keep your kids busy during the upcoming March Break (March 13-17, 2017) the ballhockey.com Athletic Centre will be hosting their yearly sports camp.

Your child will get the opportunity to play ball hockey, indoor soccer, squash as well as a variety of other active games & outdoor fun.

You can register in person at the club or by contacting Sara at sarak@ballhockey.com.

ballhockey.com announces 2017 Youth Provincial Championships taking place July 14-16

ballhockey.com is exciting to announce the 2017 Youth Provincial Championships. This Championship will take place July 14 to 16 in St. Catharines at the ballhockey.com Haig Bowl Arena.

The event will feature four divisions; Under 18 (born 1999 or later), Under 16 (born 2001 or later), Under 14 (born 2003 or later) and Under 12 (born 2005 or later).

Teams participating in Elite Leagues at the Barrie Ball Hockey Club & Niagara Ball Hockey Club this Spring will have an opportunity to earn entry to the tournament by winning their respective club championships. Teams from outside those clubs can enter the tournament by emailing Sara at sarak@ballhockey.com.

The deadline to register for the tournament is July 1. I you have any questions please feel free to call 905-684-7131 or email Sara.

The last game was played at Canada's Kandahar Air Field ball hockey rink

A photo of a team ballhockey.com sponsored in front of the old scoreboard from the Barrie Ball Hockey Club that was donated in 2011.

The iconic Canadian ball hockey rink at Kandahar Airfield, its boards adorned with faded Maple Leaf flags, has been dismantled.

A dozen Canadian embassy staff, including Ambassador Ken Neufeld and a few soldiers, played a final game of shinny last week on the concrete slab in the infield of the airfield’s boardwalk before U.S. army engineers helped take down the boards.

“I gotta say, it was a lot of fun,” Neufeld said. “But it was emotional, too.”

A Canadian soldier on his fourth tour in Afghanistan, who asked that his name not be published because of the sensitive nature of his current work, said that “to be part of the ceremony and bring those boards back, it felt like a healthy closing of a chapter.

Read the full article on the National Press website complete with photos of the dismantling. 

Watch Team USA Ball Hockey Jonathan Ruiz and Andrew Hildreth on the NHL Network

Yesterday something awesome happened for the sport of ball hockey. The NHL Network had USA Ball Hockey players Jonathan Ruiz and Andrew Hildreth on NHL Now to talk tournaments, nationals and take some clappers.

Here is the complete video courtesy of NHL.com.

Niagara Ball Hockey Club "Originals" division is a throwback to 2007

Death From Above; 2016 Summer "Originals" Champions

This year the Niagara Ball Hockey Club will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. A lot has changed over those 10 years, but this Summer a group of player who had been around since the beginning came up with an idea for a new division. Why not have a division that is geared toward the “original teams” that had played season after season back at the old rinks on Eastchester.

After a few drinks to hash out the details, club staff and players came to the agreement that the Fall Season would mark the beginning of “The Originals” division.

As the season progressed more teams grew curious about what the Originals was all about and wanted to know how they could be part of it. What was unique about this division is that at the end of each season the team reps will vote in consultation with their players to add new teams.

This group of guys has been a lot of fun to watch, whether it be during their games or in the post-game celebrations. They have rediscovered the meaning of “club” and have really been instrumental in bringing forward a new division that is now a major high light for the Niagara Ball Hockey Club.

A huge congratulations goes out to all teams that participated in the inaugural season, Death From Above, Prestige World Wide, Tonto, Reacharounds, Wolverines and Stonehands!!! This winter we are pleased to welcome these 6 teams back and welcome Dynamo and Legion who were voted into the Originals division.

Best of luck to all teams on a great season, we look forward to seeing who will be voted in for Spring 2017!

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Prestige Worldwide; Originals "B" Champions

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Wolverines; Originals "C" Champions

Cool Hockey announces 2017 North American Ball Hockey Championships event dates

It's a March Tradition. Cool Hockey Events' North American Ball Hockey Championships. This year's dates have been announced so it's time to book off March 10-12 (Men's C/D, Novice & Rec, Co-ed A & B.) or March 24-26 (Men's A/B, Women's A/B).

The event is expected to sell out by January so get in touch with Jason Kelly today to confirm your team.

Sun Shine Shootout 2017 details released; ballhockey.com looking for team to go represent Canada

If you are looking to take a vacation and play a ball hockey tournament all in one wonderful experience; well the 2017 Sun Shine Shoot Out will be taking place in Florida next June (23-25). This event put on by Matt Garry & Pasco County has attracted teams from all over the world to participate over the years.

This year, ballhockey.com is encouraging Canadian team reps to consider going down to try their hand at winning it all. If you are interested in representing ballhockey.com Team Canada we can help with jerseys and a portion of the registration fee. Email Mike (ballhockeymike@gmail.com) to have your team considered.

For anyone else, this event is always a blast with a beautiful indoor arena and beaches minutes away.

CBHA Men's Team Canada Announced for ISBHF 2017 Indoor World Championship

The Canadian Ball Hockey Association is very pleased to announce the roster of Men's Team Canada for the 2017 ISBHF World Championship in Pardubice, Czech Republic.  General Manager Jeff Dzikowicz along with the input of the high performance director, scout Peter Upper, past coaches and players, as well as the broader ... 
 

The Canadian Ball Hockey Association is very pleased to announce the roster of Men's Team Canada for the 2017 ISBHF World Championship in Pardubice, Czech Republic. 

General Manager Jeff Dzikowicz along with the input of the high performance director, scout Peter Upper, past coaches and players, as well as the broader ball hockey community, in accordance with the CBHA High Performance model have selected a truly Canadian representative squad with players from six separate provinces. There are a number of returning players as well as an influx of new faces, including two graduates of the U20 program. The coaching was selected with an emphasis on Ball Hockey specific coaching experience with Past Team Canada assistant coach Ian Moores taking the Head Coaching reigns and Ray Cook having served as an assistant coach in for Junior Team Canada and Masters Team Canada and Nick Sbarra who served as an assistant coach for the last two Masters Team Canada teams.  

Victor Azevedo - Defence - Ontario - Team Canada 2015
Jim Babij - Defence - Newfoundland
Tim Barlow - Goaltender - Alberta - Team Canada 2013
Stephen D'Abadie - Forward - Alberta - Team Canada 2015
Justin D’Entremont - Forward - Saskatchewan
Cody Donaghey - Defence - Newfoundland
Jordan Escott - Forward - Newfoundland - Team Canada 2013 2015
Anthony Flores - Goaltender - Ontario - Team Canada 2015
Samuel Fortier - Defence - Quebec
Derek Gingera - Forward - Manitoba
Dustin Kelly - Forward - Manitoba - Team Canada 2009 2011 2015
Remi Laurencelle - Forward - Manitoba - Junior Team Canada 2010 2012 2014
Kevin Marchuk - Forward - Manitoba
William Marshall - Defence - Saskatchewan
Danick Martel - Forward - Quebec
Kyle Mcholm - Goaltender - Manitoba - Junior Team Canada 2016 2014
Shaq Merasty - Forward - Manitoba
Patrick O'Keefe - Defence -Newfoundland - Team Canada 2011 2013 2015 JTC 2008
Zach O’Brien -Forward - Newfoundland
Marcus Power - Forward - Newfoundland
Brian Szolga - Defence - Ontario
Ryan Tesink - Forward - New Brunswick
Calin Wild - Defence - Ontario  Team Canada 2011 2013 2015
Brad Yetman - Defence - Newfoundland
Nathan Yetman - Forward - Newfoundland - Junior Team Canada 2016

Thank you to all these players for their efforts and committment to Team Canada. Bets of luck at the ISBHF World Ball Hockey Championship in the Czech Republic in 2017!!

Midnight Express win 2016 Bauer Clash of the Titans

Midnight Express after winning the Bauer Clash of the Titans

They say the third time is the charm and that was definitely the case for the Midnight Express this past weekend. The Express (ranked #2 in the ballhockey.com Top 25 Ball Hockey Teams in North America) beat the Toronto Orangemen (ranked #10) 7-2 to win the 2016 Bauer Clash of the Titans.

Toronto Orangemen after finishing 2nd in the Bauer Clash of the Titans

The tournament saw 14 of the best teams in North America compete for $14,000 in cash prizes. Over $11,000 of that was up for grabs in the championship final that took place Sunday at the ballhockey.com Athletic Centre in St. Catharines. The Clash of the Titans is recognized as one of the most competitive ball hockey tournaments in the world after its 4th year being played. This year teams travelled in from Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Leominster, Toronto, Barrie, Richmond Hill, Niagara and Welland. 

As the dust began to settle on Sunday afternoon the quarter finals saw Midnight Express take on the Pittsburgh Gods and Toronto Orangemen take on the Niagara Rebels. Both games were worth watching with teams giving their all in end to end battles.

The final game between the Midnight Express and Toronto Orangemen was a lopsided affair. The Offensive of the Express proved to much with goals coming from Matt Tremblantt, Dayton Sopha, JC Gill (x2), JK Gill (x2) & Anthony Loveless. The Orangemen goals were scored by Danny Pacheco & Dylan Steele.

Two noticeable absences from the event were the Montreal Red Lite (Ranked #1) & Boston Saints (Ranked #3) but hopes are high that they can participate in the 2017 event taking place December 1-3, 2017. It is expected that the event will again be taking place in St. Catharines but confirmation will come at the end of February 2017.

The Midnight Express' winning team was: Frank D’Ambrosio, Sandeep Dhaliwal, Dave Digiornimo, Gurjeet Gill, Jaisen Gill, JC Gill, JK Gill, Shawn Hannon, Bobby Housser, Nicholas Laboni, Anthony Loveless, Marcel Mallais, Tyler McPherson, James Metis, Toby Monteiro, Fred Perrera, Mike Porter, Jacob Robitaille, Dayton Sopha, Matt Tremblatt, Chris Vegenas & Ben Vantullo (G).

You can watch the championship game in its entirely thanks to our partner WeeStreem who covered all the playoff games on Sunday providing live HD video streaming online!

2016 Clash of the Titans presented by Bauer & BallHockey.com 14 of the top ball hockey teams in North America compete for $14,000 in cash! (1st=60%, 2nd=20%, 3rd&4th=10%) 100% of the $ 1,000 entry fee is returned in the prize pool to the teams. Sunday, November 27, 2016 BallHockey.com Athletic Centre 16 Melbourne Ave.

2017 Bauer Clash of the Titans schedule & streaming information released

There are just 11 days remaining until the kick off of the 2017 Bauer Clash of the Titans. We've released the names of the 14 teams competing this year... and now we are excited to bring the schedule to you! You can download a copy by clicking here (.pdf). 

This year our partner WeeStreem will be streaming all games taking place on Sunday at the ballhockey.com Athletic Centre (including Semi Finals & Finals) live on ballhockey.com.

In anticipation of the event ballhockey.com President Brian Broley made the following statement to teams.

"Ken Cashman of Bauer and I are pleased to invite you and all the players  to the Niagara Region for some great competition and hospitality.  With $ 14,000 on the line in prize money, this will be the fourth year of this event and we are excited to have your commitment and participation to the sport at the highest level.  Players are coming from many regions of North America and it is a great opportunity to measure up against some of the best players in the game.

Last year we saw The Rebels win their second title and Midnight Express hit their second consecutive final game, but the story of the weekend last year was watching the Niagara Monarch’s go 3-0 as the 14th seed and run into the semi-finals and the cash on Sunday.  That is why they play the games, and I will be excited to see some of the new teams this year step up their performance against the best of the best,"

Remaining 7 teams announced for the 2016 Bauer Clash of the Titans

Last week we announced the first 7 teams that will be participating in the Clash of the Titans this year. With just 14 days until the ball drops ballhockey.com is excited to announce the remaining 7 teams that will be competing this year.  There is $14,000 in cash up for grabs at this years tournament which takes place November 25-27 at the ballhockey.com Athletic Centre in St. Catharines.

Here are teams #8-14!

8. Niagara Rebels
Rank: 4th on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America
- 2015 & 2013 Clash of the Titans Champions
- Men's Open Champion at 2013 World Outdoor Ball Hockey Championship

9. Toronto Orangemen
Rank: 10th on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America
- Men's Open Champion at 2004, 2009 & 2011 World Outdoor Ball Hockey Championships

10. North York Hitmen
Rank: 9th on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America
- Semi Finalist 2015 Clash of the Titans

11. Richmond Hills Falcons
Rank: 13th on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America
- 2014 Canadian National Tier 2 Champion
- 2014 Ontario Tier 2 Champion

12. Welland Kings
Unranked
- 2015 Men's B Champion at World Outdoor Ball Hockey Championships

13. St. Catharines Punishers
Unranked
- 2015 Ontario Ball Hockey Federation Tier 3 Provincial Champions
- 2015 Ontario Ball Hockey Association Tier 3 Provincial Champions
- Ontario Ball Hockey Association Tier 3 Eastern Regional Champions in 2015.

14. Toronto Rage
Unranked

This event is free to the public to watch and will be taking place at the ballhockey.com Athletic Centre in St. Catharines (16 Melbourne Ave.). For fans who cannot make it to the rink ballhockey.com will be offering live streaming of games (details and schedule will be announced on Monday).

First 7 teams announced for the 2017 Bauer Clash of the Titans

With just 22 days until the start of the Bauer Clash of the Titans ballhockey.com is excited to announce the first 7 teams that will be competing. This years tournament will see 14 of the top ball hockey teams in North America competing for $14,000 in cash over the three day event. 

1. Pittsburgh Gods
Rank: 8th on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America
- 2014 Clash of the Titans Champions

2. Midnight Express
Rank: 2nd on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America
- Clash of the Titans Finalist in 2014 & 2015
- Men's Open Champion in 20014 & 2015 at World Outdoor Ball Hockey Championships
- Finalist in Men's Open at 2016 World Outdoor Ball Hockey Championships

3. Leominster Americans
Rank: 7th on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America
- Finalists at the 2016 New England Classic

4. Niagara War Pigs
Rank: 3rd on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America
- 2016 Men's Open Champions at 2016 World Outdoor Ball Hockey Championships
- 2016 Champion at North American Ball Hockey Championships

5. Ottawa Godfathers
Rank: 17th on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America

6. Barrie Flyers
Rank: 15th on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America

7. Vaughan Red Wings
Rank: 21st on ballhockey.com Top 25 Teams in North America

This event is free to the public to watch and will be taking place at the ballhockey.com Athletic Centre in St. Catharines. For fans who cannot make it to the rink ballhockey.com will be offering live streaming of games (details and schedule still to be announced).

In case you missed last years Clash you can watch the championship game below on our youtube channel.

2015 Clash of the Titans BallHockey.com Athletic Centre St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada Fri. Nov 27 - Sun Nov. 29, 2015 www.ballhockey.com/nbhc/clash-of-the-titans/ Video & production by WeeStreem Info@weestreem.com

Cataylst Ball Hockey wraps up their 6th Annual New England Classic

Last weekend the New England Classic took place in Boston, Ma. The 6th annual event was a smashing success and Catalyst Ball Hockey released the following post event wrap up:

"On behalf of everyone at Catalyst, we want to thank everyone who participated in and supported the 6th Annual New England Ball Hockey Classic presented by Bauer Hockey, Inc. this past weekend.

Breakaway Hockey Dek & Sports and Casey Corcoran, with the help ofAllen Pereira, provided us with an outstanding venue, and support staff, for our event. If you haven't had the opportunity to play at their venue, you are missing out. These guys know and love our sport.

Our refs and scorekeeper did an outstanding job all weekend. No one has a more difficult time during any street hockey tournament than the officials. They are scrutinized and their calls are never satisfactory. This is not unique to our events, but all street hockey events. We thank our refs for their patience and efforts.

Almost every game this weekend was close and competitive. Sunday afternoon was electric. The final 3 A games and the Rec final was nothing short of outstanding, up and down hockey. We hope to be able to continue to grow our elite A tournament next year by adding more out of state teams. We certainly hope the Ottawa Godfathers have made it out of MA, as no team enjoys themselves more during hockey weekends (as it should be). 

Huge thanks to Buffalo Killer B's and Sting for making the journey down. We know they were shorthanded, but it means a lot to us that their organizer and leader Robert Chassin got a chance to see how far we have come since our 2nd year, when he last came down.

We think it's safe to say the Leominster Rams are back to competing for major tournament titles with a solid core that isn't going anywhere. The RI Rage will only continue to get better and had a strong showing this weekend. The Leominster Jets aren't dead yet, and Dracut Breakaway Best showed they can not only compete with other A teams, but win. 

Rec Champions: Mill City Hitmen

Our Rec teams were top notch, each team truly had a chance to win the whole thing. Congrats to the Millcity Hitmen Hockey on winning the Rec Title. Great weekend for them and they deserved it.

Lastly, if you were at the rink Sunday afternoon for the Leominster Americans and Boston Saints game, you saw how great our sport can be. Up and down, physical action at its best. This rivalry has been going on for 3 years now, with both teams claiming victories and titles. Highlight real goals, dozens of blocked shots, hits, fights and spontaneous celebrations. If you have not seen these two teams play, you are missing out. 

A Champions: Boston Saints

Get to a tournament and see them battle.

See everyone next year for our A & Rec, where we hope to continue the tradition of elite hockey.

Next up for us is the 3 on 3 National Championship presented by BAUER Hockey Inc. More information will be released in the coming days and weeks but contact us ASAP as we expect this event to sell out. Keep in mind we are running 5 divisions, plenty of opportunity for everyone to participate.

Leominster Dek Hockey Can-Ams, Ballhockey.com Clash of the Titans,Cool Hockey Events Holiday Bash, Breakaway Hockey Dek & SportsHangover Tournament, and George Tarantino Jr. 's Super Bowl Bye Week Tournament are all upon us. We hope everyone can make it to one or two of these great events.

Tournament MVP’s

MVP - Andrew Goduco

Men's A All Tournament Team

F - Evan Sousa
F - John Petito
F - Korey Wilson
D - Jeremiah Lynch
D - Mike Colcord
G - Nick Lamb