Registration is now open for the 2017 Gateway to the WOBHC. This Niagara tournament offers Men's Open, Men's B/C, Ladies', Co-ed Open & Men's Over 35 Divisions.
The winning teams earn their entry to the 2017 World Outdoor Ball Hockey Championships taking place this September in Barrie.
If you are looking to get out of the house and enjoy some ball hockey action this spring... the time to register is now! Clubs in Barrie, Brampton, Hamilton, Niagara & Scarborough are gearing up to kick off their spring season. Leagues have various discounts and incentives to register early so make sure you are taking advantage of them!
Both the Barrie Ball Hockey Club & Niagara Ball Hockey Club will be offering youth competitive divisions for Under 18, Under 16, Under 14 & Under 12. For youth competitive teams out of other cities we will be hosting a Youth Provincial Championship July 14-16 in Niagara.
We are starting a new league, the Scarborough Ball Hockey Club that will be playing out of the CanLan Sports Complex. This beautiful single rink facility is looking for men, women & youth to help launch the league. Learn more at scarboroughballhockey.com.
In addition to the various leagues a number of new events have been posted that will be happening this year. You can check them all out by clicking here.
For those of you who are looking for different ways to get involved; we are always looking for timekeepers & referees. Please reach out to a rink manager if you are interested in pursuing part time employment.
Finally, we are preparing the next issue of the ballhockey.com Top 25 Ball Hockey Teams in North America. We are looking to start a list for Women's teams as well so please submit your team profile to michael@ballhockey.com.
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
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 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.
2016 has been an amazing year for the sport of ball hockey. Heck even as I write this the sport is hitting new heights with the orange ball appearing on the NHL Network this week!
As the year rounds out we have finalized our last Top 25 list for the year. There are a few new faces and some shake ups in teams 6-25. The Top 5 on the other hand remain the same as the October rankings.
The Montreal Red Lite remain seated as the #1 team in North America. Their continued dominance at a National level has them as the team to beat. Hopefully we can see them face off against a few more teams next year..........
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.
