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 Twenty-seven
squads of some of the most talented inline roller hockey
players in the U.S. flew up and down the Dreamsports Center’s two
rinks in Apex, N.C., Wednesday to launch the
2Hot4Ice’s
Nationals. Eighty-three teams will compete during the five-day event
which
runs through June 28. Twenty-one of them will be crowned age and
skill-leveled 2009 national champions. Not surprising, the first 32 games of Nationals were highly competitive. Five ended in ties and there were six one-goal victories. True to form, the Valken 94 team made an early statement in the 14U Platinum/Gold division with wins in its first three games, capped by a 6-5 nail-biter over the Columbia Cobras, one of the other favorites, in the next-to-last contest of the day. The Cobras finished the day with a 1-2-0 won-lost-tied record. Two of the other stronger teams in the division fared almost as well. Team Carolina 94 and the Carolina Comets each won both of their games. 14U Silver/Bronze division Five of the division’s six teams won once, but none of them escaped opening-day play unscathed. The DSD White fared the best, tieing the SportsZone Wave 2-2 and shutting down the Carolina Tsunami White 2-0. 16U Gold division Pre-tournament favorite Richmond Rattlers Black set the pace Wednesday with five points. The Rattlers Black nipped the Carolina Tsunami Black 3-2, played the Tour Bandits even at 4-4 and stopped the Mission Blackout 4-2. 16U Bronze division The Columbia Cobras and Richmond Rattlers Orange took the early lead in the division, with each winning both of their games. The Cobras slowed the Speed 5-0 in their opener Wednesday morning and followed with a 9-1 blasting of the Carolina Tsunami White in the afternoon. The Rattlers Orange opened with a 6-0 victory over the Tsunami White, then trimmed the DSD Red 5-2. Reebok Skills Competition The Valken 94 and Richmond Rattlers Black were as dominant in the 14U and 16U Reebok Skills Competitions Wednesday afternoon as they were in the early team play. The The Valken 94’s Evan Booth won the 14U Flying Wheels competition by completing the fastest lap around the rink. Teammate Colin Langham earned the Stone Wall designation in the goalies’ showdown with shooters on the breakaway. Team Carolina 94’s Wyatt Sexton was the second fastest 14U skater and Peachtree City’s James Larro was the runner-up in the goalie competition. Billy Sutyak of the Tour Bandits and Austin Brown of the Columbia Cobras finished first and second, respectively, in the 14U Sharpshooter competition, while Brown claimed the top spot in the Sniper breakaway shooter standings, trailed by Kyle Halladay of Team Carolina 94. Among the 16U bladers, the Mission Blackout’s Gannon Kamire and Stephen Crudele were the fastest skater and toughest goalie to beat, respectively. The Rattlers Black’s Terry Debose was second in the speedskating competion and the Rattlers Orange’s Colin Catherman was the goalie runner-up. Team Carolina Green’s Anthony Corrao and the Rattlers Black’s Tyler Allen finished first and second, respectively, among the 16U sharpshooter entrants, while Forrest Ford of the Rattlers Black and Corrao were one and two, respectively, in the breakaway shooter competition. All 27 14U and 16U teams are scheduled to see action again today, with the division finals set for Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, today will see the seven-team 18U division begin competition. |