Parity is the best word to describe the 7^th Annual New England Invitational Sled Hockey Tournament. 

Up until a couple of years ago it was very easy to seed teams for the games on Sunday based on their Standing in their respective Pools.  There were always clear Winners & Losers.  Then 3 years ago the Boston Blades & the Ontario Kings had the same Won/Loss/Tie record & the same number of accumulated points.  Ontario Kings won the right to play in the Championship game, because they had 2 fewer Penalty Minutes than the Boston Blades.  Last year saw many Ties in games & in determining the standings in the respective Pools.   This year the trend continued. 

• 5 games ended in a Tie.

• 8 teams had the same Won/Loss/ Tie Record.

• 9 teams had the same number of Total Points.

• 4 teams had to have their Standing decided by the Point Totals.

• 4 teams had to have their Standing decided by who had the fewest Penalty Minutes.

It would appear that we are moving closer to ‘Parity’ in some Sled Hockey teams that many in the Sled Hockey Community have wanted for years.

There were 9 members of the US Paralympic Team that won the Bronze Medal & 3 members of the Canadian Paralympic Team that won the Gold Medal in Torino Italy this year, playing on 4 different teams.  Mr. Ferst introduced the Paralympians & congratulated them on their accomplishment during the Opening Ceremonies.

Newcomer to the tournament, the National Ability Center Golden Eagles from Park City, Utah earned the right to play for the Championship in the game on Sunday, when they tied the Ontario Kings 4 to 4 behind superb goal tending by Hope Bevilhymer.   The Buffalo Sabres &  the NAC Golden Eagles wound up with the same Won/Loss/Tie Record and had the same number of accumulated Points, but NAC had fewer Penalty Minutes and was declared winner of their Pool.  The New England Bruins, after losing their 1st game to Buffalo in a 6 to 5 slugfest, advanced to win 1st place in their Pool by beating the Ontario Kings & the CT Wolfpack.  The New England Bruins beat the NAC Golden Eagles on Sunday 7 to 4 in a fast-paced, hard-checking game to take the Championship.

The So Jersey Wings of Steel,  with a 2 & 1 record in their Pool, squared off against the Bennett Blazers, who were 3 & 0 in their Pool.  In another fast paced hard checking game the Bennett Blazers took the Championship by beating the Wings of Steel 2 to 0.

The weekend took on a Party Atmosphere as the folks at Amelia Park catered an Ice Cream Social Friday Night for all the players and their families and the Cookout on Saturday Afternoon gave an opportunity for everyone to socialize.  The weather that went from a bright 78 degree day on Friday to a cold rainy 38 degree day on Saturday couldn’t dampen the spirit & enthusiasm of all who attended the 3 day event. 

Our grateful thanks to all of the Referees, Timekeepers & Volunteers at Amelia Park who work so hard to make this such an enjoyable event.

New England Invitational Sled Hockey Tournament
20 Oakland Avenue, Needham, MA 02492-3150
781-444-1019  ctwise@comcast.net
www.newenglandbruins.com/NEInvitational.htm

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