The 2002 Boston Icemen traveled to Canada to compete against some of the best 2002 teams in North America in the 2010 Niagara Bauer Invitational. It was a very exciting tournament, where only 4 out of 15 teams advanced to the playoffs. The Icemen advanced to the finals, playing 6 games in 3 days.
A travel weary club competed hard in their opener, falling 3-2 to eventual champion, Total Hockey Red from Toronto. Zach Robbins was unbelievable, stopping 32 pucks while giving his teammates a chance to win. Matty Beniers and Ian Moore scored while Joey and Peter Kramer chipped in with assists. Defense was solid with Alex Nazarian, Michael Martignetti, Devin O'Brien and Corey Hanneman all playing smart and physical hockey.
The Icemen rolled in their second game, 7-0. The Kramer boys, Nick Dallaire, Rich Hardy, Declan Lovett, Beniers, Aidan O'Leary and John Stasukelis lit the lamp, as the Icemen prepared for a tough Kensington Valley team, one of the top 3 2002 progams in Michigan. The Icemen started strong with their aggressive forecheck, and Wil Cohen scored on a nifty one timer early to quiet the raucous Michigan patrons. The boisterous Icemen faithful helped the boys keep their energy level up in the 5-2 win, and the coaches mulled their strategy for game 4, up late with Tim Hortons coffee and donuts.
The Icemen needed to win big against the Orchard Lake Pirates to advance based on the goal differential tiebreaker, and their attack was relentless, and they pounded the Pirates 15-1. All 15 players had points, including our goalie. This set up a semifinal showdown against the hometown favorites, the Niagara Sharks. The game was 2-1 deep into the 3rd, when the Icemen broke it wide open with a convincing 7-1 victory. In the final, the Icemen held a 2-1 2nd period lead, but a few penalties took their toll on some tired legs, and eventually Total Hockey won 6-3. The Icemen finished second in the very competitive tourney, scoring 39 goals and giving up 13 in 6 games.
The 2002 Icemen represented Boston area hockey quite well, and the team looks forward to Icebreaker in June. The Icemen would like to thank their parents and sibling for making the trek up to Niagara Falls. It was very fun!
