Silvertips street hockey tourney a big hit
Everett Silvertips inaugural street hockey tourney a resounding success
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Jeff Faddis/For the Herald
Sam Bitnes (Blue shirt) battles Devon Steed (Red shirt) for the puck during a round robin game of the 9-12 age bracket during the Everett Silver Tips sponsored four on four Street Hockey Tournament in the Parking lot across the street from the Comcast arena in Everett, Washington on Saturday July 17th 2010.
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Jeff Faddis / For the Herald
Gang Green goalie Alex Lamoureux makes a diving save in a round robin game in the 13-17 age bracket during the Everett Silver Tips Street Hockey Tournament on Saturday.
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Jeff Faddis/For the Herald Chris Cho (Blue) battles a Pawlak brother (in red) for control of the puck while playing a round robin game during the Everett Silver Tips sponsored four on four Street Hockey Tournament in the Parking lot across the street from the Comcast arena in Everett, Washington on Saturday July 17th 2010.
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Jeff Faddis/For the Herald Mom Shannon Havener helps her son Teddy Havener with some of his goalie equipment while Teddy grabs a quick drink during a break in the action of a round robin game of the 9-12 age bracket during the Everett Silver Tips sponsored four on four Street Hockey Tournament in the Parking lot across the street from the Comcast arena in Everett, Washington on Saturday July 17th 2010.
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Jeff Faddis/For the Herald Sam Bitnes (Blue shirt) battles Devon Steed (Red shirt) for the puck during a round robin game of the 9-12 age bracket during the Everett Silver Tips sponsored four on four Street Hockey Tournament in the Parking lot across the street from the Comcast arena in Everett, Washington on Saturday July 17th 2010.
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Jeff Faddis/For the Herald Pro Edge Captial Player (in Red) Aidan Clark battles Silver Bullets player Jake Frost (in Green) for the puck in the 9- 12 age bracket during the Everett Silver Tips sponsored four on four Street Hockey Tournament in the Parking lot across the street from the Comcast arena in Everett, Washington on Saturday July 17th 2010.
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Jeff Faddis/For the Herald Rob Anthony of the SSH team shoots a shot during a round robin game of the for the adults age bracket during the Everett Silver Tips sponsored four on four Street Hockey Tournament in the Parking lot across the street from the Comcast arena in Everett, Washington on Saturday July 17th 2010.
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Jeff Faddis/For the Herald Wade Wylie of the Gang Green team shots a shot on goal during a round robin game of the 13-17 age bracket during the Everett Silver Tips sponsored four on four Street Hockey Tournament in the Parking lot across the street from the Comcast arena in Everett, Washington on Saturday July 17th 2010.
A bucketful of rogue shots aside, it's safe to call the Tips inaugural street hockey tournament, featuring 20 teams in three age groups, a resounding success as teams and spectators braved the afternoon sun showcasing their skills for bragging rights and prizes.
“It was really successful. We had a lot of teams that had a lot of fun,” Silvertips director of game operations Rob Ramsburgh said. “The kids (in the 9-12 age group) were just great sports and that was the best part about it. The adults (18-and-over), tempers ran high a couple times, but everybody had fun and everybody has been really appreciative of what the people that put this on have done.”
Play started at noon on three adjacent rinks in the parking lot just north of Comcast Arena bordered by Lombard Avenue on the west and the train tracks to the north.
A little sweat and sunburn wasn't so uncomfortable for most playing underneath the summer sun, but most goaltenders had to endure the afternoon wearing full pads.
Kareese Arneson, one of just two goalies to record a shutout during the day in the 18-and-over division (18-and-over champion Sting II's Brett Irvine was the other), was exhausted after her team dropped a 6-2 loss in the 18-and-over semifinals.
“You have to wear everything, it's tough,” Arneson said. “I'm done, especially with this (getting hit underneath the eye by a renegade ball while in between games), I don't even want to go get a beer after the game, I just want to go to sleep. It's brutal.”
Arneson, who was named to the All-Tournament First Team, also noted that the already heavy pads get even heavier as they soak up sweat during the afternoon.
Team Sting II, composed of local Snohomish county players who compete in a Friday night ice hockey league at the Comcast Community Ice Rink and sponsored by Arlington Transmission, ran circles around the competition in the 18-and-over group. The team averaged 11.8 goals per game en route to three 10-goal wins in group play. A strong defense helped too, as Sting II handcuffed opponents allowing just 3.4 goals per game.
The team included: Ryan Sherwood, 27, Taylor Ostrander, 27, Pat Crogan, 24, Brett Irvine, 28, and Mike Croft, 37.
Asked if the team would return to defend its title next year, Crogan, who led all 18-and-over scorers with 14 goals and was named MVP of the division, said: “I don't see why not.”
And it wasn't just players in their mid-to-late 20s in the elite division either.
Joe Ziskovski, owner of Sporty's Beef & Brew, was part of the tournament's team of elder statesmen. Ziskovski, 46, and team Sporty's failed to qualify for the knockout portion with a 1-2 record in group play, but enjoyed the atmosphere and exercise.
“It was fun, we'll definitely do it again,” said Ziskovski, an avid Silvertips fan since the team's inception in 2003. “We'll have more teams from our hockey group come out next year.”
Ziskovski finished with three goals in three games for Sporty's, which had players all over 40-years old.
In the 9-12 age group, Punishers beat the Gong Show 3-2 in a tightly-contested championship match. Alex Furlan of the Punishers was named the 9-12 MVP.
Team Russia, led by co-MVPs Stuart Terrell and Ian Dootson who both scored 20 goals each, mowed through the relatively thin competition (just four total teams) in the 13-17 age group, before running into a very tough Admirals squad in the semifinals. Russia squeezed out a 5-4 shootout win before outperforming the Eagles for a 17-9 win in the championship.
“I wish I could've had a few more teams in that (13-17 age group) to equal everything out, but all-in-all for the first time everything was awesome,” Ramsburgh said.
Ramsburgh also was appreciative of the local businesses that helped put on the tournament. Dunn Lumber provided the boards, which were to be donated to Habitat for Humanity following the one-day tournament and Dayville Hay and Grain in Snohomish donated the hay which encircled the outside of the three rinks.
After a successful first run, Ramsburgh envisions the street hockey tournament turning into a staple in Everett.
“I'm hoping for 20 teams in each division next year, we're going to have to have 12-15 courts,” Ramsburgh said. “This is going to be a yearly thing and hopefully we can make this huge, the more the merrier.”
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