International Flavor
NCRHA well represented on International Stage
September 28th, 2009 at 8:12PM November 3rd, 2009 5:58AM
The summer kicked off overseas when the United States national team headed to Ingolstadt, Germany for the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships. Kyle Gouge (Lindenwood University 06-09) was the lone representative on the roster that played in the NCRHA. After defeating Slovakia 6-2 and Finland 8-4 to reach the World Championship contest, the United States team was forced to settle for silver when the Sweden won a 3rd Straight World Championship by a 7-6 score.
Amber Carey (Sonoma State 07-09) is part of a small, but elite group of female players in the NCRHA and her skill was noticed with her selection to the women’s national team. The American women dominated the competition, opening the tournament by defeating Canada 5-1. After posting a 3-0 record in the preliminary round, they faced off against a talented team from France, before edging out a thrilling 1-0 victory. In the World Championship game, the United States defeated the Czech Republic 3-1 to claim the gold.
Following the conclusion of the Women’s Tournament, it was up the Men to finish up a sweep of the medals at the tournament. A team that included seven NCRHA players/alumni led the United States to a thrilling 5-4 victory over Canada in the World Championship. The United States got to the title game by trouncing the Czech Republic 7-0 in the semifinal contest. The NCRHA was represented by Brandon Barnette (Lindenwood), Travis Fudge (Lindenwood), Eric Keene (West Chester), John McGuinnis (Lindewood), Jonathan Mosenson (Hofstra), Dustin Roux (Penn State) and Greg Thompson (Lindenwood).
Two other collegiate goaltenders participated at the FIRS event. Jason Ceballos, from Lindenwood University's B team, played for Colombia. Eduardo Juarez, California State University Long Beach alumni, played for Mexico.
The final stop of the summer for NCRHA players internationally was Taipei, Taiwan for the 2009 World Games. . The NCRHA was represented by Brandon Barnette (Lindenwood), Travis Fudge (Lindenwood), Eric Keene (West Chester) Jonathan Mosenson (Hofstra), Dustin Roux (Penn State) and Greg Thompson (Lindenwood). Things started off well for the team, handing Chinese Taipei a 7-0 defeat in the opener of the tournament. After posting a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic and a 6-4 over Switzerland the team was in a good position to claim the gold medal but had two huge games remaining. After defeating Italy 5-2, it set up a showdown with France for the gold medal and the Americans didn’t disappoint, handing the French a 5-1 defeat and claiming the World Games Title.
With the growth the NCRHA has showed over the past decade, it is exciting to see the players in the league getting a chance to represent their country. Hopefully there are many future stars for Team USA just starting out as freshman this upcoming season and will help continue to grow the league.
