See You in Aston, New Jersey!

This was quite the weekend!  29 teams packed onto 1 floor at Choice Inline Arena in Sewell, New Jersey meant there were some long hours.  In fact, we almost ran around the clock on Saturday, which is crazy!  Nevertheless, the event was smooth, and all the teams walked out Sunday with their eyes set on the 2014 TORHS 2Hot4ICE National Championships, which as you all know by now, is right across the bridge at Ice Works Arena in Aston, PA June 27 – July 6, 2014.

Kudos goes out to the usual suspects in this market, Mike Rosmini(who, by the way, knows everything you need to know about where to eat in the area), Jason Muro, Charlie Yoder, and Vio for once again bringing their programs in for this event.  I also want to give a shout out to Kevin Sontos.  3 years ago, Kevin was part of a 2Hot4Ice qualifier on teams that were thrown together from the local Choice Inline rec programs, and had never really experienced tournament hockey.  In the past 2 years, Kevin has built from that experience, and his CDM Selects fielded teams this weekend in 12u, 14u, and 16u.  Kevin is a high-energy guy that really loves the sport, and you can tell his kids really enjoy the tournament experience.  I am excited for them, as Kevin confirmed they would be in Aston for their first taste of our National Championships.

While on the subject, we could not be more excited for what will be our first combined National Championships since the merge of TORHS and 2Hot4Ice, and we think that choosing Aston was definitely the right choice.  Through our first 5 regional qualifiers, the feedback has been amazing with so many teams planning on making the trip to Philly.  For folks that are still on the fence, the area is packed with things to do.  The Phillies will be in town, and have one of the best stadiums in the Major Leagues.  There are a number of museums in the area, as well as in downtown Philadelphia, including the famous Franklin Institute, and Atlantic City is just over an hour away!  Of course, most importantly, we are expecting our biggest National event ever, which in and of itself, should make this a can’t miss event!  For more information, please go to http://www.torhs2hot4ice.com/national-games/

As for our Sewell event, here is a recap of the division champions….

12u Tier 1: Team Blue

12u Tier 2: Cougars

14u Tier 1:  Tour Roadrunners 99

14u Tier 2:  Cougars

16u Tier 1:  Tour Roadrunners 98/99

16u Tier 2:  Cougars A

18u Tier 1:  Mission Black Ice

18u Tier 2:  Tour Roadrunners 95

Adult Tier 1: Neumann Knights

Adult Tier 2:  Hershey Typhoon

Congratulations to all teams.  For those of you who are in the area that still need to qualify your team(s), please remember that we are hosting another qualifier Memorial Day Weekend (May 23-26) at Marple Sports Arena in Broomall, PA.  We are expecting a jam-packed event so please be sure to get your teams registered ASAP. 

So, that about wraps it up from Sewell…Thanks again to all the players, coaches, and their families for competing in our New Jersey qualifier, and we certainly will be seeing you again soon!  I would also send a very big thank you to Mike Stoever and his staff at Choice Inline, who are amongst the best hosts in the country!  We are already looking forward to next years event!

Next stop….SGAA Dual Decks in Snellville, GA this coming weekend!