The Middle Village Players Roller Hockey League hosted its first ever tournament for players aged 13 and under last Saturday, with three teams journeying from Long Island to take part in the inaugural competition.
The Middle Village team, coached by Salvatore DiGiovanna and Steve Rybacki, recorded a perfect 5-0 record en-route to winning the tournament on July 12 at the James Bohan Hockey Rink in Juniper Valley Park.
Players Paul and Jack Pogozelski, Luca DiGiovanna, Nick Rybacki, Jax Anderson, Ian Lituma, and Stand out Goalie Juan Jose Munoz Represented the Middle Village Roller League.
The four-team event featured three teams from Long Island, including one team from West Nassau and two teams coached by coaches from the South Shore Hockey League and Black Biscuit clubs.
Each team played each other once during a league phase before all teams proceeded to the elimination stages, with Middle Village prevailing 1-0 over West Nassau in a keenly-contested finale.
Each game last 12 minutes in the blazing Saturday afternoon sun, with each team enjoying pizza from Gino’s Pizza Express in Middle Village to round off the afternoon.
In May, the Middle Village Roller Hockey League capped off an unforgettable season when six Middle Village teams battled it out for the Queens Maloney Cup in a series of high-octane play-off matches. The cup, which featured players aged between five and ten, was eventually won by the High Flyers after a thrilling finale against the resilient Hitmen.
Additional information courtesy of Paul Pogozelski.
