It was a day for the HC Underdogs.
The primarily Queenstown-based ice hockey team, bursting with players from the Czech Republic, almost completely iced out their opponents — the Auckland-based Goons — in the final of the Queenstown Cup, now in its fifth year, winning the A-grade final 7-2 in front of a huge crowd at the Queenstown Ice Arena yesterday.
Also included in the winning team was one Czech player who flew in from Australia, Patrick Bilich, originally from Sweden, Nicky Dodwell (English) and Justin Saisho (Japanese-Canadian), both of whom lived in Christchurch.
That game followed a tightly-fought B-grade final, between the Dunedin-based Flames and Queenstown’s Dawgs, which the former won 5-3.
In all, 19 teams competed in this year’s tournament, the brainchild of SkyCity Stampede stalwart Colin McIntosh.
Last year 14 teams entered, so the B-grade was established.
This year’s tournament attracted 19 teams from across New Zealand, including the top-10 New Zealand Ice Hockey League point-getters, the top five all time New Zealand Women’s Ice Hockey League point-getters, and some of the most-capped Ice Blacks players.
"It’s like the who’s who of New Zealand hockey, and it’s amazing to see some of the guys who played Stampede or Ice Blacks in the early-2000s, or late-2000s, and now they’re out here battling with the guys and girls who are representing the country this year.
"It’s getting to the point where we’re going to have to start turning teams away. It’s a humbling thing to say that out loud, but the hockey itself this weekend was amazing to watch, amazing to play.
"It’s no longer just a local tournament. It’s a national one and hopefully in the future an international one", Mr McIntosh said.
