A North Shore roller hockey team has skated away with the top trophy on the continent in the 18U platinum division.
The North Shore Zulu claimed victory at the North American Roller Hockey Championships (NARCh) in Irvine, CA, July 11 to 21.
The international tournament included teams from Canada, the U.S., Colombia, Spain and France.
According to head coach Ryan Ghuman, his roster of 2006-born players had an outstanding performance in the tourney, culminating in a championship win that his organization has been chasing for many years. Most players on the team are elite-level ice hockey players from North Vancouver.
The Zulu started the tourney strong, winning its first three round-robin games. But the team was a bit overconfident in its fourth game, Ghuman said, and lost to a lower-ranked team. That meant they had to win four playoff matches in a row to come out on top.
The North Shore team’s first playoff game was memorable, the coach said. A 6:30 a.m. start meant that condensation at the open-air rink made the surface slippery. Despite challenges, the Zulu won 6-5 in overtime against Labeda Bananeros from Colombia, with Liam Payne scoring the game-winning goal.
Next, the Zulu stomped the Wheel Talk Wings in the quarter-final with an 8-1 victory, gaining momentum.
In the semifinals, the team faced the Temecula Warriors of California, widely regarded as the top 18U team in the U.S. The game got off to a rough start, with the Zulu trailing 0-3. But the team stuck to its game plan, Ghuman said, and came back to win 5-4.
The final game was against the Bulldogs from Corona, CA. Both the Zulu 10U and 12U teams fell to the Bulldogs after being undefeated in their respective round-robin games. Determined not to repeat history, the 18U Zulu team took an early 2-0 lead. But the Bulldogs battled back, evening the score at 3-3.
Dekeing the Bulldogs defence, the Zulu’s Koji Gibson flicked a nasty backhand past the goalie to secure a 4-3 win and the championship title.
Zulu forward Shane Purves was recognized as the top scorer in the tournament, and teammate Jadyn Clark was honoured as the best goalie.
Winning this division essentially makes an inline team the best in North America, if not the world, Ghuman said.
“This championship means a lot to us,” he said. “It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of our players, the support from their families, and our parent league, North Shore Inline Hockey," he said. "“I’m super proud of what we achieved. With our entire team eligible to return next year, we’re already looking forward to going back-to-back."
