Withrow Park Captain, Lenny Abramowicz pictured above receiving the 7th place Cup.

The Withrow Park league is a leader within the sport of ball hockey in Ontario and is representing the Toronto East based community. 

The Withrow Park players are excited for this opportunity to represent their community in this ambassadorial role.  This tournament is not a “win at all costs” event, and as such is ambassadorial in its mission. The mission is to share the game with other nations in a sportsmanlike setting of goodwill.

The OBHA in 2013 has been granted by the World Ball Hockey Federation the Master’s Gold Cup for Men’s O40 and Women’s Over 35 during the World Ball Hockey Championships being hosted in Toronto in June 2013.

For next year, the World Ball Hockey Federation looks to have 8 Men’s O40 teams and 6 Women’s O35 teams competing for which two club teams have already qualified.  The New Tecumseth Xtreme (Men’s) and Ontario Mac’s (Women’s) teams have already qualified with their recent victories at the 2012 Master’s Open Provincial Championships.

The OBHA board and its member leagues would like to congratulate and wish the best of luck to the Withrow Park Knights and their organization under the guidance of GM’s David Valenta and Len Ambramowicz are representing their league and community.

We wish them well and will provide daily updates on their journey.

Day 1 – Game #1 - Knights lose in their first game to TEAM USA

Team USA playing with a short bench of two complete lines took the lead seven minutes into the game as Ash Keiver scored on a goal mouth scrammble and took the lead into the intermission.

Team USA would control the play in the second period and would score their second of the game by JJ Deviney who would blast a shot from the point and Chris Housser would end the second period finishing the second period with a well placed wrist shot ending the second with a 3-0 lead.

The third period began in a similar fashion with Team USA scoring early on a goal by Mike Godin sixteen seconds into the period.  The Americans would hold off the balance of the game and Mike Zambon secured the shut out and added an assist on the fourth goal.

After the game, David Valenta, captain of the Withrow Park Knights would comment, ‘we came here to have fun and we did just that.  We played hard and every player enjoyed it.  It was a great game.  Our goal is to be good embassadors here to represent our team and Canada.“

Game two for the Knights is versus Slovakia at 8 pm Thursday night.

Day 1 – Game #2 – Slovakia a Pre Tournament Favorite Defeat the Knights

It was a very causious start to the game as the teams struggled for any scoring chances, but in the seventh minute of play the Team Slovakia would score on a shot by Peter Sana which would find the back of the net to open the scoring.  The Slovaks seemed to use the goal for momemtum and kept the pressure on the Knights quickly adding a second marker by Pavol Jančovič.

Team Slovakia known for their high skill set would continue taking the play to the Kinights in the second period adding two more goals by Marián Giba on the powerplay and moments later by Jaroslav Šelka. 

The Withrow Knights would score early in the third period on a goal by David Valenta (#7 - pictured above centre) on an assist from Stan Tuomisto.  However, the Team Slovakia didnt allow another goal in the third period and added two more by František Polák on the powerplay and the final tally of the night wennt to Boris Tomík.

The teams would get some rest and return for the third game of the preliminary round Friday where the Knights would take on Team Greece at 2:00 pm.

Day 2 – Game #3 – Knights and Team Greece end in a tie

In a very evenly played game the two defenses would prevail in this battle in which the teams were limited in their scoring chances and the game would end in a 0-0 draw.

These two teams were very balanced in strength and systems of play and it showed from the start as both would have opportunites on net which were twarted by the netminders, Foti Moschonas (Team Greece) and Pablo Garrido of the Kinghts.

The style of play carried onto the second period and Team Greece tried to play a more offensive game, however Garrido was equal to the test keeping the game tied.

The Knights best opportunity to score was in the third period when they broke down the floor on a two on nothing, but Moschonas made the save. For the balance of the third, Team Greece would create several scorig chances.

The Knights would finish the preliminary round with a record of 0-2-1 and will play the Czech Republic in the quarter final round Saturday at 11:30 am.

Day 3 – Game #4 – Quarter Finals – Czech Republic Show Their Strength

The Czech Republic broke the scoring open at the nin minute mark on a goal by Martin Kurz who completed on a wonderful pass from Martin Kovarik.   At the end of the seond the home team would score the second of the period claiming a 2-0 lead off another goal by Kurz who scroed his second off a slap shot.

The second period started in a similar manner with Martin Kurz scorig his third and completing the hattrick.  The Czech Republic would then score on special teams on a shorthanded marker by Slavomir Svancar and on the power play off the stick of Vaclav Slehofer. The two special team markers were sandwiched with a goal by Svancar who would himself complete the second period with his third of the game and after two it was 8-0 for the home team.

The final period would see the teams play hard and the Knights would score their only goal off the stick of Joe Mosel as he woudl tap in a rebound behind the netminder.

Martin Kurz (Czech Republic player) shared some thoughts on the Knights, they played really well in the first five minutes. The first goal helped us a lot and then it was better.

Day 4 – Game #5 – Knights Finish Hard and Get Thier First Win

The Knights started well and took the lead, which they controlled until the final whistle and defeated Team Austria 7-3.

David Valenta who scored the first goal for the Knights in the tournament woudl open the scoring as he scroed in the the third minute of the game. The team would carry the play for the balance of the period, but couldn’t find that second goal as the period would end with the one goal lead.  

The Knights carried on how the period ended by carryng the play and adding to the lead with a on a goal by Manny Da Luz. The second goal sparked the Knight offennce as they would scroe again three minutes later who found the top of the net on a goal by Joe Machado ending the period with a 3-0 lead.

The Austrians showed some fight scroing in the twenty-first minute on a gaol from the top of the face off circle by Christian Reiter. This was perhaps a wake up call for the Knights as they would reply quickly with goals by Stan Tuomisto and Steve Baine opening up the lead to 5-1.

In the third period, Mike Tanner would score for the Knights opening up a five goal margin and David Valenta would score his second of the game and third of the tournament leading the team onto a 7 to 3 victory.

Both teams gathering for the team photo after the game.