American history was made in Czechia over the weekend.
For the first time ever, Team USA captured titles in both the men’s and women’s divisions at the ISBHF World Championships, with each team topping the host Czechs in their respective finals.
The men’s team features several players whose names should ring a bell to anyone who has followed the sport or high school ice hockey over the past 15 years or so. Team USA was captained by former Oakmont Regional standout Nick Carter, with former Leominster High cornerstone Matt Caron and former Fitchburg/Monty Tech star Korey Wilson contributing to the cause.
Caron was named to the tournament All-Star team, along with PJ Biagetti, who scored the overtime winner for the U.S. in Sunday’s 2-1 championship victory. Netminder Andrew Carter was named the tournament MVP after stopping 30 Czech shots in the final.
Carter netted two goals and two assists over the week in Czechia, while Wilson had a goal and three assists. Caron added a pair of helpers for the U.S., which finished pool play with a 2-3 record, but caught fire in the knockout stages.
The Americans topped Switzerland, 5-1, before squaring off with Canada in the semifinals. The U.S. got out to a 4-1 edge against the Canadians and held on for a 4-3 win on Saturday to earn a shot at the title.
Having lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Czechs in pool play, Team USA got out to a 1-0 lead as Nick Phillips converted a pass from Wilson for a goal early in the second period. But the hosts pulled even three minutes later and the game remained knotted until the extra session.
Biagetti netted the golden goal 8:35 into OT, expertly working a 2-on-1 with Nicholas Bruno on a quick give-and-go before sending a shot past Czech goalie Vojtěch Mokry. The host nation suffered its lone loss of the event at the worst time possible.
On the women’s side, Team USA was solid from the start, going 3-1-1 in pool play. They managed to pick up a nailbiter of a win in the final, topping the Czechs, 1-0, to claim gold.
American Maxie Weisz was named the tournament’s best goaltender after recording a 12-save shutout in the final, while teammates Arianna Kosakowski and Taylor Steadman were named to the all-tournament team.
Brooklyn Schneiderhan scored the only goal of the final, finding the net for the United States in the 18th minute.
Strong showing from Special team
Last week’s Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis saw Team Massachusetts pile up the hardware, bringing home a total of 33 medals, including 10 golds.
One of those first-place finishes came from a team with several local members, as the Unified Volleyball program captured gold, battling through a three-set thriller in the championship match to claim the title.
The team’s hometown is listed as Worcester/Leominster, comprised of athletes from across Central Massachusetts. The roster includes Ashburnham’s Jeff Hoyt, Fitchburg’s Anthony Perez, and Leominster’s Imani Rather, Jeremy Williams, Art Merriam, Ryan Merriam and Jean Merriam.
In addition to nine other gold-medal showings, Team Massachusetts — comprised of 70 athletes and Unified partners — collected eight silver medals and 15 bronze.
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