Blazers win 16U Bantam 'AA' crown
Buffalo In-Line Hockey Group

The Buffalo In-Line Hockey Group Blazers beat the New York Knights, 8-0, to win the Bantam 16U "AA" championship at this weekend's Tournament of Roller Hockey Series regional qualifier. Members of the team, pictured from left, are: first row, kneeling - Ian Durgan (Clarence), Shane Irwin (Amherst); second row - Brad Owens (Tonawanda), David Campuzano (Grand Island), Ryan Okon (Lancaster), Derek Laviolette (Cheektowaga), league director Rich Gurbacki, Jonathan Clark (Williamsville), head coach Ryan Perkins; top row - assistant coach Tom Wright, league director Rich Smith, Adam Rainey (Tonawanda), championship game MVP Pat Smith (Amherst), Jake Bass (Grand Island) and leading scorer Eric Wright (Newfane).

The Buffalo In-Line Hockey Group Blazers won the Bantam 16 and under "AA" championship at this weekend's Tournament of Roller Hockey Series regional qualifier at the Amherst Pepsi Center.

The Blazers got better every game, holding the New York Knights to two shots en route to an 8-0 win in the championship game.

A strong local representation - BIHG, Buffalo Wings, Buffalo Storm, American Indoor and Niagara Sports - augmented with teams from Oakville, Ont., Detroit/Windsor, Chatam, Ont. and Burlington, Ont. provided stiff competition in all age levels.

Cheektowaga resident and Maryvale freshman Derek Laviolette played well in three separate age groups - Buffalo Storm's 18U midget team and Buffalo In-Line Hockey Group's 16 and under Bantam team and 14 and under Pee Wee teams.

Zac and A.J. Zaepfle, Cory Clark, Ryan Wendt, Chris Kendall, Jay Downing, Kyle Kozlowski, Tony Porter, Tommy Budde, Mike Irwin, Russ Rizzo, Kevin Eberth, Christian Curtola, Adam Terragnolli, Alex Willis, Calvin Waley, Justin Swan, Josh Graser, Ricky Jacobs, Tyler Cassillo, and Zac Carlisle also played well for their local teams.

Other tournament results can be found at TORHS.com.

The 2008 TORHS Nationals will be held July 4-12 at the Amherst Pepsi Center. More than 200 teams and 2,000 players in all age groups will compete.

The Pepsi Center will dedicate three of its four rinks to the 12-day tournament. The roller hockey surface will be played on top of the ice surface in order to play the games. Special dehumidifiers will be brought in to control condensation that could appear on the roller hockey surface.

For more information about BIHG, call Rich at 773-1188 or 689-4090 or visit BIHG.org.

For more information about the Buffalo Wings' large youth summer program, call Jason at 444-2667. For more information, about a youth summer program in Cheektowaga, call Eric at 316-5393.