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U.S.EWHA
PowerHockey News Release: August 24, 2001
U.S. EWHA
7216 39TH AVE. N.
Minneapolis, MN 55427
Tel: 763.535.4736
Fax: 208.279.1368
Web Site: www.powerhockey.com
Email: info@powerhockey.com
PowerHockey World Cup comes to a close
Minnesota teams play well against world's best
By Luke Pedersen
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota [August 24, 2001] - The world's best wheelchair
hockey teams and players came to Minnesota for the first ever PowerHockey™
World Cup. The event took place Sunday August 5th through Thursday
August 9th, 2001 at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. It kicked off
with the Opening Ceremonies emceed by Wally Shaver with special
guest Tod Leiweke, President of the NHL's Minnesota Wild, and culminated
with the Toronto Rock's 4-2 victory over the Calgary Selects in
the championship game. The Toronto Rock's Michelle Duboulay was
named Championship Game MVP, and the Minnesota Stars' Chris Kram
was named Tournament MVP [voted on by coaches of each team].
The PowerHockey™ World Cup was the largest power-wheelchair
sporting event in U.S. history. It was also the first PowerHockey
tournament to have teams from Australia, Canada, Europe and the
US, competing against each other. Eleven teams competed for a chance
to capture the PowerHockey Cup. Teams included: Minnesota Stars
(USA), St. Paul Saints (USA), Michigan Mustangs (USA), Power Roos
(Australia), Calgary Selects (Canada), SW Ontario Canucks (Canada),
Toronto Rock (Canada), Finnish National Team (Finland), Nording
Bulls (Germany), Rocky's Rolling Wheels (Germany), and Thunder Roma
(Italy).
The state of Minnesota was well represented with two teams in the
competition, the Minnesota Stars and the St. Paul Saints. The Stars,
the first organized electric wheelchair [PowerHockey ] team in the
United States, was established in 1993. The Saints are in their
first year of existence, and are the second PowerHockey traveling
team in Minnesota. Most of the Stars and Saints team-members play
on various teams in the U.S. Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association's
(U.S. EWHA) Minnesota Division.
The Stars finished round-robin play 3-1-1, and advanced to the
semifinals by beating Thunder Roma 4-0, in the quarterfinals. In
the semifinals, the Stars lost 2-1 to eventual champion Toronto
Rock. The Stars played Team Finland for third place, losing 2-1.
After a 1-1 tie through overtime, the game went to a shootout. Finland
put home its third shot to seal the victory.
The Saints finished round-robin play 1-3. They opened the playoff
round by losing 3-0 to Australia's Power Roos. The Saints rebounded
to win their next game 3-2 against the SW Ontario Canucks. After
a 2-2-overtime tie, the game went to a shootout. The Saints outscored
the Canucks and advanced to the 9th-10th place game. The Saints
beat the Michigan Mustangs 2-0 for 9th place.
The PowerHockey™ World Cup was hosted by the Minnesota-based
U.S. Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association (U.S. EWHA), a non-profit
organization dedicated to providing a quality hockey program for
persons requiring the use of an electric (power) wheelchair during
daily life. The U.S. EWHA was founded by members of Minnesota's
first organized PowerHockey team.
"The tournament proved to be a tremendous success," said
Craig McClellan U.S. EWHA President. "It was our goal to create
a venue that would surpass anything ourselves, or any of the visiting
teams had ever participated in. Not just from a game-playing standpoint,
but also in providing excellent accommodations and organization.
I think we more than went out of our way in accomplishing this."
PowerHockey™ is a sport specifically designed for electric
(power) wheelchair users. This segment of the disabled community
is very under-served when it comes to available athletic opportunities.
The Special Olympics and Paralympic programs do not serve these
athletes. The potential market for PowerHockey™ is the same
if not greater than those very successful national/international
programs, quite possibly making it the world's next big disabled
sports movement.
For more information about the PowerHockey™ World Cup, or
the U.S. EWHA and its programs you may visit: www.powerhockey.com
or call (763)-535-4736.
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