Roller hockey national championship tournament begins Wednesday in Auburn

AUBURN — The University of Denver won the men's NCAA Division I ice hockey national championship this past weekend in St. Paul, Minnesota.

But the college hockey season isn't over yet. The National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association will hold a national tournament this week at the Norwegian Savings Bank Arena starting at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning and ending Sunday afternoon.

In preparation for the event, Norwegian Savings Bank Arena installed sports court floors on the ice surfaces of both rinks last week.

“We're excited to bring it to Auburn,” said Rob Coggin, NCRHA's director of league operations. “This is our college championship, so I think it’s going to be great for them to bring a lot of college students here and get a real Maine experience.”

Several years ago, Auburn and Norway Savings Bank Arena was targeted to host the national championship after the NCHRHA consulted with the Maine Athletic Commission.

That's when Mark Gosselin, executive director of community partnerships and sports tourism for the city of Auburn, got involved.

“Believe it or not, it got my attention because Sheila Brennan Nee from the Maine State Athletic Commission was talking to one of the executive directors, Rob Coggin,” Gosselin said. said. “They started having conversations and looking into it. In the city of Auburn, we're trying to focus more on what we can bring to this area, not just (ice) hockey. It's sports. . It's about recreation and the impact it has on the community.”

Forty-seven teams from across the country will descend on Auburn this week to compete for four national championships. National tournaments include Division I, Division II, and Division III, as well as an AA division. The AA division is open to schools that bring in second teams.

“Division I is supposed to be for our well-organized clubs, but some clubs have been around for a very long time and are really organized,” Coggin said. Ta. “You can see the difference in talent between Division I and Division III. Division III is for new clubs that are really developing how to move forward. You can see the difference in talent between Division I and Division III. Many of the Division II teams are just as competitive as the Division I teams. They're working at the organizational level to make the leap to the next level.”

Coggin said the teams to watch are Lindenwood University in St. Louis, Missouri, in Division I, and Northeastern University and Boston University in Division II. Yeshiva University is an Orthodox Jewish school in New York City, and he is one of the top teams in Division III.

Ruben Gonzalez of Grand Canyon University in Peoria, Arizona, leads Division I with 56 points, and Michael Luzopone of Cortland University in Cortland, New York leads Division II with 68 points. Eddie Darda of Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, is Division III's leading scorer with 100 points.

There are many differences between roller hockey and ice hockey besides ice and no ice, ice skates and inline skates. The biggest difference is that roller hockey is played 4-on-4 instead of 5-on-5. A roller hockey game lasts less than an hour, with 12 minute periods lasting three times and a one minute break. There are no landings or offsides, and it doesn't place as much emphasis on physicality as ice hockey.

“Roller hockey is a very open-ended game, very free-flowing. There are also far fewer whistles than in an ice hockey game,” Coggin said. “It really gives players the freedom of time and space to move around with the puck.”

If there is a power play, teams play 4-on-3 or 4-on-2.

“When you're on the power play, it's great. There's a lot of room to walk and shoot,” Jarrett Tomazic of Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said of the 4-on-2 power play. “When you're killing people, it's terrible.”

Games Wednesday through Saturday begin at 7 a.m. and run until midnight. In each of the two rinks he will have one match, two of his matches at once.

On Saturday, Divisions I and II will host semifinal and championship games. The Division III and AA semifinals are Sunday, with the final game at 3:30 p.m. There's also an alumni section, games begin on the weekend, and a free youth roller hockey clinic is held on Saturdays at 4 p.m.

Day passes, weekly passes, and weekend passes are available for purchase at the arena.

Gosselin said the arena will feature a variety of music and entertainment performances throughout the week during games.

“It's good timing because it's school holiday week,” Gosselin said. “We hope people will take the time to participate.”

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