August 1st,
2005-
Following the success of the past season and the Denny
Pratt Memorial Tournament, the ‘Bulldogs’ took a bold
step to compete in the 3rd Annual Czechoslovakia Cup
Tourney on 7/29-7/31. While every team at every level in
the EAHL refused to sign up for the tournament for fear
of getting embarrassed, the ‘Bulldogs’ stepped up and
proudly represented the ‘Edge’ Ice Arena as its sole
ambassador.
The
‘Bulldogs’ knew they had their work cut out for
themselves. The competition consisted of 15 teams from
all over the US and Eastern Europe. Many of the players
in the tournament played professionally in Europe and
North America with several having played in the NHL.
Many of the teams have played together for 5-10 years.
In contrast, the ‘Bulldogs’ are a very young franchise
with most of its players possessing less than two years
of organized hockey experience.
Despite
being outplayed by superior competition throughout, the
resilient ‘Bulldogs’ showed the heart of a champion by
never giving up and never giving in. The four teams they
would face were the University of Minnesota Gophers, The
Colorado based Czech-American Regional Squad, Chicago
based ‘Golem’ and the arrogant, L.A. based, former Czech
Republic All Stars. The ‘Dogs’ kept the game close in
three out of the four contests including a 10-0 upset
over ‘Golem’ in the third game.
The
tournament championship went to the Minnesota ‘Gophers’
squad, who dominated throughout the competition, despite
being amateurs. The ‘Gophers’ were the only other team
other than the ‘Bulldogs’ completely made up of American
born players.
“We
played some very tough teams” said Alex Martinez. “By
far the toughest we’ve ever faced. From my point of
view, we had a good showing. Getting at least one win
was good but having the privilege of playing against
some of the best talent in the nation [and the world]
was even better. Although I wish we could have fared
better, there is no question that everyone played there
asses off and played with lots of heart.”
”On
another note, I want to thank James [Senne]. Not only
did he take one for the team by getting 17 stitches on
the chin, but he was a great host at the wrap up party.
We all had a great time at the tournament and at his
party.”
The
‘Bulldogs’ will get back to practice this week after a
few days of rest. With their upcoming season more than a
month away, they will enter one, possibly two more
tournaments to keep themselves sharp.
The
Good:
-
-Passing: The ‘Bulldogs’ stuck to the formula that has
made them successful by executing the breakout pass
well, creating many odd man rushes and scoring
opportunities.
-
-Conditioning: The ‘Dogs’ showed no signs of fatigue
throughout the grueling tournament. Much of this can
be credited to the extra work and speed drills put in
during practice.
-
-Bulldog Fans: The fans came out in droves to cheer on
the local club. The team also received plenty of
support mail and letters thanking them for putting on
a good show.
-
-Roman Glaser: The ‘Bulldogs’ organization would also
like to thank Roman Glaser for inviting them to the
tourney and for being a gracious host. Mr. Glaser has
already opened the invitation to the ‘Dogs’ for next
years cup, which will reportedly be split into
different playing levels.
The
Bad:
The
Ugly:
-
-Unabomber: Unabomber must have enjoyed the game
against L.A. in which he volunteered to be
scorekeeper. His lack of professionalism, (along with
one of the officials), in which he ridiculed the squad
with his distasteful comments and the great pleasure
he took in adding points to the scoreboard. I got one
word for you, Bomber: P-R-I-C-K!
-
-Game
4 Official: The aforementioned official (Tweedle Dum-F*ck)
displayed an unprofessional attitude himself. He
tossed aside all objectivity, by ridiculing the squad
within earshot of their bench, praising L.A.’s squad
for their flashy play and abusing his power as an
official by slapping the ‘Dogs’ with many questionable
penalties.
