Russians in tournament spotlight
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The Penguins and Evgeni Malkin will be on the road this weekend, but that doesn't mean there won't be some top Russian hockey talent on local ice.
The annual Midget AAA Steel City Cup hockey tournament runs today-Sunday at three local venues. The tournament will feature 27 Tier I traveling all-star teams of 15- to 18-year-olds split over two age groups from across North America and, for the first time, a team from Russia.
"We've got teams from Vancouver, Calgary, a couple from Arizona ... it's a neat field," said Pittsburgh Viper Hockey founder and head coach Dave Kosick, whose organization stages the event.
"Who would imagine that a team from Moscow could square off against a team from Arizona? It's kind of unique."
Eleven midget major (age 18 and under) and 16 midget minor (16 and under) teams will play round-robin style followed by a "final four" in each bracket.
Games will be played at the Ice Castle in Castle Shannon, BladeRunners Harmarville and the Valley Sports Complex in New Kensington. The latter is the home rink of the Vipers and the venue for the championship games Sunday afternoon.
Other than teams the Vipers will field, other local organizations represented at the Steel City Cup include the Pittsburgh Junior Penguins, the Pittsburgh Predators and the South Hills Amateur Hockey Association.
The Philadelphia area as well as Ohio, New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee and Indiana also are represented as are three Canadian provinces.
Atlant, however, is the most intriguing team.
Based in Mytishchi, Russia (near Moscow), its players are staying with host families this weekend to help offset the travel costs.
"It's definitely going to be different," said Vipers forward Heinz Koster of having a Russian team in the tournament. "It's going to be a good experience for everyone. It's never happened before for us, so it should be fun."
According to Kosick, this is the largest Tier I tournament between now and the USA Hockey national championships that begin late next month.
"For a lot of teams, this is a good opportunity to play the three, four, five games in three or four days that prepare you for the schedule and the competition of what you might see at nationals," Kosick said.
Tournament and single-game passes are available at the door.
"In all honesty, if you're a true fan of the game, it's an opportunity to see some great hockey from players that six, eight years from now, hopefully, you'll be reading about and watching," Kosick said.
"The Patrick Kanes and the Ryan Malones, these types of kids come through this tournament," he said, referring to a Chicago Blackhawks star and a former Penguin.
First Published February 3, 2012 12:00 am
