Local flavor spices up international hockey getaway
Middle-schoolers from Broome, Chenango, Schuyler and Tompkins counties will be part of an elite hockey squad headed north of the border this weekend for the start of high-grade international competition.
Owen Robitaille, Madison Lawrence, Ryan Wead and Skyler Mitchell are members of the Syracuse Stars, who will open play Sunday in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. Competition will be staged at the 18,259-seat Videotron Center in Quebec City.
The Stars’ roster, formed through tryouts held in December, is an assemblage of some of the finest Pee Wee Major (born in 2005) talent in Central New York. Players from an assortment of winter travel teams comprise the Stars, a separate entity formed solely to participate in this premier event.
Robitaille, who attends Maine-Endwell Middle School and plays for the Utica Junior Comets, Lawrence (Norwich Middle School/Jr. Comets), Wead (Corning-Painted Post Middle School/Valley Youth Hockey), Mitchell (Boynton Middle School, Ithaca/Ithaca Youth Hockey) and the rest of the Stars begin play in the Class AA-Elite Division on Sunday against the Nord-Quest Pionniers.
Also in that 32-team bracket: Japan Select, Zurich Lions, Slovakia B Stars, Swiss Eastern Selects, Hershey Jr. Bears, Arizona Bobcats, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Syracuse Stars debuted in this tournament in 2017, when the 58th edition attracted better than 210,000 spectators through 12 days to have a look at 120 teams from 17 countries.
In a format that guarantees teams two games — and becomes single-elimination following the openers — the 2017 Stars started with an overtime win against an opponent from the Ukraine with 9,000-plus in attendance. The Syracuse team was beaten in its second game, but picked up exhibitions during the stay in Quebec, two contested at a mall rink with a roller coaster surrounding the ice surface.
The Stars will once again be coached by Robert Esche, Whitesboro native who played for the Phoenix Coyotes (1998-2002) and Philadelphia Flyers (2002-07). He is President of the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets and head coach of the Utica Jr. Comets Pee Wee team.
Esche’s assistant coaches include Patrice Robitaille, Owen’s father, who played two of his six professional seasons with the BC Icemen of the United Hockey League— most notably 1999-2000 (30 goals, 59 assists). Robitaille, 47, competed in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament for Pont Rouge (or, Red Bridge), 25 minutes from Quebec City, in which he was raised.
“I believe we lost in a quarterfinal but it was an amazing experience, even being local,” Patrice said.
Tournament alumni include Brad Park, Guy Lafleur, the Gretzky and Howe brothers, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy and Steven Stamkos.