Marlborough, MA: From Friday, June 11 through Sunday June 13, 2021 the New England Sports Center hosted eighty -six teams comprised of First Responders. Fire, EMS, Police and Military were all well represented in this charity event. There were eleven divisions with champions crowned in each.
Games were played on six of the eight full sized indoor rinks. Each team was guaranteed three preliminary games, with each game consisting of three, twelve-minute periods. The top four teams in each of the divisions qualified for the playoffs.
While the hockey games were the main attraction, there were plenty of other events taking place. On Friday and Saturday there were local bands entertaining the crowd, as well as a beer garden and vendors on site. The opening ceremonies featured an Honor Guard with Pipes and Drums, the National Anthem by the singing goalie, as well as a helicopter flyover. Silent auction items, such as autographed Boston Bruins memorabilia, as well as raffles took place. On Saturday, a Lifeflight Medevac helicopter was onsite with the crew for pictures and a close up look. Bauer had a display showing their new skate boot and blades that will be released in two weeks. There was also a lot of tailgating in the parking lots. The Stevens Cup trophy was also on display, as well as a tribute jersey and photos of a recently fallen local police officer.
Executive Director Mike Matros was busy, not only running the weekend but also finding time to play a game or two in goal. In another highlight of the weekend, Mike’s 10 year old son, also a goalie, played in one of the games, coming out of it with a lower goals against average than his Dad.
The weekend was a huge success, thanks to the many sponsors, Mike and his wife Caiti, and the many other people involved in the planning and presentation of the weekend. On Monday, the planning team will meet to debrief this past weekend and start planning for next year’s event.
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