Red Rose continued a long tradition of a National Hockey Festival excellence with a 3-2 penalty stroke win over Spirit USA as USA Field Hockey concluded its 2006 Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio California on Sunday. In the mixed division, first-time champion White Mountain Sports edged Raptors 1-0 in the championship match to take the title.
The championship games concluded the four-day event that featured 217 teams and more than 3,800 athletes. On Saturday, USA Field Hockey crowned 27 high school-age group champions in the Under-19 and Under-16 divisions. The Festival is scheduled to return to Indio and the Empire Polo Club in 2007.
In the women's championship game, Red Rose needed penalty strokes to capture its fifth Open Division title at the Festival. With a history in the sport spanning more than 30 years, Red Rose earned its first Festival crown in 1987. The team capped a banner year in USA Field Hockey events that included winning the 2006 National Indoor Championship and the USA Field Hockey National Club Championship.
Red Rose (7-1 at the tournament) sported a roster that included former USA National Team members Linda Kreiser and Diane Angstadt, 1996 Olympians Katie Beach and Laurel Martin and 2006 college All-Americans Dana Sensenig and Caroline Nichols of Old Dominion. They defeated an upstart Spirit USA squad that included USA National Team member and FIH Young Player of the Year nominee Rachel Dawson as well as former USA Under-21 team members Heather Schnepf, Laree Beans, Lori Hillman and Lauren Ehrlichman. The five players helped the USA junior team to a 7th place finish at the 2005 Junior World Cup. Schnepf (Univ. of Iowa) and Spirit USA teammate Lauren Sickel (Providence College) earned collegiate All-America honors in 2006.
In the mixed division, White Mountain Sports (7-1) needed a goal by U.S. National Team member Kelly Smith to top Raptors, 1-0. Smith was joined on the White Mountian Sports squad by national team teammate Carrie Lingo, men's National Team member Pat Cota and a roster of college coaches including Missy Meharg of NCAA I champion Univ. of Maryland and goalkeeper and former USA national team member Jon O'Haire of Ohio State. The Raptors squad included some international-level experience of its own with U.S. National Team members Shawn Nakamura and Sean Harris.
Open Division Championship:
Red Rose 3, Spirit USA 0 (after penalty stokes)
Mixed Division Championship:
White Mountain Sports 1, Raptors 0
Final Open Division Standings:
1. Red Rose, 2. Spirit USA, 3. What Nots, 5. Detroit Club, 5. NorCal, 6. Second Effort, 7. Reunion, 8. Rising Sun Oz,9. Toes, 10. Golden Eagles, 11. State Schoolers,12. Green Cards, 13, Cosmos, 14. Southeast, 15. I'm With Stupid,16. The Ninjas, 17. Lindenwood
Mixed Division Final Results:
1.White Mountain Sports, 2. Raptors, 3. Jack & Jill, 4. East West Sports Camps, 5 (tie) Beach Club, 5 (tie). ASU Sun Devils, 7. Eagles Red, 8. Eagles Blue, 9. Modelorons, 10. Eagles White
Age-Group Division Pool Champions
U19A: Mystx Storm (Pa.)
U19B: Lanco Premier (Pa.)
U19C: High Styx Stampede (Pa.)
U19D: PA Power (Pal)
U19E: IFHCK Dynamic (Ky.)
U19F: Rush (Calif.)
U19G: Spark Blue (Md.)
U19H: First State Diamonds (Del.)
U19I: Cape Ann White (Mass.)
U19J: Xcalibur Braveheart (Pa.)
U19K: Great Falls Mavericks (Va.)
U19L: Team Michigan (Mich.)
U19M: Team Maryland Breakers (Mich.)
U19N: Hollywood AC (Calif.)
U19O: New Heights White (N.J.)
U19P: Delaware Hammerhead Sharks (Del.)
U19Q: Skillsets Select (B.C.)
U19R: Mystx Shock (Pa.)
U19S: Key State Orange (Pa.)
U19T: Surfer Girls (Calif.)
U16U: The Edge (N.J.)
U16V: WC Eagles (Pa.)
U16W: Xcalibur Silverhawk (Pa.)
U16X: H20 (Md.)
U16Y: Jersey Intensity Silver (N.J.)
U16Z: Pocono (Pa.)
U16ZZ: Cape Ann Black (Mass.)
