The Chicago Spin journeyed to New York City on June 20-22 to participate in the Chelsea Challenge, New York City’s third annual international gay and lesbian hockey tournament. In the developmental division, Chicago’s Thomas Hain played on the gold-medal winning Blue Bombers. Congratulations Tom!
Six teams made up the recreational division: Chicago Spin, NYC Lions, Boston, Vermont, Toronto, and Orphans. In the three-game round-robin portion, Spin finished 4th by virtue of one win, one loss, and one tie. Thus, Spin advanced to the semi-finals to play the 1st place NYC Lions. In the semi-finals, the Lions defeated Spin 5-1 and went on to win the final against the Orphans.
| Game 1 Fri. 6/20, 8:45 pm |
Spin 2, Boston 2 | Goals Geoff Boehme Larry Zyks |
| Game 2 Sat. 6/21, 9:40 am |
Spin 4, Orphans 3 | Goals Geoff Boehme Shane Thompson Ryan Ruskin Andy Rogers |
| Game 3 Sat. 6/21, 6:10 pm |
Vermont 5, Spin 1 | Goals Shane Thompson |
| Semi-final Sun. 6/22, 10:10 am |
NY Lions 5, Spin 1 | Goals Chuck Jacobson |
Spin’s Chelsea Challenge Roster
Forwards Line 1: Larry Zyks, Chuck Jacobson, Ryan Ruskin
Forwards Line 2: Geoff Boehme, Rex Babiera, Andy Rogers
Forwards Line 3: Dan Bain (Toronto), Kevin Jennings (NYC), Joe Ogulin (DC)
Defensemen: Shane Thompson, Brian Merlot, Greg Bates, Mark Walsh (DC)
Goalie: John Adams
I think I can safely speak for the whole team and say that we had a great time representing the city of Chicago in the Big Apple. The level of competition was high; we skated hard and played with excitement even when we were tired. Special thanks go out to John Adams for his effort in goal; what a way to play your first competitive games in over ten years! And thanks too for Chuck Jacobson’s efforts in organizing the group this year. At Chelsea Challenge 2002, he was inspired to start the Chicago Gay Hockey Association, and one year later, there we were at the same tournament with a complete team. Thanks, Chuck!
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Rex<