Play Continues for U.S. Masters Teams on Day 3 of 2024 World Masters Hockey Indoor World Cup

NOTTINGHAM, England – Several divisions wrapped up pool play while others began crossover matches on Day 3 of the 2024 World Masters Hockey Indoor World Cup (MIWC) at the David Ross Sports Village in Nottingham, England. The U.S. Masters Teams picked up five wins out of ten matches, with one loss coming in thrilling shootout fashion.

It was another exciting day for the U.S. O-50 Men, who took on the Netherlands in their final pool play match. The Netherlands dominated the game, scoring ten goals before USA’s Fernando Diez De Onate (Key Biscayne, Fla.) scored on a brilliant penalty corner shot at the 32-minute mark, saving the Golden Wolves from being shutout. The Netherlands went on to score two more goals, winning the game by a final score of 12-1. USA goalkeeper Dave Peel (Perry Hall, Md.) played superb under intense pressure from an unrelenting Netherlands offense. USA placed fourth in their pool, placing them in the crossover game against Scotland.

In their first game of the day, the U.S. O-60 Men had a crucial 3-1 victory over Switzerland. The U.S. side went down 1-0 after a first quarter goal from Switzerland, and trailed by that same score heading into halftime. It was after the half that the USA offense came alive, as Erik Enters (Harleysville, Pa.) tallied twice in the third and Bob Khosla (Phoeniz, Ariz.) made it 3-1 in the final frame.

In their first of two matches on day three of the MIWC, the U.S. O-60 Women got out to a quick start and put Alliance on their heels. An early first quarter goal by Linda Polonsky (Hadley, Mass.) off a penalty corner propelled USA into a commanding first quarter performance and 1-0 lead. A brief lapse in USA’s defense allowed Alliance to even the score, 1-1, just before the half. Both teams played aggressively in the third quarter without another goal allowed. The fourth frame saw both teams battle for possession, with USA coming out stronger in the final minutes. Just before the buzzer, Deb Atkins (Quarryville, Ore.) calmly collected the ball at the top of the circle and sent it into the back of the cage for the game-winner. USA claimed a 2-1 victory over Alliance.

With a goal in each quarter (and two in the third), the U.S. O-45 Women's Masters Team claimed a 5-2 victory over Ireland on day 3 of the MIWC.

We had two great tough games Saturday. First was Scotland! Both teams pressured hard, no one let up! Scotland was up 4-0 after the first quarter, but we turned it around in the second qt., with three back to back goals. Unfortunately Scotland countered this with a couple themselves. This went on for the rest of the game with both teams showing absolute brilliance and incredible team work. While we lost 7-12, the boys kept their heads high.

A dominant Germany team took down the U.S. O-35 Women, 4-0, on day 3 of the MIWC.

After a win earlier in the day, the U.S. Men's O-60 squad entered into their first crossover match against Scotland. It was a thrilling, back-and-forth match, which featured a hat trick from Erik Enters (Harleysville, Pa.), two goals from Manzar Iqbal (Nashville, Tenn.), and a crucial fourth quarter goal from Bob Khosla (Phoenix, Ariz.). Tied 6-6 at regualtion, the two teams went to shootouts. After five rounds, it was Scotland who came out victourious, making two shootouts to USA's one.

The second match of the day for the U.S. O-50 Men was against Scotland. A formidable opponent, Scotland started off with a four-goal run, until they were interrupted by USA captain Greg Pereira (Fulton, Md.). Pereira tallied a much-needed field goal for USA at the 13-minute mark, bringing the score to 4-1 in favor of Scotland. Scotland continued their barrage of scoring, netting another five consecutive goals to take a 9-1 lead early in the fourth. At the 34th minute, a penalty stroke was awarded to USA, and Pereira converted to tally his second goal for USA. One final goal was scored by Scotland, as they finished with a 10-2 win over USA.

The U.S. O-50 Men will play their final game tomorrow, March 31, against Wales for 7th place.

In their second game of the day, the U.S. O-60 Women’s Masters Team completed pool play against the LX Women. The game started off with both teams using a high press to create turnover opportunities. LX was successful in getting the ball behind the USA press to score in the first four minutes, taking a 1-0 lead. USA immediately rallied, propelled by three second quarter goals from Christine Couteau (Skillman, N.J.). Couteau showed off her stickwork to maneuver skillfully past LX players.

The second half was dominated by USA, who entered with a 3-1 lead. In the fourth quarter Diane Angstadt (Middletown, Pa.) threaded a beautiful pass to Couteau, who found the back of the net for her fourth goal. With just a few minutes remaining, Angstadt sealed a 5-1 win by threading a clinical shot from the top of the circle into the lower left corner of the goal.

The second game of the day for the U.S. O-35 Men was against Ghana. Working on structure and passing, USA put two goals on the board in the first quarter, with Rob Zagaria (Smithtown, N.Y.) getting his first international goal for the U.S. Masters squad and David de Perez (Prosper, Texas) tallying the other. A dominant U.S. side put up three more goals in the second quarter, from Matt Py (Shrewsbury, Mass.), de Perez, and Alexandru Gheorghe (Westport, Conn.), to take a 5-0 lead.

Throughout the game, the red, white and blue lit up the pitch against a tough Ghana team. Ghana displayed some good plays against USA, particularly in the third quarter, where they put three goals on the board. Two more goals from de Perez and a fourth quarter tally from Jesse Larson (Crownsville, Md.) gave the U.S. O-35 Men their first win of the tournament, 8-3, over Ghana.

Next up, the squad will take on Germany in the semifinals on Sunday, March 31.

For more information on the 2024 MIWC, visit the event page.