USA Brings Home Two Bronze on Final Day of 2026 World Masters Hockey Indoor World Cup
NOTTINGHAM, England - On the final day of competition at the 2026 World Masters Hockey Indoor World Cup (MIWC) at the David Ross Sports Village in Nottingham, England, two USA teams took the courts with medals on the line. The U.S. O-35 Men and O-45 Women each captured bronze, emerging as the only two of the ten competing American squads to reach the podium and close out the tournament with hardware.
With a medal on the line, the U.S. O-45 Women came to play against Ireland. The first half was a tight battle, and it was tied 3-3 going into the break. After finding themselves trailing after the first minute from a penalty stroke goal, USA regrouped and Melissa Weiss (Ann Arbor, Mich.) got the red, white and blue on the board in the 7th minute. The teams traded goals in the second, first with Patti Webb (Monkton, Md.) giving USA the lead in the opening minute before Ireland again converted on a penalty stroke to make it 2-2. Two minutes later, Weiss put USA ahead, but it was short-lived, as Ireland responded to make it 3-3 at halftime.
The second half was all USA, who went on the score three unanswered goals which propelled them to the bronze medal finish. Weiss recorded her hat-trick in the 29th minute, Jennifer Mathis (Dedham, Mass.) scored off a penalty corner a minute later, and Weiss sealed the win in the final minute of regulation to make it 6-3.
The U.S. O-35 Men had a well-rounded performance against Wales in the bronze medal game. Stephen Nodder (Mclean, Va.) started off the scoring in the 4th minute with a gorgeous field goal. Inside the second frame, Alex Gheorghe (Greenwich, Conn.) notched the first two of his four penalty corner goals to put USA ahead 3-0. Wales tracked back and cut the margin, scoring on a set piece with time expired in the first half to make it 3-1.
The third quarter saw both sides exchange tallies, first with Gheorghe recording his hat-trick then with Wales making it 4-2. There was an impressive seven goals across both teams in the final period. For USA, Abdel el Kettani (Danbury, Conn.) put it into the roof of the net while running upright in the 31st minute before Nodder took on the goalkeeper for his second of the game in the 36th minute. Inside the final two minutes, Gheorghe scored his final set piece goal and then Jesse Larson (Crownsville, Md.) nailed one in. USA walked away with the 8-5 victory, praising their coach Bobby Alexander for getting the team to the podium.
For more information on the 2026 MIWC, visit the event page.
