2026 World Masters Hockey Indoor World Cup Kicks Off
NOTTINGHAM, England - All nine U.S. Masters Teams took the courts at the David Ross Sports Village in Nottingham, England for the first day of competition at the 2026 World Masters Hockey Indoor World Cup (MIWC). The U.S. O-55 Women picked up their first win, a 2-0 shutout over Alliance.
A skilled and fast England side took a 5-0 win over the U.S. O-60 Women. England got on the board early, taking a 1-0 lead in the first minute. A stringent USA defense kept England from scoring any more until late in the second frame. An unfortunate lapse in the third period allowed England to put up three in quick succession but a regroup produced a scoreless fourth quarter. USA creating several good chances throughout, but couldn’t quite find the finish, either sending the shot just wide or having it saved by the goalkeeper.
It was a tough opening match for the U.S. O-45 Women, as they lost to England 11-2. Their opponents were fast and took a 7-0 lead at halftime before the red, white and blue got on the board. USA went two for two on penalty corners, with Sandra Cook (Arnold, Md.) scoring a straight shot, and the second being a slip to to Tina Mattera (Wakefield, Mass.) and a rebound goal from Melissa Weiss (Ann Arbor, Mich.). Both Patti Webb (Monkton, Md.) and Mattera recorded defensive saves in the game.
It was a close battle between the U.S. O-65 Women and Wales. After Wales opened the scoring in the 19th minute, Wendy Morris (Felton, Pa.) evened the game. Despite an impressive defensive effort which saw USA goalkeeper Lee Gerdes (Lancaster, Pa.) make several key saves and a defensive penalty corner unit that gave up no goals, Wales was able to tally the gamewinner in the fourth quarter.
In a high-scoring affair, Australia got the better of the U.S. O-35 Men defense. The Golden Wolves were not without goals of their own, seeing a trio of tallies in the second and third quarters from Sean Trevathan (Virginia Beach, Va.), Stephen Nodder (Mclean, Va.), and Abdel Elketani (Danbury, Conn.).
After giving up three goals in the first quarter, USA was playing catch-up in their contest against Wales. The final three frames were more even, seeing USA's Jackie Connard (Dublin, Pa.) tally off a penalty corner to end the second quarter. The goal was answered by Wales in the third, which was in turn met with a response from Rhiannon Nolt (Haddon Township, N.J.) to make the score 4-2 heading into the final ten minutes. Two more goals from Wales and one final goal from USA, from Melissa Hallman (Palmyra, Pa.), made the final 6-3.
It was a well-fought battle between the U.S. O-55 Men and the Scottish Thistles, with both goalkeepers staying busy, including USA's Ikuo Saito (Port Washington, N.Y.) in his indoor debut. The Thistles got on the board first, notching back-to-back goals in the first quarter. A physical second frame saw another, and USA trailed 3-0 headed into halftime. The Golden Eagles would be the next to score with a tally from Stanley Iyadurai (Coral Gables, Fla.) to cut the deficit to two. The Thistles picked up two more in the final quarters, which were answered by one goal from USA's Malcolm Finnamore (Maplewood, N.J.) off a penalty stroke.
The U.S. O-55 Women kicked off their tournament with a win, shutting out Alliance, 2-0. After a handful of penalty corner chances went unfulfilled for USA, Margaret Kelly (Sherborn, Mass.) found one in regular play to put the team up 1-0. The two teams traded opportunities for the middle quarters, which included a penalty stroke from Alliance that was sent wide. USA found its second goal in the first minute of the final frame when Denise Zelenak (Wilmington, Del.) sent a pass up the middle to Kathy Frick (Doylestown, Pa.).
The U.S. O-50 men faced a powerful Netherlands side, falling 8-1 in their first match. Facing a barrage of Netherlands attack the whole game, USA finally broke through with a goal of their own in the final minutes with a penalty corner conversion by Jaime Rodríguez Cartagena (Worcester, Mass.).
In an even match that started with a scoreless first half, England took home a 3-2 victory over the U.S. O-60 Men. USA played a controlled game throughout, winning several penalty corners but unable to convert them. England scored first, finishing a penalty stroke chance in the 28th minute. USA's Erik Enters (Harleysville, Pa.) started the fourth quarter a man possessed, taking a shot on goal that was finished by Greg Pereira (Fulton, Md.) then scoring his own seconds later after winning a key intercept. USA could not hold on to its lead, however, giving up two more goals to England in the final eight minutes. With seconds left in the game, USA was awarded a penalty corner, but was unable to score. Goalkeeper Prashant Aji (San Jose, Calif.) played in his first World Cup game, making several superb saves.
For more information on the 2026 MIWC, visit the event page.
