In what is becoming an annual ritual, the Dare Devils traveled down the Turnpike to Northeast Philadelphia for a December contest against our good friends, the Philadelphia Freeze. Northeast Philly was the home of Sylvester Stallone during his high school years, and the Dare Devils channeled their inner Rocky Balboa during today's matchup. All of endurance skating Coach Myles put the players through during practices came in handy, as only 8 NJ players suited up today.
You would never know the Dare Devils were short-handed with the way they played this morning. The Dare Devils were flying around the ice all game, despite playing with a flimsy shooter tutor in place of a real goalie. The constant double-shifting seemed to benefit the Dare Devils as they were playing like a team, making the extra pass, playing solid defense, and seemingly having the time of their lives as they zipped around the ice. The lack of a goaltender inspired our defensive specialists, Patrick and Connor Hung (aka the "Hung Boys"), to be defensive stalwarts throughout the game. The Hung Boys committed to protecting the net and their efforts paid off as the Dare Devils eked out a victory in this evenly matched contest.
Patrick Hung opened the scoring for the Dare Devils, taking a lead pass from Liam Smith, cutting across the crease and deking the goalie with a sneaky stick move. Shea Passikoff followed that up with two quick goals and the Dare Devils were off to the races.
All of the Dare Devils in attendance made the box score, led by Shea Passikoff (6 goals), Patrick Hung (2 goals, 2 assists), Liam Smith (2 goals, 1 assist), Ayden Duran (3 assists), James Cooney (1 goal, 1 assist), Owen Silverstein (1 goal), Connor Hung (1 assist), and Kieran O'Malley (1 assist).
Rookie Kieran O'Malley made the trip to Philly today and he continues to be a solid contributor in his first season with the team. He played strong defense, made beautiful passes and had several scoring chances that were stolen by the talented Freeze goalie. Keep up the great work, Kieran. We love having you on the team.
Lastly, we would like to thank the Philadelphia Freeze for once again treating us with brotherly love. In addition to giving us a great game, they hooked us up after the game with Philadelphia pretzels, donuts, drinks, fruit and other snacks. Thank you Freeze - you are one of our favorites! We can't wait to play you again!
Today is one of the most important days of the year for the Dare Devils....Team Picture Day! The players all came prepared in their red and green retro (aka, Christmas Tree) jerseys. The picture was scheduled to take place at 9:30, so the players hopped onto the ice and had a free skate for the 1st half hour of practice.
At 9:30 on the dot, Coach Bernard went into the scorers box and blared the horn to signal it was picture time. In an orderly fashion, the players all exited the ice on Rink 2, made their way to the bleachers on Rink 1 and started setting up for the picture. After 15 years, our esteemed team photographer, Frank Ingram, has the process down to a science. Frank looked like a conductor at the NY Philharmonic, waving the players and coaches into position, and giving subtle instructions to his cameraman protege, Nath.
The players were back on the ice five minutes later (a record for picture day). Coaches Eric, Jordan, Steve Toledo and a collection of other senior/junior coaches ran practice today. We started with power skating work and then the coaches split the players into two groups for butterfly and shooting drills.
At the conclusion of practice, Frank requested all the coaches to gather together for a photo on the ice (see above). Maybe it was because Nath had already left for the day, but this photo didn't go as smoothly as the team photo. Many of the Coaches aren't good listeners so Frank had to reposition us several times to get us in the proper pose.
Thank you Frank and Nath for organizing the photos today. Your dedication to the team is greatly appreciated. Additionally, we would like to acknowledge Coach Joe Keenan. While Joe was a youth/high school hockey player, he volunteered as a Junior Coach for the Dare Devils. Joe recently reached out to management to come back as a Senior Coach. Welcome back Coach Joe!
We will share the team photo as soon as it is available.
The New Jersey Devils hosted the Dare Devils at the Prudential Center this evening for our annual Group Night event. This year, the Devils treated us like the royalty we are and provided our entire outfit with prime seating in the lower bowl to see the Devils take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Unfortunately, the Devils lost an action packed (and fight filled) battle to the Blue Jackets. Despite seeing the home team lose, the Dare Devils still had a great time this evening. It was a great bonding experience for the team to let loose and watch the pros play.
The highlight of the night occurred during the 1st intermission when a group of Dare Devils players and coaches had the opportunity to participate in the "Marquee Matchup" game on the ice under the bright lights of the Prudential Center. The Dare Devils were split into two evenly matched teams to participate in this prime time event. Reese Citro, James Cooney, Taylor Esposito (goalie), Shea Passikoff, Owen Silverstein and Liam Smith wore their white uniforms while Ayden Duran, Theodore Howard, Patrick Law and Will Trampota donned their red jerseys. Coach Bernard drew the short straw and played goalie for the red squad while Coaches Brendon and Eric supervised the action from center ice.
Similar to the NHL game that sandwiched our event, this Marquee Matchup had a lot of action. Taylor Esposito made several pad stops to thwart Will Trampota and Patrick Law breakaway attempts. Not to be outdone, Coach Bernard caught the goaltending bug and used his freshly taped stick to block a flurry of chances from the white squad. In succession, Shea Passikoff went end-to-end only to be denied by Coach Bernard, Owen Silverstein's rebound attempt was also flung away, and Shea Passikoff had another shot blocked by the wily coach. Coach Bernard even stonewalled James Cooney, when James tried to stuff home a rebound. However, just when Coach Bernard seemed unsolvable, Owen Silverstein collected a puck in the defensive zone and weaved his way to the net and put home a goal. At this point, Reese Citro substituted in for the short-handed red team, deked up the ice, and snuck a puck past Esposito in the closing seconds to tie the game up at one. Liam Smith, Ayden Duran and Theodore Howard all played strong all around games for their respective teams.
After the Marquee Matchup ended, Theodore Howard was named the man of the match and was interviewed in front of the 16,000 fans in attendance. Theodore made the Dare Devils proud by talking about how long he has been playing hockey and by leading the crowd through a "Let's go Devils" chant. Way to go, TJ!
In addition to the players participating in the game, several Dare Devils players and family members made their way onto the big board. Aidan Hung was singled out by the camera man and the Silverstein family had their enthusiasm highlighted on the score board for the rest of the crowd to see.
All around, it was a great night for the Dare Devils. Thank you to the approximately 140 Dare Devils players, family members and friends who attended tonight's event. In addition, a special thank you goes out to our Devils representative, Adam Spitz, and everyone else with the Devils who once again showed us excellent hospitality. Thank you, Adam and thank you, Devils!
On this rainy Thanksgiving Sunday, several Dare Devils players and coaches hopped in their cars, crossed the George Washington Bridge, descended down the Henry Hudson Parkway, traversed 125th Street past the famed Apollo Theater and hung a right on Lenox Avenue. What were the Dare Devils doing in Harlem? Heading to the Gottesman Rink at the Davis Center in Central Park to participate in the ASHA Central Park Classic Skills, Drills and Scrimmage along with our friends from the Central Park North Stars, Woodbridge Warriors and the Philadelphia Flyers Youth program.
The Dare Devils were represented by Max Baranowski, James Cooney, Taylor Esposito, Charles Gao, Shea Passikoff, Owen Silverstein and Liam Smith. Despite the rain, the players had a great time at the event. The North Stars recently moved back to Central Park (after a few years in Prospect Park, Brooklyn) and it was a treat to see the newly renovated Gottesman Rink at the Northern tip of the Park. There was a beautiful locker room and viewing area, and more importantly, a perfect sheet of ice to play on.
The event started with a free skate where the players were joined by New York Rangers legend (and Hell's Kitchen's own), Brian Mullin. The North Stars coaches then ran the players through a gauntlet of power skating, passing and shooting drills before splitting the teams up for scrimmages. The Dare Devils skated as a unit and everyone played brilliantly. All of the Dare Devils scored goals, passed the puck, blocked shots and played strong defense. The highlight of the scrimmage was Liam Smith taking a lead pass from Brian Mullin and burying the puck past Taylor Esposito.
After almost two hours on the ice, the rain soaked players made their way to the locker room area, where they quickly changed into warm street clothes and enjoyed pizza, cookies and drinks with their friends. A special thank you goes out to the North Stars, ASHA and Brian Mullin for making today a memorable outing for our players.
Hopefully the players equipment drys out in time for the in-between-periods game at the Prudential Center tomorrow.
There was a lot of Dare Devils action today. Coach Myles, Coach Eric and Captain Ryan Griffin (updated Captain's Corner post can by found by clicking this link) ran a spirited practice at Codey today while a large contingent of players drove south on the Parkway to take on our intrastate rivals, the Woodbridge Warriors. In Woodbridge, the coaching duties were handled by Coach Jordan and Coach John.
Similar to our past several games in Woodbridge, both teams showed great sportsmanship. Woodbridge lent the Dare Devils a goalie while the Dare Devils had 5 players skate with the short-handed Warriors. The seditious 5 were superstars Kory Wadleigh, Patrick Hung, Connor Hung, Madison Mitchell and Tony He. Coach Terence joined the treacherous players and helped man the Warriors bench.
Under normal circumstances, the Woodbridge squad is one of the best teams in Special Hockey. The addition of the 5 Dare Devils stars allowed the Warriors to play like an all-star team. There was constant puck movement, strong defense and sound structure. It was too much for the Dare Devils to overcome. All of the Dare Devils who teamed up with Woodbridge played strong games. Kory Wadleigh led the way with 2 goals and solid defense; the Hung brothers played their typical strong defense and had several scoring opportunities; Madison Mitchell was a constant net-front presence; and Tony He continued his strong season and almost put home two goals during the contest.
The Dare Devils may have lost the game, but everyone on the team put in a solid effort and the Dare Devils kept it close throughout. Jimmy McTernan led the way with a hat-trick, Patrick Law scored a beautiful goal with assists going to Shea Passikoff and Aaron Quintana and Henry Barrios kept his momentum going by burying a puck into the back of the net. Several Dare Devils (Alfonso Mosca, Ayden Duran, Shea Passikoff, Owen Silverstein, James Cooney, Liam Smith, and Sean Glassett) were robbed of goals by the strong Warriors net minders. Nick Ritter, Will Milazzo and Reese Citro all put their bodies on the line while blocking several shots in the defensive zone.
There was also something going on with the referees today. We're not sure if they are famous but they seemed to catch the attention of all of the hockey moms in attendance. Despite all of the cat-calls from the stands, the dreamboat zebras called a solid game.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to the Woodbridge Warriors for hosting us today, showing great sportsmanship, sharing their goalies and treating us to tasty snacks after the game. Your generosity is greatly appreciated - thank you Warriors!
Last but not least, former Dare Devil superstar, Colleen Bryan, traveled down from South New Jersey to watch the game today. It was a great opportunity for her former teammates to see her again. We'd love to have you back on the team - don't be a stranger, Colleen!
The Special Hockey National Championship Tournament concluded today at the Ice Vault in Wayne, NJ. The Dare Devils registered three teams for the tournament and all three made it to Sunday's Championship Games in their respective divisions. It was a long weekend but the perseverance of the players paid off as all three of the NJDD outfits took home gold medals and championship banners that will soon be in the rafters at Codey. We would also like to thank our coaching staff who manned the bench for 10 games over the course of the weekend. Thank you Coach Bernard, Coach John, Coach Brendon, Coach Myles, Player/Coach Captain Ryan Griffin, Player/Coach Reese Citro and especially Coach Terence, who was in attendance for Every. Single. Game!
Frank's crew was in attendance today and we will post links to their galleries as soon as they are available. Thank you for the continued dedication Frank and team!
Below is a summary of Sunday's game action:
Sunday, 11/9 - NJDD A Team vs. the Long Island Blues - 7am - Rink 1:
Our NJDD A players teamed up with A players from other teams to take on our good friends from Long Island in this early morning championship game. Despite the early start time, the Dare Devils came ready to play and were able to squeak past the Blues to secure the championship medals. As usual, Captain Ryan Griffin led the charge with two goals in the contest while Patrick Hung chipped in with two assists. Reese Citro also played a strong game and recorded one assist for the A team.
Sunday, 11/9 - NJDD Black Team vs. Great Blizzards C - 8:30am - Rink 2:
Similar to their teammates on the A team, the Dare Devils Black squad found themselves in their division championship game in a matchup against the Great Blizzards from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Blizzards were a bit shorthanded for this game so James Cooney and Connor Hung showed great sportsmanship and volunteered to throw on their white jerseys and dress for the opposition. The change of scenery suited the Dare Devil turncoats well as both played their best games of the season. Cooney had an offensive explosion, scoring 8 goals for the Blizzards, while Hung recorded two goals and one assist. Both players also played solid defense, relishing in their board battles against Shea Passikoff, Sean Glasset, Jake Simon and Liam Smith. In fact, Cooney played so well he had his father contemplating a move to Cape Cod to allow James to continue with the mojo he found with the Blizzards. Coach Bernard was seen looking up Yarmouth real estate while on the bench (but don't fear, Coach Bernard thought better of it when he looked to the other side of the bench and realized that Coach Brendon and Coach Terence would bankrupt the Dare Devils within days without proper supervision). However, the Dare Devils were not laying down for their carpetbagging teammates and they also played spirited hockey. The Dare Devils went out of their way to make the extra pass today, highlighted by a Shea Passikoff, Liam Smith and Kevin Plunkett three man rush that resulted in a Plunkett goal. The linemates strung together 8 passes and Plunkett completed the play by burying a one-timer from the left hashmarks. The game ended in a regulation tie and went to a shootout. Our resident shootout specialist, Madison Mitchell, did her best TJ Oshie impression and deked the Blizzards goalie and deftly slid the puck between the goalers pads to seal the championship for the Dare Devils. A shout out goes to our guest goalie, El, from the East Coast Jumbos who kept us in the game and allowed us to come out victorious. The Dare Devils making the regulation scoresheet were: James Cooney (8 goals); Shea Passikoff (3 goals, 4 assists); Sean Glasset (2 goals, 1 assist); Connor Hung (2 goals, 1 assist); Liam Smith (1 goal, 2 assists); Tony He (2 goals); Jake Simon (1 goal, 1 assist); and Kevin Plunkett (1 goal).
Sunday, 11/9 - NJDD White Team vs. Great Blizzards B - 9:45am - Rink 2:
The tournament concluded with an intense division championship game between the Dare Devils White Squad (wearing their black Jersey jerseys) and the Great Blizzards B team. This was a chippy affair, with a lot of puck battles and chirping between the teams. The Dare Devils received support from guest goalie, Finn Bailey, from the East Coast Jumbos. Bailey was spectacular today, and was one of the main reasons the Dare Devils were able to come away with the hardware. Danny Giger opened the scoring after executing a beautiful poke check at the defensive blue line, taking the puck the length of the ice and burying a low snap shot to give the Dare Devils an early lead. The teams traded goals throughout the game and Patrick Law's second goal of the morning ended up being the game winner. Kiernan O'Malley made his Dare Devils debut and played a strong game on both ends of the ice. He inspired his teammates with his skating, back-checking and passing. The Dare Devils in the box score were Vinny Racamato (2 goals), Patrick Law (2 goals), Danny Giger (1 goal), Patrick Hung (1 goal), Liam Smith (1 assist), Andrew Piccirillo (1 assist) and Owen Silverstein (1 assist). The defense was paced by Will Milazzo, Ryan Kientz, Connor Hung and Patrick Hung. Micayla Shields, James Cooney, Shea Passikoff, Ayden Duran and Aaron Quintana all had several scoring chances but were unable to convert.
After some scheduling revisions for the A players, the Dare Devils only had two games on the slate on Saturday at the Special Hockey National Championship Tournament at the Ice Vault in Wayne, NJ. The NJDD Black took on the East Coast Jumbos C team at 10am and the NJDD White squared off against the talented East Coast Jumbos B team at 11:15am. Superstar goalie Matty Brighton, Liam Smith, James Cooney and Shea Passikoff all pulled double duty by skating in both of this morning's games. In addition to several players putting in the extra effort, so did Frank and Coach Myles. Frank once again captured the action during the games (galleries will be posted in each game summary) and Coach Myles ran practice at Codey this morning for the skaters not participating in the tournament. Thanks for the dedication to the team Coach Myles and Frank!
After all of the games on Saturday, the tournament host held a cookout in front of the arena. The event commenced with a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem (sung by a player from the Long Island Blues) and a bagpiper playing God Bless America. In addition to the great food and opening ceremony, the players had the opportunity to meet Devils great Bruce Driver, play in the Devils interactive trailer and to participate in a raffle for signed Devils memorabilia. The players were also given commemorative Johnny Gaudreau (aka Johnny Hockey) and Matthew Gaudreau Team USA jerseys. In a show of sportsmanship, the players from every team gathered together for a tournament photo wearing their new swag.
Below is a summary of the game action from Saturday.
Saturday, 11/8 - NJDD Black vs. East Coast Jumbos C - 10am - Rink 3:
The Dare Devils Black squad ran two lines in the early game against the East Coast Jumbos. The Dare Devils came ready to play, taking an early lead when Shea Passikoff broke through the defense and put a shot into the back of the net on the goalies low blocker side. After the opening goal, the Dare Devils kept the pressure on and were able to keep the ice tilted towards the Jumbos end for the majority of the game and ultimately came out victorious. Matty Brighton was spectacular, as usual, but the star of the game was Henry Barrios. Picking up where he left off after last Saturday's scrimmage, Barrios was hungry on pucks all game long and had a major impact on both the defensive and offensive ends of the ice. Also playing strong defensive games were Andrew Katz, who made a key block in front of the Dare Devils net, Michael Thampoe, James Cooney, Madison Mitchell, Jake Simon and Kevin Plunkett. Tony He continued his precipitous rise and had several scoring chances throughout the game. The offense was paced by Sean Glassett (2 goals), Shea Passikoff (2 goals), Henry Barrios (1 goal, 1 assist), Jake Simon (2 assists), Liam Smith (1 goal), Tony He (1 goal) and Mike Thampoe (1 assist).
Saturday, 11/8 - NJDD White vs. East Coast Jumbos B - 11:15am - Rink 3:
While the NJDD Black squad found some success against the East Coast Jumbos C team, the NJDD White squad was not as lucky in the late morning game against the juggernaut Jumbos B outfit. The Jumbos played with structure in both the offensive and defensive zones, seamlessly threading the needle with passes that forced the Dare Devils to chase the puck all game long. When the Dare Devils did find opportunities to break through and put shots on the Jumbos net, the goalie tandem from Boston easily thwarted all of the NJ chances. Patrick Hung, Patrick Law, Shea Passikoff, Alfonso Mosca and Micayla Shields all had opportunities to score but could not find a way to get a puck past the Jumbos netminders. If not for the heroics of superstar goalie Matty Brighton, this would have been a mercy rule game. The official scorer couldn't keep up and lost track of the shot count, but Matty must've made over 100 saves over the course of the game. Solid defensive efforts were put in by Patrick Hung, Connor Hung, Danny Giger, Owen Silverstein, James Cooney, Andrew Piccirillo, Ryan Kientz, Vinny Racamato, Andrew DePiero, Aaron Quintana and Liam Smith. It was inspiring to see the puck movement displayed by the Jumbos and the Dare Devils vowed to put in the necessary work over the course of the season to up their level of play to be able to compete with the Jumbos in the future.
The USA Hockey Special Hockey National Championship Tournament kicked off today at the Ice Vault Arena in Wayne, NJ. This year, teams from Boston, Cape Cod, Chicago, Long Island and Brick are battling with the Dare Devils for the Special Hockey Cup. It was an action packed Friday as the Dare Devils registered three teams for this event and all three played today. The Dare Devils White Team kicked off the tournament with a matchup against our fierce rivals, the Brick Stars. The NHLs New Jersey Devils sent their mascot, the NJ Devil, to perform the ceremonial opening puck drop. Veteran superstar Patrick Law represented the Dare Devils at center ice and squared off against his Brick counterpart for the tournament opening face off. We would also like to acknowledge our all star goaltender, Matty Brighton, who showed true warrior grit by playing three consecutive 75 minute games this afternoon. Great job, Matty! In addition, Frank and a few of his photographer friends were on hand today (thanks, Frank). All photo albums will be posted as soon as they are available. Below is a summary of the Dare Devils games on Friday, 11/7/25.
Friday, 11/7 - NJDD White vs. Brick Stars - 2:15pm - Rink 2:
Knowing the strength of the Brick Stars, Coach Myles had the NJDD White team roll three lines this afternoon. It was necessary as this was a back and forth marathon of a game that lasted 75 minutes. In addition to taking the ceremonial opening face off, Patrick Law netted the Dare Devils first goal and last goal of the game. In between, the Dare Devils scored many goals but the game ultimately ended in a tie. Although they put several pucks in the net, the Dare Devils were forced to rely on the heroics of superstar goaltender Matty Brighton to escape the afternoon with a tie. Brighton turned away numerous grade A scoring chances to allow the Dare Devils to collect a point. The Dare Devils on the scoresheet were as follows: Shea Passikoff (1 goal, 3 assists), Patrick Law (3 goals), Alfonso Mosca (2 goals, 1 assist), Liam Smith (1 goal, 2 assists), James Cooney (1 goal, 1 assist), Vincent Racamato (1 goal, 1 assist), Andrew DePiero (1 goal, 1 assist), Danny Giger (2 assists), and Aaron Quintana (1 assist). Ayden Duran, Ryan Kientz, Connor Hung, Andrew Piccirillo and Micayla Shields all played strong games for the NJDD White squad.
Friday, 11/7 - NJDD Black vs. Chicago Storm - 3:45pm - Rink 2:
While the NJDD White team rolled three lines in their opening game, their Black jersey'd teammates were a bit shorthanded in their opening matchup of the tournament. Despite only having 7 skaters (plus goalie Matty Brighton), the Dare Devils came away with a hard fought victory against the Chicago outfit. Sean Glasset led the way with three goals and Matty Brighton's dominance paced the Dare Devils to victory. The Dare Devils in the box score were Sean Glasset (3 goals), Jake Simon (2 goals, 1 assist), Kevin Plunkett (2 goals, 1 assist), Tony He (1 goal), PJ Visicaro (1 assist). The defense was led by the strong play of Madison Mitchell, Andrew Katz and Jake Simon.
Friday, 11/7 - NJDD White vs. Chicago Storm - 5pm - Rink 2:
The NJDD White squad played their second game of the afternoon against the Chicago Storm B team. After playing the opening 75 minute game earlier in the day, the Dare Devils had no business keeping this game competitive, but they did. The Dare Devils rode the hot goaltending of Matty Brighton and were in the game until the final moments but they ultimately came up two goals short. Liam Smith netted the first goal, off an assist from Micayla Shields; Shea Passikoff went end-to-end for the Dare Devils 2nd goal; and Alfonso Mosca scored the Dare Devils final two goals, with assists going to Vinny Racamato on Fonz's first goal and Matty Brighton on Fonzies 2nd goal. Strong contributions were made by Patrick Law, James Cooney, Owen Silverstein, Andrew Piccirillo, Ayden Duran, Danny Giger, Andrew DePiero, Aaron Quintana, Ryan Kientz and Connor Hung.
Friday, 11/7 - NDDD A Team vs. East Coast Jumbos - 4:45pm - Rink 3:
Captain Ryan Griffin, Will Trampota, Kory Wadleigh, Reese Citro and Patrick Hung teamed up with our good friends from the Long Island Blues (including superstar goalie Taylor Esposito) to take on the reigning Special Hockey World Champions, the East Coast Jumbos. Despite their best efforts, the joint Dare Devils/LI Blues squad were no match for the cagey Jumbos, led by former Dare Devil all star goalie, Matt Donnelly. All of the Dare Devils played well and can hold their heads high in keeping this game against the Jumbos relatively close.
Friday, 11/7 - NJDD A Team vs. Jersey Hitmen - Rink 2:
Captain Ryan Griffin, Will Trampota, Kory Wadleigh, Reese Citro and Patrick Hung once again represented the Dare Devils, this time teaming up with the Brick Stars A team to take on the USPHLs, Jersey Hitmen. The Hitmen are one of the premier junior hockey teams in the mid-Atlantic region but they had their hands full with the NJ A all-stars. The five Dare Devils played as a unit throughout the game and all of our players made the score sheet, led by Patrick Hung (1 goal, 2 assists), Will Trampota (2 goals), Captain Ryan Griffin (1 goal), Reese Citro (1 goal) and Kory Wadleigh (1 assist). Kory Wadleigh and Captain Ryan Griffin paced the NJ A all-stars with their skating and defense and led their team to a major upset in defeating the Hitmen by a score of 10 to 8. Great job, A team! Way to represent Special Hockey!
The USA Hockey Special Classic at the Ice Vault in Wayne, NJ is this weekend (Friday, 11/7 thru Sunday, 11/9). The full tournament schedule and details are listed on the official tournament website. Below is a summary of the Dare Devils schedule and team rosters for the tournament.
