Westcoast Warriors Hit the Jackpot in Reno!

This past January the Westcoast Warriors Atom team won the Gold Medal at the 2005 NARCh Winternationals in Reno, Nevada. This prestigious event featured 176 roller hockey teams competing for the championship in divisions from 8&under up to 35&over and NARCh Pro.

The tournament ran January 7-17, 2005 at the brand new Reno Events and Convention Centre - a short walk from the main hotels in downtown Reno. Early in the tournament it was evident that the Warriors were the odds on favorite for the championship as they displayed a solid combination of speed, passing and teamwork that put them above their opponents.

The team went through the round-robin portion of the tournament with a perfect record of 3 wins and 0 losses. All 3 games ended in identical 8-0 scores. These victories came against the Mission Primal Bulls (California), Carson Allstars (Nevada) and the Stallions (Colorado). After the round robin the team headed to the Championship game and a rematch with the Stallions.

The Warriors came out flying again and skated away with their 4th consecutive 8-0 win and the 2005 NARCh Winternationals Atom Championship. The tournament victory was the result of some excellent preparation by the players, coaches and parents.

The Warriors roster consisted of: Ryan Donaldson, Ryan Furby, Dallas Gaytmenn, Nick Guiney, Kurt Klimek, Kellan Lavallee, Quinncy Leroux, Ayden MacDonald, Josh Poland, Jake Virtanen, and J.J. Virtanen.

Coach Ron Leroux and his two assistants, Brian Lavallee and Jonn Gaytmenn, spent almost 3 months selecting and training this group in preparation for the Reno trip.

In addition to the team success, Jake Virtanen won the Tournament High Scorer Award with a 3.75 ppg average and teammate Ayden MacDonald was a perfect 1.00 Save %, which earned him the Top Goalie Award.

For most of these boys it was their first taste of big time roller hockey as they were able to see roller hockey played in different age groups at the highest level. Teams in attendance included some of the top roller hockey programs in the Southern US.

The Warriors would like to thank the following for their generous support of the Westcoast Warriors Atom team that helped make this trip a big success:

* Apex Wall Panels
* Coast Mountain Spas
* Guiney Brother's Construction
* Legends - Home Builders
* Westcoast Roller Hockey
* The Friends & Family, who made donations to the "Roll-a-thon"
* Members of Walnut Grove who graciously donated at our "Bottle Drive"

Congratulations to the Players and Coaches!