- Neil Conway III
The Open Tournament 2019
5 O’Clock Somewhere wins the Open Tournament in the Old Flats of Painesville
As the early morning rain was chased away by sunny skies and an almost perfect day, 5 O’Clock Somewhere went on a six game run to win the hotly contested Open Tournament for Painesville Dek Hockey. The event was held in Painesville’s Recreation Park, formerly known as the Flats. The Final was a high scoring 13-8 win by 5 O’Clock Somewhere over the notorious, returning champions; that is, the Quack Attack.
Kevin Vinyard, former JCU ice hockey Captain, led 5 O’Clock Somewhere in the playoffs--- including 5 goals in the Final and the tournament MVP award. Teammate Dean Kelly, former member of the Irish Nat’l Ice Hockey Team, followed suit with 4 goals. Liam Conway, Brock University lacrosse (Canada), added a hat trick, with another key goal from Brandon Gallo. Goaltender Jason Wiess, Men’s Hockey All Star, had to vacate the park early, which req’d a change in the defensive duties. The switch involved moving Declan Conway (Mentor Ice Breakers—FHL) from forward to goalie, with support and points on defense from his sister Seanna Conway, former NWHL goalie and Head Coach for Gilmour Academy’s Girls Prep Team. The change up was effective.
For the Quack Attack, Captain Anthony Krueger of Miami University(Ohio), as well as roller hockey coach, had a hat trick. Brother Evan Krueger(JCU ice hockey) and Jackson Johnson (Cle. Hts. Hockey) had 2 goals each, with a goal from Robbie Engoglia and defense from Matt Milgram. Dom Anselmo (University School Coach) was stellar in net for the Quack Attack. There spot in the final was due to a cliff hanging 8-7 victory in the semi-final over the CLE Steamers, who had defeated the Quack Attack previously in the early rounds. The Steamers roster is full of league all-star caliber players, including Mike Ingenthorn, Brad Zicarelli, , Mike Garam, Alan Raeder, Matt Biatts and Jared Prior. Adam Grady and Mike Ropos handled the goalkeeping.
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Another contender for the Open Trophy was the Free Agents, who opened up the tournament with a 6-2 win over the Midwest Knights, advancing to the semi-final only to fall to the top seed 5 O’Clock Somewhere. Their roster included Dan Fritsche (former NHL), Zach Grandstaff (leading scorer for Riverside’s North Coast HS team), speedsters Andrew Mozul and Mark Contorno, as well as Mark Abraham and David Deeter.
Special Thanks to officials Brian Dolan and Mike Cottos