Alabama hockey team rolls into Halifax for tournament

HALIFAX – The 38th annual Shearwater East-Dartmouth Minor Hockey Association, SEDMHA, hockey tournament got underway at rinks around Halifax on Thursday with some special guests from the United States.

The minor hockey tournament draws teams from Atom age to Midget and from all over the Maritimes. This year, however, there is a team from a little further away – a Pee Wee team all the way from Alabama.

“Roll tide, roll,” shouted the players from the Alabama Frozen Tide hockey team as they threw snowballs into Halifax Harbour.

The 17 Pee Wee age hockey players aren’t used to the cold weather or the mounds of snow all around Halifax. They come from Birmingham, Alabama, where snow is a rarity for them.

“We don’t get a lot of snow down in Alabama, so it’s pretty cool to have some snow,” said defenceman Hudson Jacobus.

“It’s lots of snow. More snow than I’ve ever seen since I’ve been to Europe,” said teammate Sebastian Zamborsky.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We don't get a lot of snow down in Alabama, so it's pretty cool to have some snow," said defenceman Hudson Jacobus.</p><p>"It's lots of snow. More snow than I've ever seen since I've been to Europe," said teammate Sebastian Zamborsky.

Another player, Ty Wilson, didn’t bring long pants with him, but he didn’t seem to mind the cold as he sat in a huge pile of snow.

“Actually I like it a lot better here,” said Wilson. “I actually get really hot easily.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Actually I like it a lot better here," said Wilson. "I actually get really hot easily."

Back in the 1990’s, teams from the Northeastern United States were regulars at the SEDMHA, and teams from the Halifax/Dartmouth area would travel to those communities for tournaments at Christmas time. But local teams started travelling less in recent years and the connection was lost. The Alabama Frozen Tide is the first American team to compete in the SEDMHA since 2006.

“That’s pretty cool to us,” said Wilson.

The team has a couple of Nova Scotia connections – head coach Rick Bennett, used to live in Kentville, but moved to Alabama 10 years ago.

He wants this to be a lifetime experience for the players.

“We’re teaching these guys to become young men,” said Bennett. “It’s not just about the sport itself but their personal development. We’ve got a bunch of kids we’re really proud of and they’ve done a great job.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're teaching these guys to become young men," said Bennett. "It's not just about the sport itself but their personal development. We've got a bunch of kids we're really proud of and they've done a great job."

“I went to Alabama for an internship to finish out my degree and here I am 18 years later with my own kids, bringing them back for SEDMHA,” said assistant coach Greg Dreveny, who was a goaltender with the Dalhousie Tigers in the 1990’s.

After posting 29 and 3 record this season, the team is anxious to play in Canada to see how they stack up.

“We’re really excited for the tournament and we want to win it,” said Zamborsky.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're really excited for the tournament and we want to win it," said Zamborsky.

“I’ve always wanted to play in Canada because it’s a lot more competitive here,” Wilson said.