How an Irish hockey team without an ice rink is turning heads at N.S. tournament

An annual minor hockey tournament held across the Halifax region has attracted interest from an ambitious group of players from a destination not known for its hockey exports: Ireland.

The Irish Ice Hockey Association (IIHA) Saints, an Under-15 squad consisting of the best youth hockey players from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, made the 17-hour trek across the pond to participate in the Shearwater East Dartmouth Minor Hockey Association (SEDMHA) tournament this weekend.

Sam Cummins, a defenceman for the Saints, described his experience at the competition as a “dream come true.”

“I always dreamt of playing hockey here (in Canada),” he said, adding that he became interested in playing hockey as his father was involved in the Irish national team.

Cummins, like several others on the Irish team, plays in-line hockey on a roller rink back home — as the closest ice facility in his area is about four hours away. His team’s bout against the Bedford Vipers on Friday was his second-ever competitive game on ice.

“It’s tough,” Cummins said of adapting to the ice surface while playing against Canadian teams who regularly practice at their local rink.

“We seem to be putting up a fight, we’re not going down easy. We’re working hard out there.”

When watching the Saints play, many would be surprised to learn most of the team’s players are just learning to skate — one wouldn’t know it from their performance. The international visitors led Bedford 5-4 until late in the third period before the local team equalized and eventually earned themselves an overtime victory.

Lilly McPherson, hailing from the city of Kilkenny in Ireland’s southeastern region, was named player of the game following a standout display on Friday. She said she got into the sport because her dad played when he was younger.

“We (the players) come from all different clubs, so some people have played a lot of matches, and some people wouldn’t have played any,” she said.

McPherson said she grew up playing at her town’s lone ice rink before the facility closed down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toby Feeney has a slightly different relationship playing hockey. Though he was born in England, his family moved to Canada for a time. They relocated to Ballycastle, Northern Ireland about three years ago. He said he first laced up his skates during his early childhood years in Canada.

“We’ve been on the ice in the past week more than we do in a month in Ireland,” he said, adding that he typically receives more ice time than some of his teammates due to his additional involvement with a local U19 team.

“Most people (on my team) barely get on ice at all … the in-line team gets an ice practice every few months. Other than that, there’s no ice. A lot of the players have been on ice four times in the last year.”

He said his team had three practices together before making the trip to Nova Scotia.

‘The dedication is huge’

Paul Cummins, the team’s head coach, said it takes an extraordinary level of commitment for some of these players to develop in Ireland.

“In the Republic of Ireland, there are no ice rinks. So, some of these kids have to do a seven-hour roundtrip to train,” he said, noting the ice facility is in Northern Ireland.

“Getting them all together and getting some ice time is tough sometimes.”

Cummins, who runs a roller hockey club in Kilkenny, said the local hockey clubs in Nova Scotia have been more than accommodating since the team’s arrival, offering ice time and coaching sessions so the team can practice ahead of the tournament.

“It’s been a massive, massive help,” he said, adding that word of his team’s lengthy journey has already spread through the surrounding community.

“We went to a mall yesterday and a lot of people came to us saying they heard we were in town and congratulating us, it’s been fantastic.”

He said it’s “been amazing” to walk into a local shop and purchase hockey equipment in Nova Scotia, as the team usually has to order everything online — few local sports retailers carry hockey accessories in Ireland.

“The dedication, that’s huge. The parents have to spend an awful lot of money and time just for training sessions. It’s tough, but they’re absolutely dedicated,” he smiled, saying that his squad has “absolutely” exceeded expectations in their tournament performance.

The Saints dropped their first game 5-2 before falling 6-5 in overtime on Friday, a clash where the Irish side led on several occasions.

‘These guys don’t have an ice rink’

Aisling Daly, the team manager, said the IIHA’s main objective for the overseas trip is to provide players with as much ice time as possible.

“Because they’re only getting sporadic ice time back home, that eight days of consistent ice time is vital for us to be able to gel as a national squad,” she said.

Daly said the team was picked six months ago and participated in four “half-ice” practice sessions — due to a lack of resources in Ireland — leading up to their departure for the tournament.

Thanks to local teams in the Halifax area lending some rink time for the team to hold practices, she said there already has been a noticeable difference in the Saints’ performance on the ice.

“(I’m) immensely proud. They are a fantastic bunch of kids,” Daly said.

She said a developing relationship with the Bedford Vipers, who the Saints played on Friday, has played a significant role in making the trip possible for the Irish players. She said the families of the Vipers’ players have provided accommodations for her team.

“(That) was vital for this trip to actually happen – if you add in accommodation costs, food costs, it puts it out of the range of most people’s financials,” she continued.

“One or two of our players go to a family here. They live the hockey lifestyle, that family usually has a hockey player with the Bedford Blues (Vipers) … and they become a part of the family while they’re here.”

Looking ahead, Daly said she hopes increased support from communities across Ireland will lead to more ice facilities being built for players to properly develop as the sport continues growing in popularity.

“The money is there to build a rink. We just need the will in the political area to make sure it gets done,” she said.

“These guys need a home; they have no home.”

She said what’s been on display throughout the Saints’ performances against talented Canadian clubs should be enough to convince local decision-makers that hockey is worth the investment in Ireland.

“Guys, look at that last game. They lost in overtime. They could’ve won that game,” she said.

“These guys don’t have an ice rink. You give them an ice rink, just imagine what they could do.”