Richmond Royals open bid in Silver Stick tournament

Ice hockey is alive and well in Richmond, though the Coliseum is devoid of a professional team and high schools lack an amateur league.

For 150 kids in the Richmond area, the Richmond Royals Hockey Club is the answer. And the U18AA team, the oldest and most advanced team in the club, is on track to have its best season.

Today, the Royals head to Sarnia, Ontario, for the International Silver Stick tournament. They'll be one of 18 teams competing for the championship of a prestigious contest that started in 1957 to promote international relations between teenagers in Ottawa and New York.

The first tournament champion received a hockey stick made of silver. Today, the winner receives a replica and a green banner to hang over its home ice.

Each of the 18 teams in the finals won a regional tournament to get this far. The Royals won their regional tournament in Maryland last December, going 3-0-1 and sealing their advancement with a 3-2 OT win over Exton, Pa.

The Royals were one of six teams to enter their regional tournament and about 100 overall between the U.S. and Canada.

Last year, the Royals went 1-2 in the International Silver Stick tournament. It was the first time any Richmond team had ever won a game in the tournament since the league's inception in 1995. This year, with a record of 25-2-5, the Royals have their sights set much higher.

Captain Steven Valva, 17, who attends Hermitage, believes the team should reach the semifinals, if not the championship. "I think we can go all the way," Valva said.

But the competition the Royals will see this weekend will be stronger than anything they've seen so far this year. First, the Royals have to play Mt. Clemens, Mich., ranked No. 1 in the U.S., and then London, Ontario, ranked No. 9 in Canada.

Coach Ed Shulman admits their opponents will be faster and more skilled with their stick-handling, but the Royals bring a formula to the ice they believe opponents won't be prepared to handle.

On defense, the Royals run a neutral zone trap where the center forces the puck to outside, while the rest of the defense guards the center of the ice. Most teams, Valva says, play a man-on-man defense, and won't be prepared for the Royals' system.

"It definitely gives us the ability to compete with anybody in the country," Shulman said.

The Royals are ranked No. 38 in the country. But the ranking is mostly because of the Royals' strength of schedule.

The country's most dominant teams are primarily located north of the Mason-Dixon line and in major metropolitan areas with NHL teams.

"Richmond is a hockey island," Shulman said. While there's enough talent to field a team in Richmond, the closest opponents are at least 90 minutes away, in Prince William and Hampton Roads.

So the Royals play most of their games on the road, often traveling to Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Maryland.

And because the Royals are the only U18AA team around, some players come from outside the Richmond area just to play.

Goalie Eric Dumas, who goes to Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, is one Royal Shulman credits for his dedication.

Assistant captain Brian Douglas has a much shorter trip; he attends VCU. He says it's going to take the Royals' best game to come home with the green banner. And how to approach the best talent they've seen this year?

"Try not to think about it."