The Club Championships 2026: Fight for the Crown

The 2026 Club Championships powered by Knapper delivered an unforgettable weekend of ball hockey, highlighted by dramatic overtime victories, fierce rivalries, and standout performances from some of the sport’s top teams and players.

The Garden State Indians captured the Men’s A Division title after one of the most thrilling playoff runs in the history of the event. Garden State survived three consecutive overtime playoff games, beginning with a hard-fought 1-0 quarterfinal victory over the Iowa Dekheads in a goaltending duel featuring MVG candidate Robbie Mangini and the Dekhead’s Matt Levesque. They followed that with a dramatic 3-2 comeback win against Penn Hills Arsenal, tying the game with under a minute remaining on a clutch goal by Dom Tussy before advancing in overtime.

The championship game against the Leominster Americans provided even more late-game heroics. Trailing late in regulation, the Indians forced overtime when Ian Basilio scored the tying goal with just 10 seconds remaining. Connor Callahan completed the storybook run by scoring his second overtime game-winner of the playoffs, including the championship-clinching goal, earning Tournament MVP honors.

In the Men’s B Division, the Pittsburgh Purple Power dominated from the start, finishing pool play as the tournament’s top overall seed. After earning a bye into the semifinals, Purple Power faced a difficult matchup against the defending 2025 champion Rose City Royals. Brad Budjous scored the overtime winner to send Pittsburgh into the championship game against local rival and 2024 champion Northside Militia.

The B Division final was one of the most physical and intense games of the weekend, with both teams trading goals throughout. Purple Power ultimately secured the championship when Vinny Clark scored a highlight-reel unassisted game-winner to seal the victory.

Special thanks go to Matt Shirey for providing Shirey Stats coverage throughout the tournament. Full tournament statistics, photo galleries, and links to watch games on USA Ball Hockey’s YouTube channel can be found at:
https://usaballhockey.com/club-championships/

USA Ball Hockey would also like to thank our sponsors: Knapper, River Salvage, and 2and10 Custom Apparel.

We extend our appreciation to every team that participated—especially those who traveled from out of town—and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to RMU Island Sports Center on May 14–16, 2027.

A special thank you goes to our officiating crew, led by Director of Officials Jeff Johnstone, along with Mike Wahbi, Ryan Wilson, Erica Simpson, Sergio DeLuca, Joe Powell, Dan Conte, and Mike Caruso. Your expertise and efforts kept the tournament flowing and safe for all competitors. 

We also thank Dylan McKenna and Digital Video Technology for streaming all of the Sunday playoff games (Garden Rink) and helping bring the sport to local television through SportsNet Pittsburgh –  a milestone achievement for the event. 

Finally, this weekend of hockey would not have been possible without the support of USA Ball Hockey and the many volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes:

Mike and Jane Albright
Jake Polverini
Tony Pletz
Chuck Sisson
BJ Throop
EJ Dwyer
Jackie Pochadt
Terri Milby
Katherine Salce
Erika Sabilla
Sammy Battista
Tyler Sisson
Austin Seddon
Greg and Jeremy Warhold

We’ll see everyone back at RMU Island Sports Center for the 2027 Club Championships on May 14–16.