Vamos Brazil!

Brazilian hockey gave a big step forward with the organization of first Pro Open Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, the first competition with a money prize for the winner, that can be considered the national league. Six teams (Lokomotiv Rio de Janeiro, Old Parrots Rio de Janeiro, Lusa Ice São Paulo, Frozen Knee, Dynamites, Bulls Ice Hockey São Paulo) battled at Barra da Tijuca rink under the eyes of Russian Consul and organizer Ge Cardoso. Lokomotiv Rio de Janeiro (the name was choosen to honour Lokomotiv Yaroslavl) won the tournament beating 5-3 Bulls Ice S. Paulo in the final game. Ladybugs Rio de Janeiro won female title defeating 5-1 MMTK, another team from Rio. After the tournament,  headcoach Ge Cardoso announced the first ever roster for Brazil national team that will compete in the Pan-American Championship in Mexico City next June. The tournament, organized by Mexican Federation under the aegis of IIHF, will be the first competition for American teams and will allign, besides host Mexico and Brazil, US, Canada (both with U18 teams, not yet announced wich level), Argentina and Ecuador.

Champion team Lokomotiv Rio de Janeiro

"The event was a great success, people crowded the small arena and the main medias were at the rink to cover the tournament. - said Ge Cardoso - As organizer and coordinator I'm very happy because we beckoned about 100 athletes. I feel we have to go on this path and I believe hockey will grow in Brazil. This was another event of the project Pro Hockey Brazil. as I told at eurohockey.com when I introduced the idea, it is a new, original way to promote hockey here."

"Now we are ready for this another great event in Mexico. We have the opportunity to play in a regular and amazing brand new arena. I know will face difficulties because the players mainly play in-line and here in Brazil we haven't a regular rink, but we have experienced players in the roster and I'm sure we'll make a good impression."

Ge Cardoso is not just a dreamer, really icehockey in Brazil seems to enter in a new dawn: São Paulo Ice Sports Federation Projects Manager Salvador Neto said to journalist Gustavo Longo: "For politic and bureaucratic reasons, projects to develope ice sports in Brazil were stopped some years ago. Now we can resume the walk. Currently we have a federal project to estabilish regular rink in São Paulo, Petrópolis and  Rio de Janeiro where we install training centers for icehockey, curling, speed and figure skating and short-track"

Here the Brazilian roster for Pan-American:

Goaltenders:
Fábio Asse (Lusa Ice São Paulo)
Allen Ruane (Florida Mafias - USA Roller Hockey)

Defenders
Zé Guilardi - DL (No Limits - São Paulo)
Caio Petito - DR (No Limits - São Paulo)
Marcelo Rodrigues - DL (Lokomotiv Rio de Janeiro)
Luis Ferraz - DR - (Old Parrots Rio de Janeiro)
Gustavo Tecckio - DL (Panteras - ARG)
Daniel Baptista - DR (Lokomotiv Rio de Janeiro)
Emmerich Souza - DL (Sertaozinho)
Igor Souto - DR (Lokomotiv Rio de Janeiro)

Forwards:
Pedro Raposo - LW (No Limits - São Paulo) - captain
Bruno Gomes - C (Panteras - ARG)
Daniel Cabral - LW (Lokomotiv Rio de Janeiro)
Patrick Sobotka - RW (Old Parrots Rio de Janeiro)
Diego Araujo - C (Castellon in-line - SPA)
João Vasconcelos - LW (Bulls Ice São Paulo)
Julio Baptista - LW (Lokomotiv Rio de Janeiro)
André Valverde - C (Old Parrots Rio de Janeiro)
Felipe Geraldini - RW (Lokomotiv Rio de Janeiro)
Thomas Gringo - LW (Lusa Ice São Paulo)
Yan Graciano - C (Bulls Ice São Paulo)
Vicente Camargo - RW (Hunters Rio Grande do Sul)

Tweets by @eurohockey