(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Every hockey player playing in the Olympics this year started somewhere. Rinks like Sertic Ice Center in Colorado Springs plant the seeds of future stars. While some kids choose to take the three-day President’s Day weekend to relax, others in southern Colorado made the choice to play hockey this weekend.
The 46th annual President’s Day Tournament sees hockey teams from across the country descend on Olympic City, U.S.A. At a time when professional hockey players have returned to the games for the first time since 2014, kids in southern Colorado are inspired by the stars of Milan.
“I love hockey, it’s like it’s everything for me. Everything I do,” said Anthony De’Amelio, a winger for the 14U Colorado Springs Tigers hockey team. “I just feel like it’s just so cool to see, like the country that you love.”
De’Amelio is especially motivated by the faces of the Colorado Avalanche who have made the trip over to Italy.
“Definitely Nathan MacKinnon, he’s like a role model to me, he’s fast, he can hit,” De’Amelio said.
De’Amelio’s squad finished up their tournament on Monday, defeating the Wichita Jr. Thunder 7-3 in a third-place match. But talking to the players, they were not satisfied with just making the podium.
“It was just kind of sad we didn’t make it past playoffs, especially to a team that we knew we could beat,” De’Amelio said.
But this young squad understands it is in the process of improving that will help them chase their dreams to one day suit up for their country and compete for the gold medal.
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