Buffalo Jr Wings????

[Kordykid]

A couple guys on our roller team had a debate going on this week.....Does the Buffalo Jr Wings team/ program still exist because we have not heard little to anything about the team in the past 2 years or so. Just curious. Thank you.

[calihockey]

they are now iplayrollerhockey

[Benny_Gulakiw]

Sorry Cali, that's not entirely correct.

Jason Domitrovic, who was once the Buffalo Wings Director of Amateur Development, attempted to start a web site called iplayrollerhockey.com. When he left the Wings organization at the start of the 2001 season, he convinced some of the Junior Wings players to play in certain tournaments under that name, wearing jerseys with that name. Those players also continue to play under the Buffalo Junior Wings name at other events. To the best of my knowledge, Jason's web site never got off the ground, however, some of those players still have the jerseys and when they enter a tournament on their own, they sometimes play under that name because that's what it says on their jerseys.

The Buffalo Junior Wings was started in 1998 as the Buffalo Wings entry in the Major Junior A Roller Hockey League. This was a 22 & under (now 23 & under) Junior A league based in Southern Ontario, Canada. 1998 was the league's second year and they had 13 teams. The league has since shrunk down to basically 3 teams (Hamilton Firewheels, Niagara Panthers and Buffalo). Since 1998, the Buffalo Junior WIngs name has come to encompass our entire travel team program. Teams are entered in various tournaments in a variety of age divisions and play under the Buffalo Junior Wings name.

Admittedly, the Buffalo Wings travel program has been working in fits and starts for the past couple of years. Recently, we hired Ryan Beliveau, the former Captian of R.I.T.'s roller hockey team (2001 CRHL DI National Champions) and current member of Team Canada's roller hockey team that recently won Silver at the Pan Am Games in Columbia, South America. Ryan is the Wings' Director of Hockey Development and one of his jobs is to re-format our entire travel team program. He is working in conjunction with our plans to have our own dedicated twin-rink roller hockey facility open by the Spring of 2003 here in Buffalo.

In the meantime, the Buffalo Junior Wings have qualified for NARCh Finals Platinum, as the have since 1998, and will be in St. Paul. During the next 12 months, you will be seeing the Buffalo Junior Wings name alot throughout the country, but particularly here in the Northeast.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey

[LetsRoll]

Jason Domitrovic? Wasn't he the guy who self-promoted himself all over the industry a while back with the Buffalo Wings, then went to NARCh and well, where's he now?

[Benny_Gulakiw]

You are correct, sir. The last I heard is that he is the rink manager or Director of Hockey programming at Coast-to-Coast rink in Huntington Beach, CA.

Benny Gulakiw
Vice President of Operations
Buffalo Wings Roller Hockey