SHI 2026 Tournament Summary - Toronto, Ontario, Canada - March 5-7, 2026
Nine Dare Devils players dusted off their passports and crossed the Northern border to participate in the premier Special Hockey Tournament along with 55 other teams from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Families started arriving in Toronto on Wednesday night to ensure they were available to participate in the opening ceremonies at the Herbert H. Carnegie Centennial Centre at 8:30am on Thursday morning. After parading with all of the participating teams, the Dare Devils headed back to the the hotel for some much needed R&R before their gauntlet of games began. Below is a summary of the games and weekend activities.
3/5/26 - 12pm - Dare Devils vs. Barrie Colts - Scotiabank Pond Arena, Rink 4
The Dare Devils opened the tournament with a game against the Barrie Colts. Barrie, Ontario is one of Canada's hockey hotbeds and it seemed like the Colts weren't happy seeing a team sporting the same jerseys as Jack Hughes, and were looking to exact revenge for all of Canada. The Colts came out of the gates jumping with several early goals and they continually swarmed the Dare Devils throughout the game. Eventually, the Dare Devils found their rhythm and were able to mount a counterattack and put some pressure on the talented Colts goaltender. However, while putting forth a valiant effort, our NJ squad did not have enough in the tank and lost the game by a wide margin. All of the Dare Devils stepped up their game to try and matchup with one of the best teams we have ever played against. Patrick Hung, who played an excellent all-around game, put the Dare Devils on the scoreboard by converting his own rebound midway through the second period. Liam Smith, Shea Passikoff, James Cooney and Kieran O'Malley all had several scoring opportunities but couldn't solve the top-notch Colts goaltender. Theodore Howard, Connor Hung and Ayden Duran all played spirited defensive games and did their best to slow the Barrie attack. A special thank you goes out to our guest goaltenders, Linus and Joseph, for backstopping us today and limiting the damage with the onslaught of Barrie shots on net.
3/6/26 - 9:15am - Dare Devils vs. Grandravine - Scotiabank Pond Arena, Rink 3
After navigating the parking situation at the hotel, surviving parking lot falls, and remedying their hangry pains, the Dare Devils eventually were able to unwind on Thursday afternoon and enjoyed some time lounging around the hotel pool, lifting heavy at the hotel gym and sampling airport hotel food. The Dare Devils woke up bright and early on Friday morning to take on Grandravine, the team hosting the tournament, for a 9:15am game. The one-sided crowd was clearly rooting for the Canadian squad but the Dare Devils exorcised their opening game jitters and put in a strong showing to make their coaches proud. While the Dare Devils ultimately lost by a score of 9-7, they were in the game throughout and everyone on the team stepped-up their games to keep the score close. After Grandravine put in two early goals, Shea Passikoff took a Patrick Hung lead pass to convert a wrist-shot into the back of the net to get the Dare Devils on the board. Grandravine had the lead the entire game but the Dare Devils made it close in the final minutes after James Cooney put home a breakaway goal and Connor Hung was on the receiving end of assists from Kieran O'Malley and Liam Smith to get the Dare Devils within 2 goals in the final minute. However, the Dare Devils couldn't bridge the gap and lost a nail-biter. The Dare Devils on the score-sheet were Shea Passikoff with two goals, Patrick Hung with a goal and an assist, Liam Smith with a goal and an assist (and shot off the post), James Cooney with a goal and an assist, Connor Hung with a goal and an assist, Kieran O'Malley with a goal and an assist and TJ Howard with an assist. Owen Silverstein and Ayden Duran both played solid all-around games and were hungry on pucks the entire game. A special thank you goes out to our guest goalie, John, from the Maine Highlanders. He was one of the main reasons the Dare Devils were able to keep the game close.
3/6/26 - 4pm - Dare Devils vs. Wisconsin Timber Wolves - Scotiabank Pond Arena, Rink 1
After sporting their white uniforms the first two games of the tournament, the Dare Devils donned their black "Jersey" jerseys for their Saturday afternoon matchup against the Wisconsin Timber Wolves. Maybe it was the jerseys or maybe it was the fact we played a US based team, but the Dare Devils finally secured a point in the Special Hockey International tournament by eking out a tie against our talented friends from the Mid-West. We ultimately secured the point behind the heroics of our guest goalie, Brandon, from the Maine Highlanders. Brandon stood on his head and gave the Dare Devils a chance to catch their bearings to get on the scoresheet. Patrick Hung led the offensive heroics with 4 goals (he also played outstanding defense), James Cooney had a goal and an assist, Owen Silverstein converted an end-to-end breakaway goal and Kieran O'Malley, TJ Howard, Ayden Duran and Connor Hung all recorded assists. Liam Smith and Shea Passikoff both played strong all-around games to help the Dare Devils secure the tie.
3/7/26 - 11:15am - Dare Devils vs. Brampton BYHA - Scotiabank Pond Arena, Rink 3
The competition level at this tournament was not something this generation of Dare Devils has previously experienced. After three games, the players were feeling a bit overwhelmed, but were still in good spirits. Every single Dare Devil traveling to Toronto gathered together on Friday night for a team dinner at the the ubiquitous (at least in Canada) Boston Pizza. A great time was had by all and it was a really good opportunity for the players and families to unwind and bond.
Maybe it was the camaraderie of the dinner and/or the carb load, but something was different with the Dare Devils when they suited up for the 11:15am, Saturday matchup against Brampton. When the Dare Devils realized they were playing against a team from the city that developed former Rangers great, Rick Nash*, a collective seriousness took over the players. Instead of backing down, the Dare Devils were up for the challenge and finished the Special Hockey International Tournament with a bang. It took a few games but the Dare Devils pulled it all together for this final matchup. Led by guest goalie, Linus, the Dare Devils went toe-to-toe with the Brampton squad. Patrick Hung set the tone early by burying the opening goal off an assist from TJ Howard. Patrick Hung followed that up with a strong back check and fed the puck to Shea Passikoff, who went strong to the net and put one past the goalie to give the NJ team a 2 goal lead. After Brampton went up by a score of 4 to 2, the Dare Devils took a collective deep breath and mounted a furious comeback. TJ Howard continued his strong tournament by taking passes from Shea Passikoff and Ayden Duran, and wristing one into the back of the net. Patrick Hung followed that up with a wrap-around goal to tie the score. TJ Howard was a young man on a mission and he drove hard to the net in the final minutes and was taken down from behind by a Brampton defender. The Canadian referee deliberated for a bit but ultimately awarded TJ with a penalty shot. Channeling penalty shot specialist Evgeny Kuznetsov, TJ deliberately went in on the Brampton goalie and beat him through the five-hole to put the Dare Devils up by a score of 5 to 4. Brampton attempted to tie the score but Coach Terence put out the defensive specialists, Liam Smith, Connor Hung, Owen Silverstein, James Cooney, and Kieran O'Malley to seal the victory for the Dare Devils. After a team photo in the locker room, esteemed manager Bernard Cooney awarded TJ Howard with the game puck for his efforts in the victory.
After the game, several Dare Devils went to the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto to learn more about the history of the game and to take photos with the Stanley Cup. The tournament concluded with a celebratory dinner and award ceremony at the Pearson Convention Center. It was a sight to behold almost 1,000 special hockey players coming together to celebrate their achievements. The Dare Devils were justly presented with Championship Medals for their contributions this tournament.
A special thank you goes out to Special Hockey International and Grandravine Special Hockey for hosting such a wonderful event. The Dare Devils had a great time and will make every effort to attend this event in the future.
* The original version of this article, published on 3/8/26, incorrectly stated that Wayne Gretzky earned his stripes in Brampton. The online version has been updated to reflect this change.