NJ's Warrior Hockey Team Wins National Title On Home Ice

WAYNE, NJ — Veterans from across the United States took part in a national ice hockey championship in North Jersey earlier this month, with New Jersey's Warrior team emerging as champions in their division.

The Warrior Hockey Discipline is a USA Hockey program, which is dedicated to bringing injured and disabled veterans together to heal both mentally and physically through the sport.

This was the first year the program has held a national championship, and the New Jersey Warriors hosted 33 other teams from around the country, separated across six tiers.

And as one of the team's co-founders told USA Hockey, he feels victorious every time the team takes the ice.

“I tell our guys and our opponents that I don’t care about the score,” Wayne's Ted Curtin told USA Hockey. “The moment we step on the ice, we’ve won because we brought veterans together to help them heal through their mental and physical issues. We always view anytime we get together as a big win for our team."

The inaugural Toyota USA Hockey Warrior National Championship took place from April 11 through 14 at the Ice Vault Arena, located in Wayne Township.

The Garden State squad competed in Tier V and went undefeated through the tourney, triumphing over the St. Louis team 6-4 in the semifinals before beating the Nebraska Warriors 2-0 in the championship on April 14.

Brian Smith and Keith Marrano scored the goals for New Jersey, the team said. Goalie Brian Shaw kept a shut-out, stopping 17 shots on goal according to a TAPinto report.

The New Jersey Warriors were founded in 2019 and the team consists of male and female veterans from around the state as well as Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New York.

Members must have a discharge from the U.S. Armed Forces under honorable conditions with the ability to provide official documentation.

Curtin, the executive vice president and co-founder, and team captain Ernie Hernandez both hail from Wayne.

“For me, one of the greatest joys is to be able to give back to men and women who have given us so much for our freedom,” Curtin told USA Hockey. “I can see the life-changing experience for our veterans when they come into our program with whatever they’re dealing with and then thriving within our community. We’re hoping that we can keep growing.”

The Garden State's Warriors are affiliated with (and wear the same colors as) the New Jersey Devils, who support the Warriors' events and charity functions.

Hernandez told TAPinto the team members were "playing our hearts out."

"We were playing for Wayne, for New Jersey, and it was so much fun," he said.

To learn more about the New Jersey Warriors or to ask about joining, visit their website or Instagram page.