A trio of Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League (GCHSHL) Red Division teams along with a White North representative will get an early season opportunity to face off in the 6th Annual Adam S. Hamilton Memorial Tournament at Kent State Ice Arena beginning Thursday night.

Red South Division member and tournament host Kent Roosevelt will entertain Solon (Red South), Mentor (Red North) and Parma (White North) in the four-day event.

The tournament is named in honor of Hamilton, a 2007 graduate of Roosevelt who died while serving in the U.S. Army in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in May 2011.

As a tribute to Hamilton, Roosevelt players wear a special jersey-worn only during this tournament-on which the name Hamilton is stitched on every name plate.

In an impressive display of support and sportsmanship, the Mentor Cardinals began wearing a special jersey in honor of Hamilton and all military personnel last year during the event.

“This gives an opportunity to honor one of the top players that ever played for Roosevelt,” offered Roosevelt head coach Ben Barlow. “He was a leader on the ice and off the ice.”

The significance of Hamilton’s sacrifice is not lost on current Roosevelt students and Barlow and others often discuss the former Rough Rider.

“We try to make sure that Adam’s legacy is honored and so that all the kids at Roosevelt get to know a little bit about Adam. With our (team), Adam’s father (Scott Hamilton) will come in and talk with the boys. We try to do our part to let our current kids know who Adam was,” explained Barlow.

In regard to Mentor’s support, Barlow commented, “I think this is a fantastic gesture. I am thankful three other teams are participating and that they spend some time this weekend thinking about soldiers that are fighting for us.”

This early season tournament provides each team the chance to achieve an early season measurement of their progress to date and the progress of their league opponents in a non-league game setting.

Mentor is coming off a 2-2 performance in the Rocky River Classic while the Solon Comets earned a 1-3 record in the same event. Parma is 1-1 in the early season while Roosevelt has already notched five games on their schedule and is struggling at 0-5.

“We’re excited to play the Redmen again and it’s a really good thing to get to see two Red Division teams and get an opportunity to play them before we end up playing them in league play. It’s really good to get our feet wet in the league,” declared Barlow. 

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