Dorchester’s Youth Hockey’s Pee Wee A team won the 30th annual Mayor’s Cup ice hockey tournament, which was held over two weeks in December. More than 1,000 players from 7 Boston neighborhoods took the ice in 136 games, culminating with the finale on Dec. 30 at Boston College’s Conte Forum.

The Pee Wee team defeated Parkway 5-1 for the championship in a re-match against their city rivals, who defeated the Pee Wee A’s in the second round of play, 2-1. The Dorchester squad also beat Charlestown and S.C.O.R.E Boston to make it to the finals.

Other teams represented in the tourney included Allston-Brighton, Hyde Park, and South Boston.

The Dorchester Pee Wee A’s, coached by Ryan Spitz and Shaun O’Sullivan, include Liam and Luke Franey, Jake Lucas, Caleb Murphy, Maxx Rainey, Kyle Ruddy, Jackson Spitz, Sandro Sullivan, Andrew Thompson, Cian Tobin, and Jack G. O’Brien.  

“We only have 11 players, so that means one goalie and exactly two shifts of defensemen and forwards,” said Spitz. “If we’re short a guy, it’s kind of tough.”

Despite having a smaller roster than most teams, Spitz’s squad started the tournament off strong, beating Charlestown in their opening game. On the morning before Christmas Eve, Dorchester played against Parkway and had even fewer players than usual.

“We had one boy traveling and another that was sick, so we were down to seven people, including our goalie,” the coach explained. “Our kids were leading the entire game 1-0 until the third period. They were exhausted and we ended up losing that game 2-1.” 

Spitz then reminded his players that the rest of the tournament would be defined by the effort they put into their next games. He also told them to have fun, and that’s exactly what they did in winning their third game, against S.C.O.R.E Boston.

That win then advanced the team to the championship game where both the players and Spitz could earn redemption against Parkway. 

“We played against the same team who beat us 2-1. But now we had pretty much a full squad,” said Spitz, whose championship title was celebrated with a banner and hats. 

 “It’s bragging rights when you’re at school with your friends that play in different neighborhoods and you have that hat on,” said Spitz. “Our whole team had that hat, and they haven’t taken them off since. They think they’re the coolest kids around and I think that self-esteem-wise that gives them a big boost.”

“There’s a big impact from this tournament. They look forward to it because it’s during a vacation break and the crowds that show up are unbelievable,” said the coach. “The attendance and support these kids see definitely has an impact.”