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European Hockey Tours

European Tours

Showcase offers annual hockey tours to Italy and Switzerland.  We have organized great hockey tours for over 300 people in the last five years.  Put together a group or team and we can offer you a once in a lifetime tour.   All tours are customized for each age group based on their needs and wants.  Contact tim.hawkinson@showcasehockey.com for more information.

Sample itinerary:

MAY 21ST SUNDAY:                                                                                                       
MORNING ARRIVAL, BUS TO CERNOBBIO (beautiful little ‘suburb’ on Lake Como,
10 min from Como town center),CHECK-IN HOTEL REGINA OLGA. FREE AFTERNOON
TO GO FOR BOATRIDE,  SHOP,  SIGHT-SEE. LUNCH ON YOUR OWN.  WELCOMING
6.00PM DINNER AT CENTRALE  ‘WINE CELLAR’ RESTAURANT NEAR HOTEL. FREE
EVENING.
 
MAY 22ND MONDAY: 
FREE DAY TO EXPLORE  LAKE COMO.  OPTIONS:  BOATRIDE TO BELLAGGIO, 
TOUR CITY OF COMO, HIKE TO MOUNTAIN PATHS OVERLOOKING LAKE COMO,
TRAIN TO MILAN AND MEET WITH TEAM/FAMILIES AFTER*. 5.45PM DEPART FOR
PALASESTO RINK IN MILAN FOR 8.00PM GAME: MINNESOTA-MILANO VIPERS. 
PIZZA PARTY AFTER GAME. BACK TO CERNOBBIO.
 
MAY 23RD TUESDAY:
FREE DAY.  5.30PM OPTIONAL WINE TASTING NEXT TO HOTEL (adults only!). 6.30PM
DEPART FOR 8.15PM PM GAME IN VARESE (40 min busride):  MINNESOTA-VARESE. 
DINNER ON YOUR OWN SO PLAN ACCORDINGLY. FREE EVENING.   
                           
Six more days of incredible features and sites

 

European Tour

 

TEAM USA (MN) CAPTURES VARESE, ITALY CUP
In cooperation with the Minnesota AAA Hockey League, a team of 1994 players from the Twin Cities metro area traveled to Italy and Switzerland late last month to play a few warm up games and participate in a local tournament against several European youth hockey clubs. 
The first game, shortly after arrival, pitted Team USA against the Milan Vipers. Suffering from severe jet lag, the USA boys couldn't match the size and speed of the Vipers, whose players ranged from 1991 to 1994 birth years. Despite falling quickly behind by four goals in the first four minutes of play, the USA club showed excellent resolve, matching the effort of the much larger and faster Milan players as the game progressed. The sixty minutes of play proved to be too much for Team USA, with the Vipers scoring several goals in the closing minutes to close out a 10-1 win. The lone goal coming off a wicked wrist shot from Derek Frawley at the top of the right circle in the second period, with assists going to TJ Lyons and Paul Hillen.
The second warm up game came against the Varese Bulldogs, another local club with players ranging in age from 1992 to 1995 birth years (some European hockey clubs use a U16 designation for their teams). Once again, Team USA found themselves outmanned by larger and faster skaters. Before the end of the first 30-minute half, the Bulldogs were comfortably on top by a 7-1 score. However, Coach Tim Hawkinson from Showcase Hockey, got the boys fired up in the locker room and they came out flying in the second half of the game. Seeming to score at will, and with stellar goaltending from Nolan Johnson, Team USA battled back to within one goal. After pulling Johnson in the last minute of the game, Team USA unleashed a fusillade of shots on the Bulldog goalie, but was unable to gain the tying goal. Despite losing 8-7, Team USA skated off the ice with head held high, realizing they could skate with the talented Europeans. 
After four off-ice days of fun, Team USA was primed to leave Europe on a high yodel. In a round robin format, Team USA once again faced the host team Verese Bulldogs in the first game of the Verese Cup tournament. Team USA didn't waste any time scoring on the first shift on a quick wrister by Eric Miller. The Varese club responded quickly thereafter with four unanswered goals, as Team USA fell behind 4-1. With about three minutes remaining in the first half, Carter Lyons scored a breakaway goal with a nifty pass from Colin Kraut. A last minute goal by the Varese Bulldogs put the USA boys down 5-2 heading into the locker room. Once again, Team USA exploded early in the second half, scoring six unanswered goals to go up 8-5, with goals coming from Colin Kraut, TJ Payzant, Derek Frawley (2), Carter Lyons, Kenzi Vold and Kyle VanTassel. The Bulldogs scored two very quick late goals, but USA held on for a 8-7 win.
With about a 90-minute rest, Team USA faced off against Lugano in the championship game. Team USA struck first with TJ Payzant cashing in a rebound after a top of the circle shot by Dalton Frawley. Lugago scored eight minutes later to knot the contest at 1-1. Both teams kept the game tight with solid goaltending and physical play on both ends of the rink. It wasn't until late in the game when Derek Frawley of Team USA make some nifty center ice moves after taking a pass from TJ Lyons, breaking away from two defenders and hitting a top corner seam on a snap shot just inside the circle, putting USA up 2-1. Derek scored again with two minutes remaining, once more fed by TJ Lyons, to seal the victory and the Varese Cup Championship by a 3-1 score. 
Team USA included Derek Frawley, Carter Lyons, Kenzi Vold, Kyle VanTassel, Eric Miller and TJ Payzant at the forward positions. On defense was Dalton Frawley, TJ Lyons, Paul Hillen and Colin Kraut. Manning the pipes was Nolan Johnson. The team was coached by Tim Hawkinson.
The trip of a lifetime encompassed not only a little hockey, but included 700 year old castle and cathedral tours, hiking and biking down the Swiss Alps, white water rafting a Swiss Alp mountain river, boating on beautiful Lake Como and capped off with a Swiss chocolate factory visit (yes, you could eat as much free chocolate as you wanted). Many thanks to Tim Hawkinson at Showcase Hockey™ and Brad Doshan for a well organized, top of the line hockey vacation