BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --
The Barksdale Bombers participated at the Armed Services Hockey Association (ASAH) tournament in Las Vegas over Veteran’s Day weekend.
The hockey team, consisting of 10 players from across other bases, came together under the Barksdale banner to place 2nd in their division in a 41 team tournament.
Some players from Barksdale were unable to travel for the tournament, so the remaining players reached out to their colleagues across Air Force Global Strike Command to try and fill those positions. They even reached out to former Bomber teammates. In the end, the team consisted of Airmen from Barksdale as well as Dyess Air Force Base, Texas; Ellsworth AFB, North Dakota; Cannon AFB, New Mexico and a Sailor from Eglin AFB, Florida.
“We all played really well for not everyone being stationed together,” said Master Sgt. Richard Capuano, AFGSC command munitions manager and Barksdale Bombers center.
The Bombers competed against teams from other military instillations and other countries. During the five day tournament the Bombers had a 4-1 record, making it to their division championship game.
“We played our first two games really well so they moved us up a division,” Capuano said. “We won our next two games before playing the Royal Air Force.”
The level of play and how the team finished drew praise from Maj. Zachary Proano, AFGSC A3 chief of standardization and evaluations and Barksdale Bombers forward.
“I was really proud of all of my guys for playing hard and having fun,” Proano said. “Making it all the way to the championship game was pretty spectacular especially for all the guys from Barksdale. Nobody gave up until the clock had zeros in the championship game.”
The Bombers play locally on Wednesdays and Sundays at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana. Games are free to watch. The team also will compete in a tournament in Lafayette, La., in 2019. For more on when the Bombers play visit https://www.facebook.com/Mudbugs-Adult-Hockey-274606403290963/?ref=py_c.