By William Douglas
An all-minority team coached by former NHL players Mike Grier and Bryce Salvador won the Beantown Summer Classic on Tuesday, with the help of a British import.
Great Britain forward Mason Alderson’s goal with less than three minutes to play in the third period snapped a 2-2 tie and led the NextGen AAA Foundation to a 4-2 win against the Bombers.
“This is like nothing that I’ve ever had,” said Alderson, who played at Berwick Academy in Maine last season and captained Great Britain at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 World Championship Division I, Group B in Hungary.
“To be out there with that caliber of players – we had a Montreal [Canadiens] draft pick, a QMJHL goalie. It just goes to show that we can do as good as anybody, if not better.”
The NextGen team fulfilled its primary goal of winning the invitation-only tournament, which attracts NHL scouts, by going undefeated.
The team of 19 black players and one Hispanic player was also successful in showcasing minority talent in hopes of attracting more players of colour to the sport.