Last July in Israel, three
members of the Union hockey team helped lead Team Canada
to a gold medal in the fifteenth Maccabiah Games.
Ryan Donovan '97, Joel Bond '99, and
Leeor Shtrom '99, all Canadian-born, played well for Team
Canada, which was coached by former Montreal Canadiens
coach Jaques Demeres.
Donovan, a forward, scored three goals
and had three assists in the five-game series; Bond, a
defenseman, scored a goal, assisted on three others, and
had the team's best plus/minus rating; and Shtrom played
in two games, allowing only three goals.
The Maccabiah Games occur every four
years, and competitors must be Jewish. More than fifty
countries participated in events ranging from bowling to
mini-football. This was the first year that a winter
sport was played, and the Ukraine, Israel, the United
States, and Canada competed in hockey.
Each of the Union students received a
gold medal and a wonderful experience. Team members
toured Israel for three days before and two days after
the competition. They visited United Nation soldiers at
the Lebanon border and saw Tel Aviv, Massada, the Dead
Sea, and much of Jerusalem.
Donovan, who graduated last spring, is
working in Boston, and Bond and Shtrom are looking
forward to their junior year at Union.