Ice Box Invitational Handball Doubles
January 23-24, 2009
St. Anthony AC, Minneapolis
The weather fit the namesake for the 15th annual Ice Box Doubles Invitational as the outside temperatures dipped to -10 degrees. The action on the courts however, was hot! The Mankato handballers added some new faces to the games with several current and former MSU students. Everyone enjoyed the closed circuit TV action, the usual non-stop great hospitality enhanced by the unique atmosphere of the St. Anthony AC.
Pete Crouser and Ryan Maloney did not return to defend their title as Pete was expecting a baby. This left the Open Championship up for grabs. Last years second place team was given the #1 seed and a bye in the first round. 2007 champions Tom Bowman and Jeff Ryan got the 2nd seed and first round bye. Apparently getting a bye in the first round is a ÒbadÓ thing as both the top seeded teams lost in the semifinals. Ray Miller and JJ Korman teamed up and squeaked out a win over Gustafson and Wells in a big turn-around second game and an 11-7 tie-breaker win. Brian Burke and Tim Kappes gave John and Andy Nett a great challenge in the quarter finals but lost in a tie-breaker to the eventual champs. The Netts won a thiriller against Bowman and Ryan coming back from a large deficit in the tie-breaker to win on a crack serve by John 11-10. Gustafson and Wells recovered to win the consolation title with a very contested tie-breaker win over Bowman and Ryan.
ItÕs a fact, we now have a dynasty in the A division. Emil Weiler and John Miller took all tie-breakers for a repeat title. It was a slow start in the quarter final against Mike McQuillan and the ever-competitive Rich Ryan. Then Mike Kloos and Brett Broxey recovered from their own slow start to push the champs to an 11-7 tie-breaker. John Nakasone and Curt Schlenner challenged but came up short in the tie-breaker semi final against Steve Tamminga and Brian Coonce. It took Miller and Weiler a couple of very streaky games to eventually solve the team of Tamminga and Coonce. The champs made it look easy in the tie-breaker with an 11-3 win. After a three-game consolation semi final win over Sheldon Silberman and Larry Larson, Mankato boys Phil Craig and Silas Danielson claimed the consolation honors with a relatively easy win over Clancy Mylan and Brian Mahaffy.
2006 Champions Rick Jaede and Eric Johnson returned to the top spot in 2009 in the B division. Ed Miller and young son Michael Miller gave last years 2nd place finishers Tom Bordenave and Ed Simonet quite a match in the first round taking them to an 11-8 tie-breaker. Apparently it took too much out of them as they could not get a game against Jaede and Johnson pushing them to 21-17, 21-19 in the semi finals. Mark Mylan and Ron Anderson also pushed their first round opponents to a tie-breaker which also made a difference as Brandon Glaze and Derek Swenson fell short against Danny Keiffer and Brian Johnson in a tie-breaker semi final. The final was a classic battle as the momentum shifted in the second game with Keiffer and Johnson pulling out a 21-20 win to force the tie-breaker. It looked like Jaede and Johnson refocused to win 11-4. The Millers defeated Anderson and Mylan to win the consolation championship.
Thanks to the St. Anthony AC and the tournament committee of Sheldon Silberman, Emil Weiler, Clancy Mylan, Brian Mahaffy, Eric Johnson, Steve Tamminga and Larry Larson for making this one of the best tournaments in the Twin Cities.
See photos from the 2009 Ice Box
Invitational Handball Doubles.
Quarterfinals
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Mike
Gustafson(Eagan)/Mike Wells(Good Thunder) BYE
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Ray
Miller(St. Paul)/JJ Korman def. Bill G. Brown(Shoreview)/Nick Brown(Shoreview)
21-5, 21-6
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Andy
Nett(Winona)/John Nett(Winona) def. Brian Burke/Tim Kappes(Minneapolis) 19-21,
21-20, 11-2
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Tom
Bowman/Jeff Ryan BYE
Semifinals
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Miller/Korman
def. Gustafson/Wells 9-21, 21-15, 11-7
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Nett/Nett
def. Bowman/Ryan 13-21, 21-6, 11-10
Finals
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Nett/Nett
def. Miller/Korman 21-15, 21-16
Consolation
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Gustafson/Wells
def. Bowman/Ryan 17-21, 21-16, 11-9
Quarterfinals
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John
Miller(Edina)/Emil Weiler III(St. Paul)
def. Mike McQuillan (St. Paul)/Rich Ryan (Woodbury) 19-21, 21-19, 11-9
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Mike
Kloos (St. Paul)/Brett Broxey (Plymouth) def. Brian G.
Mahaffy(Minneapolis)/Clancy Mylan(Minnetonka) 21-7, 21-18
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Steven
Tamminga(Minneapolis)/Brian Coonce(Vermillion) def Larry Larson
(Plymouth)/Sheldon Silberman (Golden Valley) 21-13, 21-12
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John
Nakasone/Curt Schlenner(St. Paul) def. Silas Danielson (Mankato)/Phil Craig
(Mankato) 21-15, 21-6
Semifinals
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Miller/Weiler
def. Kloos/Broxey 21-3, 16-21, 11-7
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Tamminga/Coonce
def. Nakasone/Schlenner 19-21, 21-11, 11-2
Finals
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Miller/Weiler
def. Tamminga/Coonce 21-12, 19-21, 11-3
Consolation
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Danielson/Craig
def. Mahaffy/Mylan 21-9, 21-8
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Marc
Tobin/Kanna Subhas def. Tom Quilling/Darryl Ekstrom 21-2, 21-5
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Danny
Keiffer (West St. Paul)/Brian Johnson (St. Louis Park) def. Jack Hickman (St.
Paul)/Mike Erdmanczyk 21-9, 21-3
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Rick
Jaede(New Brighton)/Eric Johnson(St. Paul) def. Tobin/Subhas 21-9, 21-6
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Tom
Bordenave(St. Paul)/Ed Simonet, Jr.(Stillwater) def. Ed Miller (St.
Paul)/Michael Miller (St. Paul) 21-8, 20-21, 11-8
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Brandon
Glaze/Derek Swenson def. Ron Anderson/ Mark Mylan(Minnetonka) 21-5, 15-21, 11-2
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Keiffer/Johnson
def. Billy Craig (Mankato)/Brent Friedrichs (Mankato) 21-9, 21-9
Semifinals
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Jaede/Johnson
def. Bordenave/Simonet 21-17, 21-19
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Keiffer/Johnson
def. Glaze/Swenson 15-21, 21-13, 11-4
Finals
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Jaede/Johnson
def. Keiffer/Johnson 21-8, 20-21, 11-4
Consolation
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Miller/Miller
def. Anderson/Mylan 21-14, 21-16
See completed Draw Sheets from the 2009 Ice Box Invitational
Handball Doubles.