Winning ... and a whole lot of fun.

That's what two dek hockey teams from Cranberry Township experienced on a recent trip to the 2021 U.S. National Tournament in Leominster, Mass.

The Screaming Eagles, as the teams are known, both came away with a championship. The Penguin-division team (ages 7-9) went 3-0-1 while defeating Leominster in the final game.

The Chipmunk-division squad (ages 4-6) also beat the hosts for the crown and finished with a 3-1 record.

Most of the players reside in Butler County, with a few coming from Allegheny County.

“The main thing with this year's team was that we didn't have two dominant players who carried us, but we won as a team,” said Mike Benkart, coach of the Penguin division team. “Our goals were spread out. Defensively, we blocked a lot of shots, which isn't a fun thing for kids to do. But we got a lot of bodies on balls and sticks on sticks, which limited scoring opportunities for our opponents ... and our goaltending was solid. That was key for us because most of our games were low-scoring.”

The Screaming Eagles field two Penguin-division squads this year. The team that traveled to Massachusetts was made up of 16 players from both teams.

“This was the third straight season that we won a national title in that division, so there's a tradition there that we win in that age group. There was a bit of pressure and it was big for the kids that they won. They were definitely excited.”

The Screaming Eagles teams, which include boys and girls, played in local tournaments leading up to nationals, which is an open event, meaning teams do not have to qualify to participate.

Paul Buckwalter coached the Chipmunk team. With the players being so young, it is often challenging for them to remain focused.

“One big impression I got was that the kids started to be more aggressive,” said Buckwalter. “And they got better with not everyone going for the ball; some would try to get open for a pass and others would look to cover on defense. If you can nail those two things down, it will allow the skill on the team to show a bit more.

“At the end of the title game, the kids were throwing their sticks and gloves in the air,” added Buckwalter. “The chance for the kids to go away together, the camaraderie ... getting on the rink and winning, it couldn't have been better.”

Leominster, recognized as the birthplace of dek hockey since the mid-1970s, hosts the tournament every year.

Buckwalter grew up playing dek hockey in Penn Hills.

“I can remember being on teams that went up there to play several times,” he said.

Benkart said that while the sport is not as popular as baseball or football in this region, it has grown significantly.

“Ten years ago, there were three youth teams around Pittsburgh. Now there's 45,” he said. “The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation is a huge reason for that. They built (deks) all over western Pa. and a lot more kids started to play.”

Competing on the dek provides kids another opportunity to enjoy hockey.

“There's a lot of players out there who want to play, but they don't thrive on the ice,” Benkart said. “With dek hockey, it's all about hands and foot speed and you don't have to worry about skating.

“It's also a lot less expensive to play dek. A team can enter a tournament for $600. In ice hockey, a lot of tournaments cost thousands of dollars per team.”

For more information on the Screaming Eagles, visit www.eaglesdekhockey.com.