Team Gold Skates Away with the Telga Cup

By Steve Stein

Each Chaldean Hockey League season concludes with the crowning of the league champion and produces a treasure trove of interesting personal stories. One of the major story lines this season in the six-team league was written by Team Gold star and captain Andrew Roye.

Playing in his first Telga Cup championship series, Roye led Team Gold to the title and was named the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. He had five goals and four assists in six playoff games.

Roye, 29, played in the CHL for two years when he was a teenager. He left the league while he played junior hockey for teams across the country and pursued his dream to play hockey at the Division I collegiate level.

He received offers to walk on at Division I collegiate programs on the East Coast after he reached the age limit for junior hockey, but he decided against it because of concerns about playing time and went into the work world. The Orchard Lake resident is now a commercial real estate broker.

Roye returned to the CHL in the 2019-20 season as the Team Gold captain. He led the team to the Telga Cup championship series against Team Black, but before the series started, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the league and ended the season.

Four years later, still as the Team Gold captain, Roye finally was back in the Telga Cup championship series, and he took full advantage of the opportunity.

Roye was on the Birmingham Brother Rice High School hockey team that won the Division 2 state championship in 2012. He played top-level junior hockey. How do those accomplishments rank with winning the Telga Cup? “It’s right up there,” he said. “This isn’t just another beer league. It’s very competitive and everyone gives 110% on the ice, but we hang out together afterwards. We’re all close. You play with and against family members, friends, guys you go to church with ...”

Team Gold finished in first place and Team Green finished in second place this year in the CHL’s regular-season standings. Each team earned a coveted first-round bye in the playoffs. The other four league teams needed to play a tense first-round win-or-else playoff game. No. 3 seed Team Red beat No. 6 seed Team White 4-1 and No. 5 seed Team Blue beat No. 4 seed Team Black 5-4 in overtime. It was Team Gold vs. Team Blue in a best-of-three semifinal series.

Kyle Kassa’s goal in the first minute of overtime gave Team Gold a 5-4 win in Game 1. Team Blue won the second game 7-4. Team Gold’s 5-1 win in Game 3 sent it into the Telga Cup championship series.

Team Green and Team Red met in the other best-of-three semifinal series in a rematch of last year’s Telga Cup championship series, won by Team Red.

Team Red won the opener of this year’s series 5-4, scoring four unanswered goals in the third period to tie the game before Daniel Kassab’s game-winner in overtime. Team Green, the 2022 Telga Cup champion, won 3-0 in Game 2. Team Red bounced back with a 4-2 win in Game 3.

It was Team Gold vs. Team Red for the Telga Cup. It was Team Red’s second straight appearance in the best-of-three league championship series. Team Gold won 5-3 in Game 1. Team Red benefitted from the return of star defenseman Joseph Shina in Game 2 and won 5-1. That set up what every sports fan wants to see, a game to decide a league championship. Game 3 for the CHL championship did not disappoint.

Roye put Team Gold in front with a goal early in the first period, but Josh Garmo, the 2023 playoffs Most Valuable Player, scored on a breakaway for Team Red in the final seconds of the second period. Andrew Najor scored the winning goal in the third period, giving Team Gold a 2-1 win and the Telga Cup.

Team Gold’s roster included forwards Roye, Najor, Tommy Bagnasso, Brian Kassa, PJ Jonna, Ben Yono, Hunter Atchoo and Liam Hansen, defensemen Kyle Kassa, Nick Seman, Kyle Azzo and Donny MacIntyre and goalie Alec Roye. For Kyle Kassa and Atchoo, it was their third Telga Cup championship in four years.

Team Red’s roster included forwards Jacob Garmo, Jonathan Kello, Shina, Anthony Hakim, Josh Garmo, Daniel Kassab and Michael Yaldoo, defensemen Joey Sheena, Dom Kassab, Brandon Kassab, Jon Kouza and Kenny Kouza and goalie Isaac Garmo.

Here are the top five scorers in the playoffs: Kyle Kassa (Team Gold) 1 goal and 10 assists for 11 points; Josh Garmo (Team Red) 6 goals and 4 assists for 10 points; Roye (Team Gold) 5 goals and 4 assists for 9 points; Najor (Team Gold) 6 goals and 3 assists for 9 points; and Kello (Team Red) 6 goals and 3 assists for 9 points.

The playoffs took place mostly at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills on Sunday nights.

The league’s 10th annual charity fundraiser night was held during the February 24 playoffs at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Ice Arena. The night included an open skating session for family, friends and fans. League commissioner Kyle Kassa said about 250 to 300 people attended the event, which raised $14,956 for the Help Iraq Foundation. “A ton of businesses donated food, money, and items to raffle,” he said.

Regular-season league games were played on Sunday mornings at the Novi Ice Arena.

Here are the final regular-season standings (wins-losses-overtime losses): 1. Team Gold 11-3-2 for 24 points; 2. Team Green 11-4-1 for 23 points; 3. Team Red 10-5-1 for 21 points; 4. Team Black 8-7-1 for 17 points; 5. Team Blue 4-10-2 for 10 points; and Team White 4-11-1 for 9 points.

The regular-season statistical leaders were Roye (Team Gold) 41 points and 28 goals; Jack Abbo (Team Black) 18 assists; Drake Danou (Team Green) 2.77 goal-against average and 11 goalie wins; and Isaac Garmo (Team Red) 3 shutouts.