Created in 2022, Lion Cup is a premier roller hockey tournament for various summer sleepaway camps, usually composing between 7-10 camps annually. All camps are located in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The hope is to eventually have 12 camps annually.
The tournament takes place annually at Camp Lokanda in Glen Spey, New York, which is about a 2 hour, 30 minute drive from New York City.
Lion Cup features campers who are Ages 16 and Under. Most camps that compete in the tournament will send the same teams to Gordon Cup at Timber Lake Camp.
Camp Lokanda won the inaugural Lion Cup in 2022. Tyler Hill Camp won in 2023. Timber Lake Camp won back-to-back in 2024 and 2025.
Lokanda has reached the Semifinals in all four years and has advanced to the Final in 2022, 2024, and 2025.
Camp Lokanda invited me for the first time in 2023. For Lokanda games in The Lion's Den, I handled the camp's live streaming platforms in 2023 and 2024. For non-Lokanda games in The Den, I took control of the scoreboard and ran the music.
In 2024, I used an iPad and introduced to Lokanda the Goal Horn Hub, an app that allows us to press a button to sound a pre-selected goal horn at any desired length, a goal song, and various sound effects.
In 2025, I focused more on Game Presentation, handling all DJ responsibilities, creating a Game Presentation experience that gives campers the feel of a true NHL game experience at the camp level. I provided for Lokanda eight wireless microphones, four of which could be used by the referees to call and announce penalties over the in-house sound system. Additionally, for the first time, two smaller rinks were used, as Lokanda hosted 9 other camps for the first time in Lion Cup history. For these two rinks, I purchased and provided two battery-powered scoreboards. My plan for 2026 is to provide two better scoreboards, preferably from Daktronics or OES.
Timber Lake Camp has hosted Gordon Cup since 1987, which welcomes 8-12 teams each summer. However, I believe that Lion Cup excels in a strong Game Presentation that keeps campers and staff engaged all the way from the first game of the day through the Championship.
Lion Cup places its trust in its referees, whereas Gordon Cup occasionally will have their athletic directors interfere with the calls of the referees.
Lion Cup has specific intros for Lokanda's Teen House and the team themselves.
A warmup playlist is catered to the specific requests of Lokanda campers.
Lokanda has not shied away from bringing in known outside personalities to enhance the tournament's experience.
To handle play-by-play duties, Lokanda has used the former voice of the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Boston College and current Executive Producer of the Pittsburgh Penguins Radio Network, Jacob Lassner for each year of the tournament. Lassner is an alumnus of Camp Lokanda. Previously, Lassner was a producer for Boston Red Sox games and was President of WZBC Sports at Boston College.
In 2025, Jonny Lazarus came and worked as a referee. Lazarus is currently a host and content creator for the NHL, with roles for Bleacher/Report. He hosts for DailyFaceoff.com "Morning Cuppa Hockey" with former NHLer Colby Cohen. Lazarus also is a color commentator for select UMass hockey telecasts on ESPN+. He played NCAA Division I hockey for UMass before transferring to Mercyhurst.
If you have any questions or would like to collaborate on a project, feel free to contact me. I am always open to new opportunities and collaborations.
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