Meet Team Central America

2024 Dream Nations Cup Results:

Men’s team: Fifth Place

HOCKEY CENTRAL AMERICA LOOKS TO BUILD ON THEIR PAST PERFORMANCES

When Central America debuted at last year’s Dream Nations Cup, its current general manager, Gerardo Ramirez, was still lacing up his skates for them. The program was birthed only six years ago via a chance connection—Aurelio Cence, a Costa Rica resident and former OHL prospect, was contacted to form a team representing Central American nations that include Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama . 

Ramirez then discovered this team during its initial tournament appearance, and he joined the team to play with them in their final game – a consolation draw against Chile. The rest, as they say, is history. Their manager and starting goaltender, Rick Audrey, had an in with the Dream Nations Cup and had Central America registered to play, leading to their debut in last year’s tournament. And, despite a 5th-place finish, Ramirez and the team found the tournament to be a rewarding experience.

“There was a lot of attention spent to make the nations feel welcome. It was a very well put together event and from our private entrances to the locker rooms, to our banners and our goal songs, all the attention and details made all the players feel welcome, really special.” Ramirez said, “And of course, we can’t overlook the competition, just the chance to compete against other developing hockey nations is great because there’s a lot of talent. So it’s been a pleasure and a ton of fun to compete.”

Last year’s Dream Nations Cup also assisted Central America in growing its reputation and roster. According to Ramirez, before the tournament, many fans and players were unaware that the region had iced a team. With the profile boost, they’ve now been attracting talent of Central American descent from all over North America, including collegiate players from Connecticut and Massachusetts and skaters from Canada. 

The distances involved have prevented in-person meetings and practices and have generally proven a challenge to building team chemistry. Even so, Ramirez still believes the team has come into its own. Central America hopes to take advantage of this growing international cachet to attract more top-level talent and give a stronger tournament showing in this year’s Dream Nations Cup.

NEW FORMAT POISED TO FURTHER AID CENTRAL AMERICA’S GROWTH AND SUCCESS

The Dream Nations Cup has decided to shake up the format this year. Instead of every team playing every other team, two divisions will be introduced, with teams of similar profiles and skill levels matched up against each other. Ramirez and his team wholeheartedly embrace this change, which they see as an opportunity for players to learn new skills and improve on the ice. 

“We are always seeking to ice the best players and improve the program to compete with the best. I think it’s good for everybody that they be paired with comparables, right, like teams that are more in their range,” Ramirez said, “but I hope that we continue to push that upwards and continue to improve our adversaries, as well as ourselves.”

That’s not to say the team is less focused on winning. Teams in non-traditional hockey markets can be more motivated to help one another and grow the region as a whole. Still, if they put them in a tournament against one another, they’re just as competitive as anyone. Ramirez spoke about that competitive spirit.

“Off ice, yeah, I would say that there is some nice help amongst a handful of teams. But then on the ice, I think everyone is pretty dead set on winning.”

HOCKEY CENTRAL AMERICA’S TOURNAMENT PLAY HAS INCREASED HOCKEY’S PROFILE ALL ACROSS THEIR HOME REGION

From their inception to this year’s upcoming appearance in the Dream Nations Cup, Central America’s hockey team has made a strong impact in the communities it represents and across the hockey world. Central American nations have not historically been places where hockey is played. In fact, says Ramirez, Costa Rica has the only ice rink in all of Central America, “and it’s not a full size ice rink. It’s a little three on three”. 

The lack of available ice and insufficient funding and sponsorships were significant barriers to their growth, but Central America’s international play is already helping to grow hockey all across the region. Ramirez is thrilled to see the excitement around hockey their team causes.

“I still remember the excitement on a little girl. On the back of our jerseys, we have the flags of the specific country that we come from, and a little girl was with her mom and her siblings, and she started screaming to her mom like, ‘El Salvador! El Salvador!’ and they stayed and watched the game. It’s a lot of fun to see our families and our family’s friends. It grows.” 

The team is a collective effort of talent from many walks of life, from BU alum and Ottawa Senators draft pick Robbie Bayer Jean, to a pair of twin brothers playing collegiate hockey in D2 in the USA, to Gerardo Ramirez himself, who played both as a child and in college at Florida Palm Springs. What they all have in common, however, are their Central American roots and a desire to see hockey in the region grow. Ramirez is confident that further appearances in tournaments like the Dream Nations Cup will continue to raise hockey’s local profile and popularity, and despite the numerous hurdles that the team must overcome, the future he sees is bright. 

You can follow Central American Hockey at the 2025 Dream Nations Cup in New York City from May 27 to June 1.