For those from the Golden State who could not make the trip to this year’s NARCh Finals in St. Paul, Minn., fear not, the world’s premier amateur roller hockey tournament series came to them in ground-breaking live Internet webcasts. What fans at home saw was not unfamiliar: dominance by California teams.

Of the nine division championship games at this year’s NARCh Gold Division Finals, held July 27 to August 1 at the Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, California teams rolled onto the court in eight of them, including four all-Golden State matchups. When the final webcast powered down at the Gold Division Finals, California teams had skated off the floor with four championship titles in a division usually reserved for heroics by teams from the rest of the country.

How dominating was the California performance? Of the 18 Gold Division championship finalists, 12 were from California.

This year’s NARCh Finals definitely provided a showcase for what has turned into a floodgate of mid-level California squads that have emerged the past two seasons from the Tour Pacific Cup’s AA Tier proving ground. The overwhelming success of the regional tournament series’ new tiered system has helped create a renaissance in the sport. No longer overshadowed -- and sandwiched -- by the region’s elite Platinum Division heavyweights, teams from the state’s developing regions such as Northern California and San Diego County have had a chance to hone their skills in a competitive environment that previously did not exist. Those squads clearly took that new-found confidence with them to Minnesota.

California teams bringing home titles from the NARCh Gold Division Finals included the NorCal Dragons (Mite Division), Irvine Raiders 87 (Pee Wee Division), ProJoy Roadrunners (Bantam Division) and CPH Black (Junior Division). Runner-up teams from the Golden State included the Brea Oilers (Atom Division), CPH Quest (Mite Division), Rush (Squirt Division), ProJoy Mission Gulls (Pee Wee Division), Chula Vista Golden Eagles (Bantam Division), ProJoy Mission Gulls (Junior Division), Tour Predators (Division I) and CPH Vixen (Women’s Division).

All-California matchups occurred in the Mite, Pee Wee, Bantam and Junior divisions. In the Mite Division, the second-seeded NorCal Dragons toppled the top-seeded CPH Quest, 2-1, in a tightly-played contest, while in the Pee Wee Division, both the sixth-seeded Raiders and 10^th-seeded Gulls rode a series of upsets to the championship game with the Raiders emerging with a 3-2 double overtime victory. The third-seeded Roadrunners, after many of their players had just been denied in an overtime loss in the Junior Division semifinals barely an hour earlier, came back in a display of fortitude to down the equally intrepid seventh-seeded Golden Eagles, 8-0, for the Bantam Division title while the Junior Division championship went to top-seed CPH Black following its 3-1 victory against the Gulls.

In other championship games involving California teams, the Iowa Spirit edged the Brea Oilers, 3-1, in the Atom Division; Michigan’s Tour Flames outlasted the Rush, 6-3, in the Squirt Division; the Mission Empire Snipers added to their ongoing Long Island dynasty with a 2-0 shutout of the Tour Predators in Division I; and Minnesota’s Fancy Pants trimmed the Vixen, 1-0, for the Women’s Division championship.

In the one final not involving California teams, The Chicago Magic edged Iowa’s Tour Xplosion, 2-1 in overtime, for the Senior men’s championship.

The Mite Gold Division championship game pitted two champions from the Pacific Cup’s AA Tier Finals. The Quest had won the Mite Elite title while the Dragons had won the Mite Select title. But little separated the teams in Minnesota. Seeded first, the Quest eliminated, in order, Michigan’s ProJoy X, 4-3, in the quarterfinals and the sixth-seeded Tour Corona Edge Black, 2-1, in the semifinals. The Edge also had its playoff run stopped in the semifinals at the previous Tour Pacific Cup Finals but gained a measure of revenge by sending home the Nike Rinkside Rockets (runners-up for the Pacific Cup Mite Elite title) with a 3-2 overtime loss in the quarterfinals. The second-seeded Dragons, meanwhile, topped Team Excalibur Black from Arizona, 6-2, in the quarterfinals before putting on an offensive show in the semifinals with a 10-5 win against the fifth-seeded Mission Empire Snipers from Long Island, N.Y.

The Quest entered the playoffs having allowed just one goal while the Dragons had allowed just two goals in preliminary play. The third-seeded Rockets entered the Mite playoffs averaging eight goals per game but fell, 3-2 in overtime, in a defensive struggled to the Edge in the quarterfinals.

The Irvine Raiders -- eliminated in their first playoff match at the Pacific Cup Finals after earning the top playoff seed in the division -- came back with a vengeance at the NARCh Finals by outscoring their four playoff opponents 17-6 en route to winning the Pee Wee championship. Seeded sixth, the Raiders started off with a 6-1 win against the 11th seeded Screamin’ Eagles from Michigan, before getting down to work with victories against three Pacific Cup rivals. The Raiders downed the fifth-seeded (and California State Games champion) Chula Vista Golden Eagles, 5-3, in the quarterfinals; then followed that win with a 3-0 semifinal victory against the eighth-seeded LaVerne Empire 88, runners-up in the Pee Wee AA Elite Division at the Pacific Cup Finals.

The Raiders, who allowed only four goals in preliminary play – third best in the division – then completed their California playoff trifecta with their championship win against the Gulls.

The ProJoy Roadrunners finished as the only team to win its division at both the Pacific Cup Finals and the NARCh Gold Finals. The Roadrunners topped a pair of Colorado entries, 6-0 and 5-2, respectively, in their opening two playoff games to pair up with the upset-minded Golden Eagles, who had eliminated both the division’s top two seeded teams in successive matches. The Roadrunners finished with a commanding 20-2 scoring edge in capturing its three playoff games.

The CPH Black, a semifinalist at the Pacific Cup Junior AA Elite Finals, left behind a trail of tears for other teams at the NARCh Finals. The California squad eliminated the seventh-seeded Arizona Groove, 5-3, in the semifinals after the Groove had shocked the second-seeded Tour Powerhouse from Ontario, Canada, with a 7-6 overtime decision in the qualifying playoff round. CPH Black then turned back the equally upset-minded ProJoy Mission Gulls by two goals in the championship game.

The Tour Predators placed their stamp on the Division I season by finishing second in both the Pacific Cup Finals and NARCh Gold Finals. The Predators, who lost 5-4 to the Pama Cyclones at the Pacific Cup Finals, met up with playoff foes from three states at the NARCh Finals. The Predators defeated Missouri’s Team Tour, 4-3 in overtime, in the quarterfinals and then beat the Toronto Tour Tigers, 4-1, in the semifinals before surrendering the championship game’s lone two goals to the Snipers, runners-up at this year’s NARCh Winternationals. The Cyclones made it as far as the semifinals at this year’s NARCh Finals after dropping a 3-1 matchup to the Snipers following a 9-1 quarterfinal victory against the Winternationals champion Mission Rinkside Rockets from British Columbia.

In claiming runner-up finishes at the NARCh Gold Division Finals, the Brea Oilers advanced farther than their championship-round opponent at the Pacific Cup Finals, while the Rush seemingly came out of nowhere to make its stab at glory. Arizona’s Team Excalibur defeated the Oilers, 5-3, to win this year’ s Atom AA Division title at the Pacific Cup Finals but the Arizona team had its NARCh title big thwarted in Minnesota in a 7-6 loss to the Iowa Spirit in the semifinals. The Oilers advanced to challenge the Iowa team – one of two teams from the Midwestern state to reach the championship round at this year’s NARCh Gold Finals – by defeating California’s Corona Edge 94, 3-2, in the semifinals. The Rush, which did not appear on any radar screens in the Squirt Division at the Pacific Cup Finals, sent home teams from Missouri and Michigan before finally having its run halted in the championship game by another team from Michigan, the Tour Flames.

With three San Diego County teams reaching championship-round contests at this year’s NARCh Finals, a statement for the rising quality of play from the state’s southernmost area appears to have clearly been made. The Gulls Pee Wee entrant enjoyed a wild ride that featured knockout playoff victories against the seventh-, second- and top-seeded teams before dropping an overtime decision in the title game. The Bantam Golden Eagles toppled the first- and second-seeds in their division while the Gulls’ Junior Division squad eliminated the third- and fourth-seeded teams in its division.

Both Gulls teams came in battle tested from the Pacific Cup Finals after the Pee Wee squad defeated the Silicon Valley Quakes, 3-2, in overtime to win the Pee Wee AA Select Division title and the Junior Division team advanced as far as the AA Tier Elite Division semifinals.

The Gulls definitely found their wings in the Pee Wee playoffs, eliminating three higher-seeded squads to reach the title game. The Gulls ousted the Hyper Falcons from Michigan, 4-1, in their first game before toppling, in succession, the second-seeded Mission Empire Snipers from New York, 7-1, in the quarterfinals and the top-seeded Cobras from Missouri, 4-1, in the semifinals.

The Gulls’ Junior Division team, meanwhile, met three California teams in as many playoff rounds – eliminating the third-seeded CPH Rangers, 8-2, in the qualifying playoff round before handing the fourth-seeded ProJoy Roadrunners a 4-3 overtime loss in the semifinals. At the Pacific Cup Finals, the Gulls had bowed out of the playoffs following a loss to the San Diego Misfits, who in turn, fell to the Castle Stars from Arizona in the championship game. At NARCh, the Misfits failed to qualify for the seven-deep playoff field.

The NARCh Finals proved a redemption of sort for the Golden Eagles, who topped the Pacific Cup’s Bantam AA Tier regular season standings but failed to make the top six playoff cut in the Pacific Cup Finals. At NARCh, the Golden Eagles went 6-2, inclusive of a 3-0 run to jump-start the tournament. The Golden Eagles (who skate out of Skate San Diego in National City) opened the playoff segment of the NARCh Finals seeded seventh. They bested their first playoff foe, the NorCal Mavericks, 2-1, before drawing the second-seeded Corona Edge in the quarterfinals. The Golden Eagles gained a measure of revenge against the Edge with a 4-1 victory to make amends for a 3-2 loss in pool play at the Pacific Cup Finals. After eliminating the Edge, the Golden Eagles then put on their gutsiest performance of the tournament be defeating the top-seeded Tour Blast Red from Missouri, 2-1.

In this case, it appears the Pacific Cup Finals provided a much needed wake-up call.

"I think we weren’t focused enough. We didn’t take everyone seriously because we had beaten them all before during the regular season," said Golden Eagles goaltender Tommy Prewitt in addressing the team’s sub-par performance at the Pacific Cup Finals.

The Golden Eagles made their statement for respect by dealing successive losses to Michigan’s Motorcity Rollerdogs, 6-4; Colorado’s SIHA Stallions Black, 5-3; and California’s CPH Riptide, 5-2, to open pool play. Following a 5-1 loss to the K-Tek Kondors from Colorado, the Golden Eagles righted themselves with three consecutive playoff wins.

Just as impressive, the Golden Eagles’ Pee Wee entry that also stumbled at the Pacific Cup Finals won its opening five games at NARCh before suffering elimination in the playoff quarterfinals against the division's eventual champions, the Irvine Raiders. The Golden Eagles reeled off successive wins against the Magic Window Flames from Ontario, Canada, 5-4; the Brea Oilers, 5-2; and Colorado’s SIHA Stallions White AA team, 4-2; and A team, 7-0, to open pool play. Seeded fifth in the 13-team playoff field, the Golden Eagles dropped the 12^th-seeded Kansas City Rage, 6-0, in their opening playoff match.

Five of seven playoff entrants in the Mite Division had Pacific Cup connections while the Squirt Division boasted two.

All five qualifying playoff games in the Pee Wee Division featured at least one California team, with four California teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The only setback occurred when the fourth-seeded Rollin’ Ice Patriots were upset, 5-4 in overtime, by the 13^th-seeded Magic Window Flames.

Four of the six quarterfinalist teams in the Bantam Division were from California while four of the seven Junior Division playoff qualifiers were from California.

The CPH Cyclones and LaVerne Empire 88 Black teams entered their Pee Wee quarterfinal matchup having scored 50 goals between them. The Empire edged the Cyclones, 5-4, to move on to the division semifinals and a meeting with yet another California team, the eventual division champion Irvine Raiders.