Bermuda?s Men?s Federation hockey team bounded victoriously back to the Island on Monday after winning the 2004 Atlanta International Cup over the weekend.

It was the first international win for the squad ? established earlier this year ? and also marked the first ever win for a Bermuda team in open division play.

Coach Nigel Pichery called the victory ?exhilarating and rewarding?.

?This is a big boost for Bermuda hockey and it has come at a crucial time in our history with the coming of our new facilities,? Pichery said. ?Bermuda have won hockey titles before on foreign soil but only in the veterans? division (over 35).?

The history-making team left Atlanta undefeated ? after playing five games over the two days of the tournament.

The final match could not have been more dramatic. Bermuda faced the very team which had denied them a victory at a Virginia Beach tournament back in April ? the Mavericks out of Washington DC, who in addition to winning in Virginia Beach were also the defending champs in Atlanta.

The Mavericks had pulled out the win in Virginia when the tied final went to penalty flicks.

In Atlanta, both teams went to the final undefeated and soon found themselves in a deja-vu of their last face-off.

Bermuda marched through with wins over the Stallions (3-0), the Kadzu Hackers (3-1), Houston FHC (3-2) and a semi-final 3-2 victory over the Stallions.

In the Mavericks, the Bermudian squad faced a much younger team but they poured on the pressure throughout the match, keeping the Mavericks in their defensive end.

Bermuda had a few opportunities in the first half but did not put them away and the teams went to the break level at nil-nil.

Shortly after the whistle, however, striker Nigel Deane stepped up to the mark. He embarked on a stunning solo run, dribbling from the other side of the 50 up the right side of the field to smack the game?s first goal past the ?keeper.

Bermuda soon notched their second goal on a swiftly taken long corner with Kirk Edmunds finding the net.

With a 2-0 lead, the win seemed in hand, but Mavericks were not going to make it so easy for the Island boys.

With just over 10 minutes left to play they found a way past ?keeper Kevin Hill.

The goal reinvigorated the Mavericks and five minutes later they netted a fine second goal.

Tension was thick in the final minutes of the game as neither team managed to break the deadlock. The whistle left them all square at 2-2, meaning sudden death penalty flicks would determine the outcome of the tournament ? just as they had in Virginia Beach.

?I can?t believe we are back here again,? muttered one of the players on the sidelines.

But coach Pichery selected his five hitters ? Matt Spencer (with six goals already over the tournament), Stephen Troake, captain Neil Carroll, Nigel Deane and Bill Spencer.

Both teams missed their first flicks but Mavericks struck on the second, meaning Troake too had to make his shot ? the relief was palpable when he did.

The third Maverick striker missed but Carroll did as well. The next players each hit the mark with Deane evening Bermuda to 2-2.

Mavs missed their last attempt, so the game rested on Bermuda?s final flick. But Bill Spencer made his mark and victory ? denied in Virginia Beach ? was Bermuda?s at last.

?The nerves were there again after the final whistle,? Pichery said. ?But luckily the players who stepped up to take the penalty strokes were ice cold.?

It was the perfect end to the squad?s inaugural season.

?To play undefeated in a tournament with such good teams and to come away with the first place trophy and medals was just an added bonus and a testament to the discipline and determination of the young men on this demanding challenge,? said Pichery.

He praised all his players and team managers Mark Mello and Patricia Holder, whom he said worked diligently to ensure everything went smoothly in Atlanta.

?They played a consistently high standard of hockey throughout the tournament but they definitely kept their best effort for the last game,? Pichery said. ?They were determined to win every match and this resulted in a supreme effort on the pitch. We twice went behind in games but fought back in both to register wins. ?

Neil Carroll (capt.), Shannon Simons, Nigel Deane, David Gutteridge, Stuart MacKellar, Kevin Hill, Bill Spencer, Simon Van de Weg, Keir Savage, Stephen Troake, Kirk Edmunds, Peter Hughes, Stephen Ludgate, Matt Spencer. Nigel Deane (coach).