3ICE Wraps Up Second Season with Down-to-the-Wire Final

North America's professional 3-on-3 summer league wrapped up on Saturday, and it featured some of the most eye-grabbing plays of the year in hockey.

3ICE wrapped up their second season of professional 3-on-3 hockey with Team Murphy taking home the Patrick Cup in a dramatic 2-1 shootout win over Team Patrick at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Hank Crone played hero in the game for Team Murphy, scoring a regulation goal and the shootout-winner. Brandon Pirri, an NHL veteran of 276 games, scored in the losing effort for Team Patrick. NHL legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Larry Murphy led Team Murphy and was named the 3ICE coach of the year.

3ICE’s top goaltender Eamon McAdam, a former third-round pick of the New York Islanders who spent several seasons in the AHL and ECHL before moving to Europe in 2021, backstopped Team Murphy to the title.

Hank Crone’s trophy case got more crowded this week. Crone was the ECHL’s leading scorer with 105 points in 69 games playing for the Allen Americans. He also earned the ECHL’s MVP award and rookie of the year honors.

Crone continued his winning ways with Team Murphy and 3ICE, tying Pirri for the league lead in scoring with 14 goals and 18 points in eight games. Crone was also named league MVP.

You can imagine that 3-on-3 hockey would feature highlight reel goals and saves each game, like this between the leg pass and finish.

But sometimes, one just stands out. This season in 3ICE, that moment came from Eamon McAdam, who made a wild behind-the-back grab, saving Team Murphy a goal. With Jack Combs, the second leading scorer in the ECHL this season, barreling down on a breakaway, Combs put on a tricky move with the puck getting behind McAdam. The 6-foot-3 netminder, who played in England with the Guildford Flames last season, swung his glove back and nabbed the puck.

After a successful inaugural season in 2022, the 2023 3ICE season features more professional talent and more Hall of Fame legends behind the bench. The biggest new name behind the bench this season was Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche legend Ray Bourque. Bourque’s team included his son and ex-NHLer, Chris Bourque, and fellow ex-NHLers T.J. Hensick and Shane Harper.

3ICE CEO E.J. Johnston said he believes other professional leagues are recognizing the growth in on-ice talent and that it’s only a matter of time before a 3ICE athlete advances to the NHL.

“You have to find talent somewhere,” Johnston told The Hockey News in an earlier interview. “In terms of NHL teams looking at us, it’s not if, it’s when.”

While it hasn’t happened for a player yet, Team LeClair head coach John LeClair was hired by his former team, the Philadelphia Flyers, as a special adviser to hockey operations.