If it were not for the kindly coach who grabbed a young Ben Kornitzer mid-game from the opposite end of the ice, where he was doing figure-eights by himself, and redirected him to the face-off circle, the New York roller hockey scene might have been denied one of its most enigmatic players. From the mean streets of Newton Massachusetts, Kornitzer developed a gutsy combination of hockey grit and occasional chicanery, which he uses to outwit his opponents and occasionally himself. Following a remarkable '04-'05 season, during which he was the leading medical school student on the NYU ACHA team (tallying one goal), Ben decided to hang up his skates for the very last time. Yet, the siren song of hockey could not be ignored. As fate would have it, a chance encounter with a ragged crew of roller hockey players on the corner of Houston and 6th Ave would lure him back into active duty. Now, in the sixth year of his epic return, he has set his sights on the holy grail of NY roller hockey--the 2014 Cohen Classic championship.

Between him and glory there stands but one small thing--talent. And when, Ben asks, has that ever stopped him.