By LINDA BOUVET, LSSU Sports Information Director

Hanging out with former NHL players, representing Canada in international competition, celebrating their faith and touring Israel – the highlights were numerous for Lake Superior State seniors Zach Sternberg and Dan Radke during their July trip to the 19th Maccabiah Games.

“It felt like how athletes describe the Olympics,” said Radke, a California native who has dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship. “The coolest part for me besides the hockey was getting to see all of the historic things you hear about and the things that don't exist over here. On the first day we went to the old city and the Western Wall. I got bar-mitzvah'd, which was pretty cool.”

The Maccabiah Games, a sports festival for Jewish athletes held every four years in Israel, involves 9,000 athletes from 77 countries competing in 38 sports. It is the world's third-largest sporting event.

Sternberg's father, Gerry, played softball in the 1983 Maccabiah Games. Zach participated in the 2013 Games along with his brother, who competed in rugby. Hockey was part of the Maccabiah Games schedule for the first time since 1997.

“I got to play with a lot of guys I grew up knowing – a lot of Toronto and Montreal players I knew in youth hockey,” Sternberg said. “I was able to rekindle some past relationships. Playing on a team that all shares the same believes was the coolest part. It was something we had in common and we became a tight-knit group. We had NHL coaches – Guy Carbonneau and Wayne Primeau. It was awesome to hear their input.”

In June, 2012, tryouts were held for the Canadian team in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Sterberg emailed the team's general manager last September to let them know about Radke. Both Laker players are two-time Jewish Sports Review Division I College Hockey All-Americans.

According to Sternberg, the Canadian team's trip was fully-funded thanks to financial support from several NHL owners. Maccabiah Canada was also the beneficiary of a successful golf fund-raiser in which he participated. Both players' families made the trip to Israel.

Team Canada blew through the field, beating the Ukrane 7-1, Israel 15-0 and Team USA 6-1 in pool play. During the semifinal round, Canada beat Israel 13-2. Radke and Sternberg both had assists during their team's 7-1 championship victory over USA. They finished the tournament with six points each and received gold medals.

“It was great getting to play with other great Jewish athletes,” Sternberg said. “We won 7-1 in the finals, and people couldn't really match us. Our team was on a different level. We had a couple Division I players and a couple pros. Our team was very good.”

The puck drop during the tournament's opening game was an absolute thrill for Sternberg, who was unsure of what to expect during his first international competition.

“That and the first drop in the gold medal game were the pinnacles of excitement for me,” he said. “Competing with a Canadian jersey on was also the coolest part for me.”

Sternberg, a 6-0, 187-pound defenseman and two-time winner of LSSU's Gay Blade Award (team comedian), took a run at the Ukrane's Alexei Zhitnik, who a 5-11, 214-pound defenseman who played 1,085 NHL games with the Kings, Sabres, Islanders, Flyers and Thrashers.

“Just cause I knew he played in the NHL,” Sternberg said of the play, which will likely be more memorable for him than Zhitnik. “We both bounced back. He's a pretty big guy. He was pretty straight-faced.”

Radke relished the opportunity to spend two weeks with hockey players from diverse backgrounds. The only disappointment was that, due to the rink's location, hockey teams weren't able to reside or mingle in the athletes' village.

“We spent a couple nights in the hotel – the kibbutz – after the games, hanging out and playing cards in the lobby,” Radke said. “We were listening to stories and asking the coaches questions about the NHL. I could have sat there for days listening to that stuff. It was pretty amazing.”

Radke, Sternberg and their families were well-aware of the Middle East's political landscape prior to their decision to participate in the Maccabiah Games. Some kind of icident led to their flight to Israel being diverted to Cypress for three hours. And they couldn't help but notice armed security guards at every turn.

“The military was everywhere,” Sternberg said. “It's close to Syria, and everyone had a rifle with them, but I always felt safe.”

Touring Israel involved going through checkpoints in the politically-divided region. Sternberg noted that what neighboring states like North and South Carolina are to the United States is nothing like what Lebanon and Israel are to the Middle East.

“Neighboring states are threats to each other,” Sternberg said. “People are on high alert and are highly aware.”

The goal of the Maccabiah Games is to bring Jewish athletes to Israel with the hope that they will one day want to live there. The NHL's support of hockey's re-entry into the games will help promote the sport in Israel.

“I can see hockey being a favorite sport there,” Sternberg said. “It's fast and physical, and that's the nature of their country.”

Radke is keenly aware that he was a part of something special.

“There were big banners in the airport and logos on the sidewalks,” he said. “Everybody in the country knew what was going on.”