Just call them the Elite Eight.

The Butler Cobras boys 8-under inline hockey team, which consists of eight players, returned home from the 2 Hot 4 Ice national championships in Columbia, S.C., last weekend with the bronze medal.

The squad was one of three teams to make the medal round, joining the South Carolina Comets and Atlanta Selects, before dropping an 8-5 decision to the Comets, thus receiving the bronze.

"We won the gold at the Pennsylvania qualifier in May at Mount Pleasant to qualify for this event," coach Steve Monteleone said.

"We didn't think we were going to go until a few days before, but everything came together time-wise and financially at the last minute. We threw the team together again, and the boys played great," he added.

Butler defeated the North Carolina Dragons and South Carolina Comets by 4-2 scores, then shut out the Hendersonville (Tenn.) Hurricanes 8-0.

The team's final win was a 5-3 decision over the West Palm Beach (Fla.) Titans.

Dustin Davis was the tournament MVP and points leader, notching 17 goals and five assists in five games. Jonathan Fair was named the event's outstanding goaltender, sporting an 89 percent save percentage.

Other players on the squad included Trevor Monteleone, Troy Double, Connor Scott, Dalton Scott, Devin Kane and Corey Powell.

Connor Scott scored six goals in the tournament.

"This team has been playing together since November," Coach Monteleone said. "The only other tournament they played in before nationals was the AAU championship at Mount Pleasant in April."

Butler won the gold medal at the AAU event.

Assistant coaches were Tom Fair and Terry Davis. Diane Powell and Teresa Kane led the fund-raising efforts "that enabled us to make the trip," Monteleone said.

Teams from California, Colorado, Michigan, Canada and Czechoslovakia were among the 156 teams in all divisions at the tournament.

"These kids met people from all over the place," Monteleone said. "They got to experience other cultures, talk to kids from different backgrounds, see different styles of play. … The kids will be talking about that tournament for the next 20 or 30 years."