The Pittsburgh Bandits in-line hockey team was a bit unsure of itself when it arrived at the Junior Olympics.

A medal around each player's neck changed that.

The 16-and-under squad, made up of kids from all over the Pittsburgh area - including players from the Butler and Seneca Valley school districts - took fourth place at the Junior Olympics in New Orleans in early August.

"At first, the kids were in awe after seeing the quality of teams that were there," said Bandits' coach Joe Catena. "But after they played a few games, they saw that they could compete with them."

The reason for the Bandits' cautious approach was that this was the first year the team had played together.

"We held some tryouts in the early part of the year," said Catena. "And the first tournament we played in was in May.

"We knew we had some good kids and decent players, but we were surprised at how well the team ended up doing."

The Bandits competed in the Eastern Region, with tournaments in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Cleveland, West Virginia and Maryland.

"In most of the tournaments, the kids started out slow, but their play would pick up as the games wore on," Catena said.

"We got great goalie play from Steve Baker (Peters Twp.)," said Catena. "Our offense was led by forward Sean Nelson (Seneca Valley) and our leading defenseman was Tony Manfred (Butler). But it was a great effort by all the kids."

Team members included four others from Seneca Valley - Nick Carranza, Justin Catena, Cory Cramer and C.J. Bohn.

The team did well enough in its regional play to advance to the Junior Olympics, where it was confronted by some of the best teams in the world.

"There were teams from Australia, Great Britain, plus all-star teams from all over the United States," said Catena. "It was a great caliber of hockey. But after playing a few games, our kids realized they weren't out-classed by our opponents."

The Bandits played 12 games in New Orleans, compiling an 8-4 record and received a copper medal for their efforts.

"We were treated very well down there," said Catena. "In-line hockey is a great sport. The whole thing was an AAU event and that's a class organization."

Just weeks after the Bandits returned home was when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast.

"We played our games at the convention center," Catena said. "They set up three rinks inside and that's where all the games were played. And our hotel was right across the street."

The players were dealt a surreal experience when they saw the city they just visited in such despair.

"A lot of the players were calling each other up and saying, 'We were just down there! The whole place is under water.' It was really something else," he said.