2021 Icebreaker Facts, Numbers, Finishes and Rankings

2020-2021 Icebreaker Fun Facts + Icebreaker By the Numbers + Icebreaker Finishes by Event + 2020/21 Icebreaker Rankings

WPH Press, Tucson, AZ, 10/28/21

The WPH created the Icebreaker 3-Wall pro tour Championship to “break the ice” during the pandemic, allowing the best handball players in the world to compete and showcase their talents to the world. The Icebreaker tour attracted virtually all of the best players from North America, providing riveting theatre for the WPH’s worldwide audience.

Check out the Icebreaker Fun Facts, Icebreaker By the Numbers, Icebreaker Finishes by Event + the 2020/21 Icebreaker Rankings from the 12 events in the 2020/21 Icebreaker season below.

2020-2021 Icebreaker Fun Facts

• Undefeated Icebreaker players: Carroll (10-0), A. Morales (3-0), B. Medina (4-0)
• Most Icebreaker titles: Carroll (3)
• Players with zero Icebreaker small ball wins: L. Collado (0-2), Mattioni (0-2), Ni Churraoin (0-2), J. Chapman (0-4), D. Perez (0-4), L. Cordova (0-2)
• Oldest Icebreaker ranked pro players: Fink (44), Davis (44)
• Youngest Icebreaker ranked pro: Esser (24)
• Youngest Icebreaker champion: Carroll (28)
• There have been 26 different Icebreaker small ball pros through the first 12 Icebreakers (19 men, 7 women)
• Seven of the 26 Icebreaker small players reside in AZ
• Five of the 26 Icebreaker small players reside in CA
• Most points scored in Icebreaker history: Fink (262)
• Most lopsided games in Icebreaker history:
• Moler def Mitchell 21-0, game one, Icebreaker #5
• Lenning def Fink 15-0, game one, Icebreaker #8
• Moler def Ni Churraoin 11-0, game three, Icebreaker #9
• Coldest Icebreaker match: 43 degrees at the start of Icebreaker #5 (Moler vs. Mitchell)
• Warmest Icebreaker match: 117 degrees at the start of the Icebreaker #11 final (Fink vs. Carroll)
• Furthest distance traveled to compete in an Icebreaker: 2,640 miles (Carroll traveling from Boston, MA to Tucson, AZ)
• Shortest distance traveled to compete in an Icebreaker: 2.1 miles (Esser/Mitchell)
• Closest Icebreaker matches:

Ruiz def Canales, Jr, 11-21, 21-8, 11-10 in the semifinals of Icebreaker #6,

1. Cordova def Ruiz 8-15, 16-14, 15-3 in the semifinals of Icebreaker #11

• Icebreaker tiebreakers:
• Ruiz def Canales, Jr. at the Icebreaker #6
• Lenning def Fink at the Icebreaker #8
• Ruiz def L. Cordova at Icebreaker #8
• Mitchell def Moler at Icebreaker #5
• Bernhard def Mattioni at Icebreaker #8
• Davis def Mitchell at Icebreaker #9
• Carroll def Fink at the Icebreaker #11
• D. Cordova def Ruiz at the Icebreaker #11
• L. Canales, Jr. def M. Langmack at the Ice Bowl
• Carroll def Ruiz at the Ice Bowl
• Davis def Hughes at the Ice Bowl
• Daskalakis def Mitchell at the Ice Bowl
• Daskalakis def Moler at the Ice Bowl

Women’s Icebreaker #2 Ashley Moler 2021 Icebreaker Stats

Total Matches: 7

Overall record: 4-3

Total points scored in 7 matches: 279

Total points lost in 5 matches: 217

Percentage of points won: 56%

Games won in 5 matches: 11

Games lost in 5 matches: 8

Tiebreakers played: 5

Tiebreaker record: 2-3 (40%)

Current Icebreaker ranking: 2

Killian Carroll Icebreaker Stats (through Killian’s three Icebreaker starts)

Total matches: 10

Overall record: 10-0

Total points scored in 6 matches: 374

Total points lost in 6 matches: 205

Percentage of points won: 65%

Games won in 10 matches: 20

Games lost in 10 matches: 2

Overtime games played: 4

Overtime record: 3-1

Tiebreakers played: 2

Tiebreaker record: 2-0

• Players to face match point and come back to win:

Ruiz def Canales, Jr. 11-21, 21-9, 11-10 at Icebreaker #6

1. Cordova def Ruiz 8-15, 16-14, 15-3 at Icebreaker #11

• In Icebreaker finals, two has gone to a tiebreaker (Mitchell def Moler 10-15, 15-12, 15-13 in Icebreaker #5, Daskalakis def Mitchell 17-21, 21-15, 11-2 at the Ice Bowl) – no men’s finals have gone to a tiebreaker
• Longest match in Icebreaker history: Canales, Jr. def Bernhard 15-3, 10-15, 15-10 at the Icebreaker #11 (one hour and 40 minutes)
• Tallest player in Icebreaker history: Max Langmack (6”8)
• Icebreaker Contenders champions (qualifiers): Max Langmack, Danny Perez, John Chapman, Dylan Key, Victor Sanchez, Armando Ibarra, Leo Canales, Sr.
• To earn an Icebreaker ranking: a player must win a main draw or playoff match in the money rounds – qualifying and not winning a main draw or playoff match does not earn a ranking
• Top Winning Percentages on the 2020/21 Icebreaker Tour

Men’s Small Ball

Killian Carroll 100% (10-0), 3 titles

Danos Cordova 75% (6-2), 0 titles

David Fink 73% (8-3), 2 titles

Women’s Small Ball

Danielle Daskalakis 80% (4-1), 1 title

Men’s Big Ball

Alfredo Morales 100% (3-0), 1 title

2020-2021 Icebreakers By the Numbers

12 – the number of Pro Icebreakers held between September 2020 and May of 2021

4 – the number of courts used in Icebreakers: the Clark Park Freddy B show court, the Jeff Healam show court, the Benny Young show court, the Doug Clark show court

48 – the number of different invited small ball and big ball men’s and women’s pro players that have competed in the 11 Icebreaker events

8 – the number of states represented in Icebreaker action (AZ, CA, TX, NY, FL, MO, ID, CO)

3 – the number of countries represented in Icebreaker action (U.S., Mexico, Ireland)

8 – the number of different Icebreaker champions in the first 12 Icebreaker stops (men’s, women’s, big ball)

2 – the number of camera operators capturing the Icebreaker action

97 – the number of Icebreaker singles matches played in the first 11 Icebreaker stops

3 – the number of players in their 40’s that have played in the Icebreaker stops (Fink, Davis, Mattioni)

6 – the number of ranked men’s players in their 30’s that have played in Icebreaker stops

8 – the number of ranked men’s players in their 20’s that have played in Icebreaker stops

31.3 – the average age of the ranked men’s Icebreaker pros

34.3 – the average age of the ranked women’s Icebreaker pros

55 – the age of the oldest Icebreaker competitor

24 – the age of the youngest Icebreaker ranked competitor

4 – the number of Icebreaker Contenders (Qualifiers) held

72 – the number of players entering the four Icebreaker Contender events

14 – the age of the youngest Icebreaker Contenders participant

Icebreaker History (2020-2021)

Icebreaker #1 – September 2020: David Fink (AZ) def Shorty Ruiz (AZ) 21-4, 21-6

Icebreaker #2 – November 2020: Dylan Hernandez (CA) def Erik Torres (CA) 21-12, 21-11

*Icebreaker #3 – January 2020: David Fink (AZ) def Stephen Cooney (IRE) 21-2, 21-10

*non-ranking event

*Icebreaker #4 – January 2020: Leo Canales, Jr. (TX) def Sam Esser (AZ) 21-6, 21-19

*non-ranking event

*Icebreaker #5 – February 2020: Ashley Moler (AZ) def Mikaila Mitchell (AZ) 21-0, 21-16

*non-ranking event

Icebreaker #6 – February 2020: David Fink (AZ) def Shorty Ruiz (AZ) 21-11, 21-14

Icebreaker #7: April 2021 Mikaila Mitchell (AZ) def Ashley Moler (AZ) 4-15, 15-10, 15-13

Icebreaker #8: April 2021 Killian Carroll (MA) def Sean Lenning (AZ) 16-14, 15-10

Icebreaker #9:

May 2021 Ashley Moler (AZ) def Tracy Davis 21-14, 21-4 (CA)

May 2021 Abraham Montijo (AZ) def Adam Bernhard (TX) 21-13, 21-2

Icebreaker #10: May 2021 Alfredo Morales (CA) def Josue Tellez (CA) 15-4, 15-6/Alfredo Morales (CA)/Boxer Rosales (ID) def Josue Tellez (CA)/Darryl Garcia (CA) 21-9

Icebreaker #11: Killian Carroll (MA) def Daniel Cordova (TX) 16-14, 15-3

Ice Bowl (#12): Killian Carroll (MA) def Daniel Cordova (TX) 21-11, 21-9, Danielle Daskalakis (NY) def Mikaila Mitchell (AZ) 17-21, 21-15, 11-2

Icebreaker Finishes by Event + Qualifiers

Men’s Icebreakers

Icebreaker #1 (4-man event): September 2020

1^st: Fink (AZ)

2^nd: Ruiz (AZ)

3^rd: Montijo (AZ)

4^th: Esser (AZ) (no matches won)

Icebreaker #2 (4-man event): November 2020

1^st: D. Hernandez (CA)

2^nd: E. Torres (CA)

3^rd: R. Palma (CA)

4^th: L. Collado (CA) (no matches won)

*Icebreaker #3 (2-man event): December 2020

1^st: Fink (AZ)

2^nd: Cooney (CA) (no matches won)

*non-ranking event

*Icebreaker #4 (2-man event): February 2021

1^st: L. Canales, Jr. (TX)

2^nd: Esser (AZ) (no matches won)

*non-ranking event

Icebreaker #5 (4-man event): March 2021

1^st: Fink (AZ)

2^nd: Ruiz (AZ)

3^rd: L. Canales, Jr. (TX)

4^th: Esser (AZ) (no matches won)

Icebreaker #6 (8-man event): April 2021

1^st: K. Carroll (MA)

2^nd: S. Lenning (AZ)

3^rd: Fink (AZ)/Ruiz (AZ) (no third place playoff)

5^th: L. Canales, Jr. (TX)

6^th: Montijo (AZ)

7^th: L. Cordova (MEX)/D. Hernandez (CA) – neither won a match

Icebreaker #7 (4-man event): April 2021

1^st: Montijo (AZ)

2^nd: A. Bernhard (TX)

3^rd: M. Langmack (MO)

4^th: N. Mattioni (FL) (no matches won)

Icebreaker #8 (12-man event): June 2021

1^st: Carroll (MA)

2^nd: D. Cordova (TX)

3^rd: Fink (AZ)/Ruiz (AZ)

Icebreaker #9 (16-man event): August 2021

1^st: Carroll (MA)

2^nd: D. Cordova (TX)

3^rd: Fink (AZ)/Ruiz (AZ)

Women’s Icebreakers

*Women’s Icebreaker #1 (2-woman event): January 2021

1^st: A. Moler (AZ)

2^nd: M. Mitchell (AZ) (no matches won)

*non-ranking event

Women’s Icebreaker #2 (4-woman event): April 2021

1^st: M. Mitchell (AZ)

2^nd: A. Moler (AZ)

3^rd: D. Daskalakis (NY)

4^th: T. Davis (CA) (no matches won)

Women’s Icebreaker #3 (4-woman event): April 2021

1^st: A. Moler (AZ)

2^nd: T. Davis (CA)

3^rd: M. Mitchell (AZ)

4^th: Ciana Ni Churraoin (TX) (no matches won)

Women’s Icebreaker #4 (6-woman event): August 2021

1^st: D. Daskalakis (NY)

2^nd: M. Mitchell (AZ)

3^rd: T. Davis (CA)

4^th: A. Moler (AZ)

Icebreaker Contenders (Qualifiers)

Small Ball Contenders #1 (April 2021)

Contender champion: Max Langmack (KS)

Small Ball Contenders #2 (May 2021)

Contenders: Danny Perez (AZ) (champion)/John Chapman (CO) (finalist)

*both Perez and Chapman qualified

Big Ball Icebreaker Contenders #1 (May 2021)

Contender champion: David Fink (AZ)

Small Ball Contenders #3 (June 2021)

Contenders champion: Dylan Key (AZ)

Small Ball Contenders #4 (August 2021)

Contenders: Victor Sanchez (TX), Armando Ibarra (CO), Leo Canales, Sr. (TX)

Final 2020/21 Icebreaker Rankings here:

David Fink

WPH Statistician