Chicago Champs

Big winners at the CCM World Invite

The 2021 CCM World Invite Chicago brought 504 teams to the Chicagoland area for a massive early-season tournament this past weekend. Who emerged victorious? Let’s take a closer look at the top Super Tacks divisions for the ’05 through ’10 age groups.

16U Super Tacks

Chicago Mission took advantage of their home ice for the 16U age group, as they cruised to a 6-0-0 record in the Windy City. They dominated preliminary-round play, posting a 6-1 win over the NEW Jr. Gamblers and a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Vengeance on Friday before a 5-0 win over Belle Tire on Saturday. From there, it was a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Lakers on Saturday evening, and then a 7-2 win over the Connecticut Jr. Rangers Sunday morning before Mission finished things off with a 4-1 win over Culver Academy in the finals. Hats off to Culver, too, for a nearly flawless weekend, as well.

15U Super Tacks

Team Wisconsin gave up four goals at the CCM World Invite…over six games. With that type of defense and goaltending, it’s easy to see how they emerged victorious at the 15U age group. They registered 5-0 and 2-0 shutout wins over the MDHL (Michigan) and Pittsburgh Vengeance, respectively, on Friday, before a 3-1 win over Florida Alliance Saturday to charge into the elimination rounds. There, it was another shutout win — 3-0 over Team Illinois — in the quarters before a 3-1 win over the Cleveland Barons Sunday morning in the semifinals. In the finals, Chicago Mission managed to score twice, but, it wasn’t enough, as Team Wisconsin headed home champions thanks to a 4-2 victory.

2007 Super Tacks

Compuware had some fun after making the four-hour drive down to Chicago. With a 3-2 win over Team Wisconsin in the finals, Compuware secured a perfect weekend. They started things off with a 4-3 win over the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes and a 3-1 win over CarShield on Friday, before really hitting their stride on Saturday. There, Compuware posted back-to-back five-goal games, beating St. Louis Park 5-2 and then the Indy Jr. Fuel 5-1 in the quarterfinals. On Sunday, they recorded a 4-0 win over the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets before winning it all a few hours later.

2008 Super Tacks

The Los Angeles Jr. Kings entered the CCM World Invite Chicago as the highest-ranked participating team, and they lived up to the billing. The Kings posted a perfect 6-0 record on the weekend, out-scoring the competition 34-13 in the process. After posting a 6-2 win over the Indy Jr. Fuel and a 7-3 win over the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals to start, the Kings followed up with 7-1 and 4-2 wins over Sioux Falls Power and the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets Saturday. On Sunday, an 8-4 win over the Nashville Warriors secured their spot in the finals, where the Kings beat the Chicago Reapers 2-1.

2009 Super Tacks

The home cooking served the Chicago Reapers well this past weekend, as they emerged unscathed from a crowded 2009 class at the World Invite in their backyard. The Reapers pitched three shutouts during their run to the Super Tacks title – including back-to-back Friday 6-0 wins over the California Golden Bears and Nashville Warriors to start things off with a bang. Their last shutout? The finals, of course, as the Reapers blanked Florida Alliance 5-0. The hometown team scored 34 goals in their six games, while only allowing three all weekend – never more than one goal against in each game.

2010 Super Tacks (Crosby)

In a super-stacked Super Tacks at the 2010 age group, tournament organizers split the birth year into Crosby and Ovechkin divisions. In the Crosby division, there were seven ranked teams among the 12, and it was No. 1 holding the rest at bay. Chicago Mission navigated the tournament field with ease, posting a 6-0-0 record en route to a championship. They played the St. Louis AAA Blues in the first game and then again in the last game, and both times, Mission posted 7-1 wins. Along the way, they also took down the No. 2 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and No. 5 L.A. Jr. Kings, too.

2010 Super Tacks (Ovechkin)

The Madison Capitols took care of business in the other 2010 Super Tacks division, registering their own perfect 6-0-0 record in the Ovi division. No strangers to winning close ones, the Caps never won by more than two goals, but each and every time out, they found a way to win – including a 4-3 final over the Colorado Thunderbirds in the final on Sunday.

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