After collecting just two points during Nacka HK’s group play schedule at the 2023 U15 Uplandia Trophy, Mikael Kim turned it on in the playoffs. With one of the hottest sticks among all skaters, Kim finished first in multiple offensive categories, including total points (8), goals (4) and assists (4). A run that led Nacka to the final game against AIK Hockey, where Kim played the hero by scoring an overtime goal to secure the championship.
Despite Kim’s slow start to the tournament, Arvid Ermeskog (4G, 2A) and Love Lorentzon (2G, 3A) did a majority of the heavy lifting in the points department during the group stage. Lorenzton had his best game during the second day of action, where he scored four points (2G, 2A) in an 8-0 win against Rauman Lukko. Ermeskog also recorded two multi-point performances in two of the team’s five group games.
With both players contributing to an impressive attack, Nacka finished its group schedule with a plus-14 goal differential, the best among all participating clubs. Strong offense and dependable defense would continue into the playoff rounds, where the team followed it up with a plus-six goal differential in three contests. While the points from Ermeskog and Lorentzon were not as prevalent, the stage was set for Kim to raise his profile at the tournament.
Kim helped Nacka open their playoff slate with a 6-4 victory against MoDo Hockey. It would be his best game statistically, tallying two goals and four points. He followed that up with a three-point performance in a 3-0 shutout of SDE Hockey. Following those victories, the lone club standing between Nacka and the championship was AIK.
Alexander Hedberg Bouveron opened the scoring in the first period when he finished off a pass from Liam Thunberg. Just 23 seconds after, Viggo Låhdö knotted the score at 1-1. Late in the period, Nacka would go back up 2-1 off a goal from Sam Tillström.
Max Balk managed to slip a shot by Gustav Stengård to even things up again in the second period. Chances continued back-and-forth in the third period, but neither side was able to convert.
Heading to overtime, Kim made quick work of the extra frame. He settled down a pass from Leo Schlegel and sent it into the net just 23 seconds in. The goal was his fifth of the tournament and 10th point overall. Nacka closes out 2022-23 with an Uplandia Trophy seven months after it began the season with a Sweden Hockey Trophy championship.
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From April 13-16th, 18 of the top 2008-born Swedish youth hockey teams will participate in the annual Uplandia Trophy. Five of those clubs are among the Top-10 programs in the WHH rankings. No. 1 Nacka HK, No. 5 Boo HC, No. 8 Linden HC, No. 9 AIK Hockey, and No. 10 Flemingsbergs IK. Adding a little wrinkle to the proceedings will be the addition of No. 6 Finland-ranked Tappara Sininen.
Each team will be tasked with five group-play games with a format of two 20-minute periods. With all of that in mind, let’s look at three teams who could contend for the championship at this year’s tournament.
Nacka comes in as one of the best teams of its birth year. With a 31-5-7 record to date, they have handled business quite well during regional group play. They finished first at the Sweden Hockey Trophy and third at the Folke Filbyter Cup this season. One thing that will certainly aid their search for a championship will be Oliver Sundberg. One of the most consistent skaters this season, Sundberg has compiled 15 goals and 22 points. That’s the second-most in the recent stretch of group play. In net, Gustav Stengård has been as reliable as any goaltender between the pipes. He’s compiled a respectable 1.58 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in group play. None of their initial five matchups come against ranked opponents, so Nacka should be able to hit the ground running right out of the gate.
Boo, much like Nacka, is a tested bunch when it comes to tournament play this year. After kicking off their season at the Sweden Hockey Trophy, they have since taken part in the Folke Lindström Cup and the Swedbank Trophy. At the Lindström Cup, dynamic duo of forward Viggo Fors and defenseman Olle Andersson made a splash on the scene. Additionally, Lukas Svensson is the current team leader in group play points with 25 (15G, 10A). Getting a majority of starts in net, Leon Andersson has garnered an impressive 1.21 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. If these players continue to produce similar resulets at Uplandia Trophy, they should contend for the top spot. With a first matchup scheduled against Flemingsbergs, it will take all hands on deck to open with a victory.
The team has participated in the Sweden Hockey Trophy, Folke Lindström Cup and secured bronze at the Nordic Youth Trophy. On top of tournament experience, Flemingsbergs sits first in its respective group division with a record of 17-3-1. I expect Salim Ismailov (20G, 17A) and Oliver Wall (14G, 20A) to do big things for their team. They finished as the first and third-most point getters in group play this season, respectively. Rounding out the potent power trio of forwards is Noel Dourrouj, who has collected 14 goals and 27 points.
For as dynamic as the offense is for Flemingsbergs, the Lindbom brothers provide a goaltending tandem that any team would be envious of. In group play, Benjamin Lindbom has recorded a 1.22 goals-against average and .935 save percentage with one shutout. Kevin Lindbom has collected a 1.27 goals-against average and .925 goals-against, with four shutouts. No matter who is in net, they give Flemingsbergs an ample boost. Flemingsbergs will open up Uplandia Trophy games against Boo, finishing up its remaining four games against unranked opponents.
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During the course of Finland’s U16 SM-Series Playoffs, numerous individuals displayed their talents in a tournament of the top teams in the country. Two of those players, Eetu Orpana and Joonas Rajala, were main reasons why Tappara was able to win its first national championship since 1998.
| Joonas Rajala Tappara | Olli Wahlroos TPS | Eetu Orpana Tappara |
For a majority of this season, Joonas Rajala and Eetu Orpana have filled scoresheets with their names. Providing a one-two punch up front for Tappara, much of the club’s success can be attributed to the way these two forwards play the game. Their dynamic play carried over into the national playoffs, where they each tallied 12 points in seven games. Rajala put up eight goals, while Orpana was more of a distributor of the puck, collecting eight assists.
Olli Wahlroos was one of the most consistent forwards for TPS en route to their run to the championship game. Wahlroos put up five goals and 11 points in 10 playoff games. He shined as a fantastic two-way player whose patience with the puck allowed teammates to find scoring opportunities. Wahlroos is a leader that makes those around him better.
| Ossi Tukio Ilves | Aaron Paju TPS |
Ossi Tukio led all defensemen in scoring with two goals and eight points, which was also good enough for third overall among all Ilves skaters. With a decent frame, his long reach prevented attacking players from being able to establish much zone time. With only two penalty minutes to his name, Tukio is rarely seen out of position.
Aaron Paju added complimentary scoring from the blue line for TPS, racking up one goal and seven points in 10 games. A mainstay on the power play because of his excellent puck movement, his lone goal came on the man advantage in the second game against Tappara.
| Eero Rönö Tappara |
Statistically, there was no better goaltender in the U16 SM-Series Playoffs than Eero Rönö. Compiling a .955 save percentage and 1.25 goals-against average, only five goals made their way past him in four starts. Constantly exhibiting calm demeanor in the crease, you would be hard pressed to find another 2007-born Finnish goalie who is as technically sound as he is. If not for a late power-play goal, Rönö would have secured a 30-save shutout in the Game 2 of the Finals against TPS. He made 23 saves in Game 1 as well.
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Propelled by key victories at 16U USA Hockey Nationals, the Long Island Gulls found a new home in the No. 1 spot among 2006-born clubs. They defeated No. 3 New Jersey Rockets, No. 4 Compuware, No. 6 Little Caesars and No. 9 Mount St. Charles, all Top-10 U.S. teams. The Gulls also managed to pull out a strong victory over previous top spot holder Shattuck-St. Mary’s, who slid down to No. 2.
In Sweden, Täby HC maneuvered its way to the top, thanks to a deep run to the championship game versus Brynäs IF for 2007-born teams. Even more impressive was the final result of the matchup, with Brynäs managing to put up seven goals en route to winning the club’s first-ever Sweden National Championship. A win that helped boost Brynäs, who was previously unranked, into the Top 10.
Sticking with the ‘07s, Tappara went 6-1-0 in the Finnish SM-Series playoffs to secure the top spot from Kiekko-Espoo. TPS and KalPa also experienced jumps to No. 3 and No. 4 in the Top 10, respectively, resulting from key victories during their playoff runs as well. In the ‘08s, Jokerit’s 3-0-0 stretch allowed them to take the No. 1 spot, with second-place Kärpät Musta in the No. 2 spot and third-place Kärpät Valkoinen settling in to No. 3.
Fresh off winning gold at the 2023 U14 Uplandia Trophy with an undefeated run, Brinkens IF is enjoying a new view from the No. 1 spot.
The 2011-born Vaughan Kings put up a stellar showing against the No. 2 Toronto Jr. Canadiens, defeating them 8-1 to leapfrog them to the No. 1 spot. Vaughan also managed to split two games against No. 10 Toronto Nationals. In Russia, the ‘11s saw a new club take the No. 1 spot as well with CSKA Moscow taking over for No. 2 Dynamo St. Petersburg. CSKA put three crucial victories against Top-10 teams under its belt to slip past Dynamo.
No. 5 ‘06 SKA Strelna suited up for two games against No. 6 SKA Silver Lions, resulting in two wins for Strelna to move them up a spot. Traktor Chelyabinsk put together a decent string of wins to slide into the No. 10 spot for the first time this season. 2009-born Dynamo St. Petersburg took two out of three games against No. 9 SKA Strelna to push them out of the No. 8 spot.
There were some big showdowns at the ‘07 USA Hockey Nationals tournament, and the Los Angeles Jr. Kings’ championship run vaulted them from No. 7 to No. 3. It started with wins against teams like No. 4 Mount St. Charles and No. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. Then, it culminated with a championship win in overtime against No. 5 Shattuck-St. Mary’s. In Canada, the Halton Hurricanes took advantage of two games with No. 5 York Simcoe Express, taking the No. 4 spot among other ‘07 teams with two wins.
Continuing to impress with the 2008-born clubs was No. 2 Linköpings HC, who bested No. 3 Djurgårdens IF twice at the 2023 Swedbank Trophy. Linköpings went on to win the gold medal, which ended a perfect 5-0-0 run.
Be sure to check out the complete world rankings, including Top 10s by country and World Top 25s for each of the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 birth years.
Plenty of players stood out during Sweden’s U16 National Championship Tournament, which concluded last week with Brynäs IF defeating heavy favorite Täby HC in the final by a score of 7-2.
| Theo Stockelius Täby HC | Noa Bräutigam Växjö Lakers | Albin Laksonen Växjö Lakers |
Theo Stockselius was one of the most dependable scorers for Täby. Ending as the leading scorer among all skaters with eight goals and 19 points, he was a consistent source of offense. Playing in all situations, he collected six points on the power play while also adding four game-winning goals to his resume. Despite falling short in the championship game, Stockselius was arguably the best player at the tournament.
Whenever Noa Bräutigam was on the ice for the Växjö Lakers, good things usually followed. His ability to drive play was a large reason why goals usually piled up in the opponent’s net rather than Växjö’s when he was on the ice, resulting in his plus-12 rating. Known more for his playmaking ability, Bräutigam assisted on 11 goals, which led all players. By chipping in six goals as well, he finished fourth in overall points with 16.
No other player had the ability to find the back of the net like Albin Laksonen for Växjö. Equipped with an accurate shot, no goalie was able to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of Laksonen’s potent scoring prowess. He finished with 10 goals and seven assists to lead the Lakers in total points.
| Karl Annborn HV 71 | Justus Ehrnström Malmö Redhawks |
Karl Annborn and Justus Ehrnström both acted as fourth forwards for their respective teams at the tournament, each racking up nine points along with MoDo Hockey’s Erik Häggblad to lead all defensemen. Ehrnström brought size to the blue line, towering at six-foot-two and using a long reach to prevent opponents any time or space to set up an attack. Annborn managed to avoid any penalty minutes across six games, while Ehrnström was only penalized once.
| William Forsberg Brynäs IF |
William Forsberg played the most minutes of any goaltender, starting all eight games for Brynäs. In those starts, he compiled the second-best goals-against average (2.50) and third-best save percentage (.916) in the tournament. In the championship game, he made 31 saves, including 13 in the third period alone to backstop his club to its first-ever Sweden national championship. He was named tournament MVP as well.
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Last weekend, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) held its championship tournaments for various birth years. Two of the clubs, 2008-born York Simcoe Express and 2011-born Oakville Rangers were the lone two to be featured in the WHH Rankings.
The defensive strength of York Simcoe Express showed up during group play at the U15 division, allowing only three goals in three games. It was put to the test in the team’s first playoff matchup against the Halton Hurricanes. York Simcoe padded its lead to 3-0 towards the midway point of the third period. Just 40 seconds later, the Hurricanes got themselves on the board. While killing off a power play, Halton would cut the lead to 3-2 when it managed to get a shorthanded goal. With 3:05 remaining on the clock, Halton tied the game at 3. With a chance to reset in overtime, the Express managed to hold off Halton’s comeback and netted the winning goal. York Simcoe would go on to defeat the Oakville Rangers 3-2 in the final contest to cap off its 5-0-0 run.
The Halton Hurricanes got off to a rocky start in the U14 division before rebounding with three straight wins to take home the title. Opening with a 3-3 tie against the Southern Tier Admirals, they then fell 5-2 to the Barrie Jr. Colts later in the same day. Halton finished group play with a strong 4-2 win over the Quinte Red Devils, where they secured the victory with three third-period goals. The Hurricanes finished off York Simcoe Express in overtime to get to a rematch against the Jr. Colts with the championship on the line. Despite Halton scoring first and taking a 1-0 lead into the second period, Barrie quickly collected the next three goals to build a 3-1 lead. In the final minutes of the period, the Hurricanes found the back of the net twice to even the score. With no goals found in the third frame, overtime was required where Halton netted the game-winner.
The Whitby Wildcats overcame a 4-2 tournament-opening loss to the Barrie Jr. Colts to win its next four for the U13 division championship. Down 1-0 in their first playoff matchup against the Quinte Red Devils, the Wildcats cashed in on a power play with 3:19 left in regulation to force overtime. They would eventually find the game-winner to secure a spot in the final against the Credit River Capitals. Deadlocked at 2 late in the third period, the Capitals found the back of the net with 2:41 remaining. Whitby clawed its way back to tying the game with 12 seconds left to bring things into the extra frame tied at 3. The Wildcats completed the comeback in overtime.
It was an undefeated performance backstopped by defense and goaltending that helped the Oakville Rangers obtain the U12 championship. Oakville recorded three straight shutout victories over the Southern Tier Admirals, Central Ontario Wolves and Richmond Hill Coyotes to get to the playoff stage. In the first contest, the Niagara North Stars finally broke through when they tallied a shorthanded goal to go up 1-0 in the second period. After the North Stars doubled their lead to 2-0, things looked dire for the Rangers. Oakville, however, would not go down without a fight and struck twice in the final five seconds of the game to force overtime. Almost a full second game would be played, with Oakville finally finding the winning goal in the third overtime. In the championship game against the Quinte Red Devils, the Rangers found their defensive form once again and collected another shutout en route to the championship.
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This weekend, Sweden’s U16 SM-Playoffs will continue when the final four remaining teams kick off the semifinal round of action on Thursday. MoDo Hockey will take on Brynäs IF, and IFK Täby HC will clash with Växjö Lakers in single elimination contests.
MoDo is searching for its first U16 age group championship since 2002. The other three teams are looking to make history, as not one of them has ever won the U16 SM-Playoffs in the tournament’s 51-year history.
No other team’s performance to date this postseason has raised eyebrows more than MoDo. Getting off to a hot start in the opening round by knocking out fellow WHH-ranked Djurgårdens IF, MoDo used that victory as a jumpstart to their engine. In Group E contests, Elton Hermansson was a bright spot. A strong run of play allowed him to lead the team in scoring with one goal and five points in three games. In total, he has scored 11 points (4G, 7A) across six playoff games to date.
They will need continued contributions from him if there is any hope to offensively match the production that has been carried out by Brynäs. Leading the Brynäs attack that outscored opponents 22-10 in three Group F victories was Hugo Östberg with three goals and six points. There was also a steady stream of offense from the blue line, thanks to Elias Kedling (5G). His sudden emergence as a dependable scoring threat only bolsters an already potent attack. As a bonus, he led all defensemen in Group F in scoring.
Attempting to aid in the shutting down of that attack will be MoDo’s Edvin Lindqvist. In the last three games, he posted a 2.50 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. Lindqvist will be tasked with slowing down Brynäs, which seems to have hit its stride coming out of the latest group contests.
For a large part of this season, Täby has continuously reaped the rewards that the play of its power trio of Theo Stockselius, Marcus Nordmark and Melvin Novotny has provided. They rounded out the top five in scoring en route to boosting their club to a 3-0-0 Group E finish. If this game gets into a goal-scoring frenzy, Täby’s skaters will at least have the presence of mind that they will have Vincent Österlund between the pipes for any needed heroics.
Although Växjö will want to avoid a game plan of trading goals, it will be bringing talent to the matchup to do so should things trend that way. Making up the main point getters for the Lakers are Noa Bräutigam, Olle Ågren and Albin Laksonen. This group was one of the most dominant lines in the opening round of the playoffs, and have continued to wreak havoc for opponents tasked with defending them.
While those three will be aiming to match the high-powered offense of Täby, trying to contain it will be Malte Brolin and Theo Dahl. Both defensemen had a solid start to the postseason, and have continued to chip in the occasional point. However, they are known mostly for consistent thwarting of opposing team’s attacks, and will be relied upon heavily in this matchup. Two squads that are deep on scoring talent should make for some exciting fireworks when the puck is dropped.
WHH will have continued coverage of the Sweden U16 National Championship, top performers, highlights and more! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube.
What is one of the biggest challenges we face feeding young athletes? Ice rink concession stand food. Most concession stands are full of popcorn, pizza, breadsticks and colorful slushies. Relying on these fast and tempting options will make an athlete sluggish and decrease their potential on the ice.
Eating a nourishing small snack before or after a skate will increase energy and maximize performance. A pre-skate snack will sustain energy and a post-skate snack is important to refuel muscles. A snack should contain both carbohydrate and protein, and be consumed within one hour of exertion. That is when muscles are primed for energy intake. Food choices really do make a difference.
Planning and preparation of portable and nourishing snacks is key. Young athletes require proper energy to support recovery and repair of their growing body. For hockey players to perform well, they need to eat well.
What type of snacks will provide energy and strength? Celly Salt is here to offer some ideas to help plan and prepare snacks to fuel healthy athletes.
With a little prep work and planning ahead, you can provide youth hockey players with viable, healthy and delicious snacks for life on the road. Here’s a few we recommend:
Brand name snacks
Ingredients
Directions
Cook’s Note: Great mixed into trail mix, topper for salad or just a snack.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook’s Note: Mix in 2 tablespoons chia seeds with the oats for added protein, fiber, calcium and magnesium.
Want more recipes and products from Celly Salt? Click HERE.
Showing incredible character and resilience, TPS has earned its way into the championship series against Tappara in the U16 SM-Playoffs. One of the best teams this season, Tappara has been a mainstay at the top of the WHH rankings. In their lone SM-Series meeting during the regular season back on February 19th, Tappara skated away with a 4-3 victory.
Finding itself down in a series once again, it will take another comeback effort by TPS to have any chance of getting the title. Earlier today, Tappara secured a 6-3 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series. Eetu Orpana and Joonas Rajala each tallied two points, and Atte Joki added two goals as well. Olli Wahlroos (5G, 6A), Jeremi Virtanen (8G, 2A) and Wilmer Kallio (5G, 5A) have all done a serviceable job to this point for TPS. Wahlroos even leads all skaters in postseason scoring. But to contend with Tappara, more of the team’s depth players will need to chip in offensively.
Up front, Tappara brings a formidable squad of players experienced with piling up the points. While not leading the overall playoff scoring table, players such as Orpana and Rajala understand how to do damage when games are much more magnified at this time of year.
And if neither of those skaters is putting the puck in the net, Tappara can rely on its dynamic duo between the pipes to backstop them to wins. Eero Rönö and Petrus Virta are the guardians of the crease for Tappara. They have statistically been two of the best goaltenders since the SM-Playoffs began.
Rönö has recorded a .950 save percentage and sparkling 1.33 goals-against average thus far, compared to the .919 save percentage and 2.71 goals-against average of Virta. Attempting to get pucks past one of these goalies in any match would be a tall order for any club, but to have to beat them twice in a three-game series amplifies the task at hand.
But a challenge is not anything new to TPS, especially this playoffs. At the end of the regular season SM-Series in Finland, TPS found itself just outside the top four spots, which would have secured a bye in the first round of the playoffs. As a result, its playoff journey would begin in the wild card round, with a meeting with K-Espoo Ch. Unfazed by the task before them, TPS swept K-Espoo in two games.
The next club standing in their way was Jokerit. Despite falling in the first game, 5-2, TPS rebounded with two straight victories to take the series. Next up, another best-of-three matchup with Ilves. Again falling in the first contest, 6-1, Wahlroos scored three times over the next two games to lead TPS’s comeback in the series.
Prediction: TPS’ journey to this point hasn’t been easy, but they have admirably put it all on the line when the games matter most. While a loss in Game 1 was a minor setback, the team has proven that it can make the necessary adjustments to its game plan. While I believe Tappara will win the championship, TPS will make things interesting by winning Game 2 to set the stage for a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday.
WHH will have continued coverage of the Finland U16 National Championship, top performers, highlights and more! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube.
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
Just when it seemed as if Mount St. Charles was destined to move on to the semifinals at 15O USA Hockey Nationals, the Los Angeles Jr. Kings mounted an improbable comeback. Down 3-2 late in the third period, Benjamin Kevan sent a perfect pass out to the front of the net where it found the tape of Dylan Nolan. Nolan ripped it past Sammy Doyon-Cataquiz with 1:55 left on the clock to knot the game at 3, breathing new life into his club’s chance of a victory. Kevan would play the hero just under four minutes into overtime when he buried the game-winner to advance his club into the next round of elimination games.
It was an exciting road to get to that point in the matchup. The Jr. Kings opened the scoring on a power-play goal from Stephen Grumley toward the end of the first period. With just one second on the clock, Matthew Grimes managed to sneak a puck in by Seid-Ali Nabiev to tie it at 1. Mount continued to pepper Nabiev in the second period, managing to break the tie with 38 seconds remaining. Conrad Fondrk tallied his eighth goal and ninth point of the tournament to put his team ahead 2-1 heading into the final frame.
Across the first and second periods, Nabiev was tremendous between the pipes in making 28 saves.
The Jr. Kings dominated play for most of the third period searching for the equalizer. However, Nicholas Whitehead seemingly put the final nail in the coffin when he put Mount St. Charles up 3-1 with 5:56 left to play. Undaunted, Los Angeles continued to press with extended amounts of time in the offensive zone. They finally broke through when Jake Stuart finished a passing play between Hayden Russell and Luke Norcross to make it a 3-2 game. Not satisfied there, Kevan and Nolan would go on to connect for their late game-tying goal.
The Jr. Kings were eager to break the 3-3 tie before the end of regulation, with Doyon-Cataquiz having to make some crucial late stops to force the game into overtime. After both sides had traded chances, Kevan made his move to complete the comeback. Showing off tremendous compete level, Kevan chased down a Mount St. Charles skater before knocking the puck away. Without hesitating, he fired a low-shot on net that proved to be the game-winning goal and sent the Jr. Kings bench into a frenzy.
This contest was a tale of two games. Throughout the first two periods, the Jr. Kings had only mustered 14 shots on goal, compared to Mount’s 30. But in the third, they flipped a switch and completely dominated the remainder of regulation and overtime. Not lost in the winning effort was the importance of Nabiev, who ended with 35 saves in total, compared to 31 of Doyon-Cataquiz. Los Angeles moves on to play Pittsburgh Penguins Elite tomorrow at 1:30 PM with a trip to the championship game on the line.
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite’s power play is a large reason they were able to defeat Chicago Mission in a tight 2-1 contest. Right from puck drop, it was apparent that Mission might have issues handling Pittsburgh’s incredible speed. The Pens were often the first to most pucks, winning most battles in the corners and along the boards. Ryan White put Pittsburgh up 1-0 with a power play goal in the first period. He sent a seeing-eye shot that found its way past Bjorn Bronas.
In the second, Pens Elite would strike on the man advantage yet again when Brian Woods wired a shot from the right circle into the net to up his club’s advantage to 2-0. Mission struggled to cycle the puck in the Pens’ defensive zone, a usual strength for them. Most offensive opportunities were one-and-done, with most shots either firing wide or easily stopped by Jake Shingles. The trio of Kieren Dervin, Quinn McKenzie and Jacob Cloutier was once again a standout for the Pens. Dervin, who has quietly put up modest numbers this tournament with three goals and six points, assisted on both power-play goals.
Bronas made a stunning glove save on a 2-on-1 rush with 9:10 left in the third period, but Chicago was unable to use it as a turning point. With the goaltender pulled, Mission would finally solve Shingles when Ethan Baker shoved a loose puck over the line. It proved to be too little too late, as the Pens would hang on to take the 2-1 final.
Despite a strong start from the Long Island Gulls, they were unable to solve Joseph Slavick in the early going. With both teams unable to find the back of the net in the first, William Horcoff got the scoring started in the second when he beat Ryan Cameron with a slick backhander on the breakaway. Horcoff collected a perfect pass from Alex Baughman from deep in Caesars’ defensive zone, skated in all alone and beat Cameron. 59 seconds after, Nicholas Kosiba joined in the fun. Heading towards the net on a partial 2-on-1 with Luke Menard, he showed great patience in forcing Cameron to blink first and slipped the puck around his pad for the 2-0 lead.
With 18 seconds left in the second frame, Kosiba would be on the end of a fortuitous bounce on the power play. Charlton Thretheway sent a shot on net that was initially saved by Cameron, before it bounced into the crease. Kosiba was right on the doorstep when he tapped it into the wide-open net to put Caesars up 3-0.
44 seconds into the third period, the Gulls showed some spark when Jesse Orlowsky chipped in a pass from Joseph Argentina from behind the net to cut Caesars’ lead to 3-1. They made things interesting when Brenden DeFeo threw the puck on net that deflected in off a Caesars player. But unable to find the tying goal late, Caesars secured the win. They will play Shattuck- St. Mary’s tomorrow at 11:00 AM to see who will reach Monday’s championship game.
Henri Ament and Gavin Kor helped Shattuck-St. Mary’s rebound after ending pool play with a 4-1 loss to Mount St. Charles when they defeated the Bishop Kearney Selects this afternoon.
Ament opened the scoring in the first period before Danny Wehle tied things up shortly after. Chase Nehring gave the lead back to SSM in the second period before Joseph Gugino doubled it nearly two-and-a-half minutes later. Wehle notched his second goal to keep Bishop Kearney in the hunt as the period wound down. One-and-a-half minutes after, Shattuck restored its two-goal lead when Gavin Kor netted his first point of the game. The Selects opted to pull their goaltender to try and mount a comeback, but Christian Plaga took a pass from Kor and sent it into the empty cage for the 5-2 final.
WHH will have continued coverage of USA Hockey Nationals this week. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, top performers and more.