The U15 All Ontario Championship gets underway on Wednesday. The teams competing are the six league champions, plus the host team. Participants will compete in a six-game round robin that runs through Saturday. Then, on Sunday, the top four teams advance to the playoffs.
The tournament — despite only having seven teams — features three of the top four 2008-born teams in Canada. No. 1 Vaughan Kings, No. 3 Elgin-Middlesex Canucks and No. 4 York-Simcoe Express headline this tournament of champions. Plus, the Soo Jr. Greyhounds and Upper Canada Cyclones have made appearances in the Top 10 this season as well.
Take an in-depth look at each of the seven participating teams in our Power Rankings below:
They enter the tournament as an honorary participant. The Soo Jr. Greyhounds were already set to compete as the host team. However, the Jr. Greyhounds doubled down by winning the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) championship. Because of that, a seventh team was necessary for competitive balance, so Sudbury Nickel Capitals entered the chat. They come in with a 9-26-2 record on the season and just two victories since Christmas. They average 3.95 goals against this season and could face quite the uphill battle in the All-Ontario Championship this week.
Another team that comes into the All-Ontario Championship with a sub-.500 record. The Thunder Bay Kings have already played Vaughan and Soo earlier this season. However, they’re 0-6-0, having played both opponents three times each. While the team has struggled this season in the win column, it’s come while playing one of the toughest schedules in the province. Only Vaughan and the Toronto Marlboros have played a more difficult slate of games in ‘22-23, according to MyHockeyRankings. Are they battle tested enough to compete in this tournament of champions?
The Upper Canada Cyclones debuted in the Top 10 in September, but dropped out shortly after and never returned. They enter the tournament as a relative unknown to fellow participants. Cyclones have only played three games against All-Ontario Championship teams; splitting wins with Elgin-Middlesex and defeating Sudbury 6-2 in November. Admittedly, they may be a tad low at No. 5 here. That split with EMC is telling, as even in defeat, UCC took the higher-ranked Canucks to overtime. The Cyclones can compete at a high level, but they’ll have to do it against the best of the best this week.
A little home cooking never hurts. Being able to play in their home rink, use their home locker room and sleep in their own beds. It’s certainly a nice perk for the Soo Jr. Greyhounds that the other six teams might not get to enjoy. They tied York-Simcoe 1-1 in January, and were shut out 4-0 by Vaughan. So for the Soo to take the next step and compete with teams ranked ahead of them in the Power Rankings may prove to be a challenge. Nonetheless, the Jr. Greyhounds enter the tournament on a 10-1-1 run in their last 12 games.
Elgin-Middlesex Canucks are a little concerning because they’ve played the weakest schedule among Top-10 teams; at least according to MyHockeyRankings. That’s slightly supported by their 7-1 loss to Vaughan and 4-4 tie to the Oakville Rangers in the only two games EMC played against ranked opponents. Regardless, they do have a potent offense that averages 4.64 goals per game and enter the tournament with a 13-1-0 record since Feb. 1st.
They opened up the season on a 19-game unbeaten streak, and now enter the All-Ontario Championship on a 19-game unbeaten streak. York-Simcoe Express looks to be arguably the hottest team in the tournament right now. With a plus-209, YSE has the second-best goal differential this season among participating teams. Also reflected by their 60-6-9 record. Only three teams in Ontario reached the 60-win plateau; one of them is the top rated team, and the other is the Oakville Rangers. York-Simcoe has reached rare heights this season and could continue to climb before Sunday.
The Vaughan Kings have arguably been the top 2008-born team in Canada for more than two seasons. They won last year’s season-ending U14 OHL Cup championship as the best team in Ontario. This season, they won the International Silver Stick tournament. They also won the regular season and playoff championships in the GTHL. With a 69-5-2 record, all the Kings have done this season is win. They already have victories over York-Simcoe, Elgin-Middlesex, the Soo and Thunder Bay by an average margin of 4.3 goals. It won’t be a cakewalk, but there’s no reason to think Vaughan can be stopped in Sault Ste. Marie this week.
Top teams from the 2010 birth year will compete in the U13 All-Ontario Championship this week as well. The tournament will run concurrently to the U15 tournament, just an hour west up the coast of Lake Superior.
Participating teams include:
Host Thunder Bay Kings
ALLIANCE Hockey champion No. 2 Sun County Panthers
GTHL champion No. 4 Markham Majors
HEO champion Ottawa Valley Titans
NOHA champion Nickel City Sons
OMHA champion Whitby Wildcats
HNO representative Kenora Thistles
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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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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.
Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
World Hockey Hub was on-site for the 2023 USA Hockey Nationals in Plymouth, Michigan, and Wayne, New Jersey. The team provided wall-to-wall coverage of the 14U and 15O tournaments from pool play to playoffs, and the championship game. In addition to that, our writers assembled All-Tournament Teams to spotlight some of the top performers from both the 2007 and 2008 birth years. See below for more details:
| Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll Chicago Mission | Camden Nimmer Bishop Kearney | Kalder Varga Chicago Mission |
| Michael Berchild Shattuck-St. Mary’s | Tynan Lawrence Shattuck-St. Mary’s | Lukas Zajic Chicago Mission |
| Noah Davidson LA Jr. Kings | Logan Stuart LA Jr. Kings | Kase Kamzik Pittsburgh Penguins Elite |
| Ethan Garden Little Caesars | J.P. Hurlbert III Dallas Stars Elite | Sean Miller Pittsburgh Vengeance |
Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll is a big-bodied forward who does a good job of keeping his feet moving on the attack. At times, showed he could be Mission’s best forward on the ice. He tied for the team lead in goals with five in six games.
Camden Nimmer was the best forward in the tournament on several occasions. Constantly in possession of the puck, crafty with his feet and very tough for defenders to corral. I don’t think Bishop Kearney wins the national championship without him.
Kalder Varga is a well-rounded forward who dominated the game with his puck skills. Every time he was on the ice, good things seemed to happen. Whether he scored goals, set them up, forced turnovers or disrupted opponents’ offensive attacks.
Michael Berchild is a guy I circled every time I watched Shattuck. He’s fun to watch with the puck on his stick. Berchild’s style of play easily grabs your attention and there’s a lot to like about the things he makes happen in the game.
Tynan Lawrence tied for the tournament lead in scoring with nine points, despite Shattuck being eliminated in the quarterfinals. As the top-line center, Lawrence played well in both ends of the rink.
Lukas Zajic displayed his explosiveness both as a skater and a scorer. His speed sprung Zajic on multiple breakaway opportunities. His quick wrist release led to five goals in six games. Factored in on a third of Mission’s offense with eight points.
Noah Davidson has the size and speed to be a top prospect in the birth year. He led the Jr. Kings in scoring with six points and was the team’s best forward on multiple occasions. There’s a lot to like about Davidson’s future in the game.
Logan Stuart was a do-it-all center that made others around him better. Made his presence felt on the forecheck, highly influential in the D-zone, made things happen offensively while also blocking shots and winning face-offs.
Kase Kamzik has plenty of intangibles to like. Good size, speed, footwork and puck skills that made him stand out on the game’s biggest stage. He’s a playmaker that significantly influenced the game from the wing.
Ethan Garden is a work-hard whose feet don’t stop moving. That energy leads to a lot of positive little plays that influence the game in big ways. He wins puck battles, clears the zone, goes on the offensive and attacks defenders relentlessly.
J.P. Hurlbert III is another one with great intangibles. He’s a good skater with a high hockey IQ that you love to see from a center. Without him, DSE might not make the tournament, let alone win two games at USA Hockey Nationals.
Sean Miller had big performances that were impossible to ignore. He’s a shooter, who doesn’t need much room to let it go. This was most evident in his three-goal performance that helped beat Chicago Mission.
| David O’Brien Bishop Kearney | Kent Greer Pittsburgh Penguins Elite |
| Dominic Pajkic Shattuck-St. Mary’s | Kaden Sienko Bishop Kearney |
| Abraham Barnett Chicago Mission | Brody Berard Mount St. Charles |
David O’Brien played some of his best hockey at USA Hockey Nationals. He was constantly the most influential defender for BK, making good things happen all over the ice. O’Brien was always composed, rarely rushed and constantly in control of the game.
Kent Greer may have been the best prospect on the blue line all tournament. His combination of size, footwork, vision and puck skills made him an easy standout. In the process, Greer led PPE — and all defensemen — in scoring with eight points.
Dominic Pajkic looked to be Shattuck’s best defenseman on several occasions. His educated feet sets him apart from others on the blue line. His ability to maintain tight gaps and forces opponents into mistakes is fun to watch.
Kaden Sienko was very stout defensively. His 6-foot frame was magnified at this age group. His size and reach made Sienko extremely difficult for smaller attackers to get around. He owned the neutral zone and transition game.
Abraham Barnett was a towering presence on the back end for Mission. Very few mistakes in his performance at USA Hockey Nationals. That performance helped put Chicago into the championship game.
Brody Berard might have been Mount St. Charles’ most influential player of the tournament. Quick on retrievals and foot speed that gets him heading north in a hurry. Berard snapped off crisp passes constantly, and you just love to see that from the back end.
| Gavin Weeks Bishop Kearney |
| Jake Windbiel Chicago Mission |
Gavin Weeks was easily the best goalie in the tournament. Likely the biggest reason BK won the national championship as well. He gave his team a chance to win every time out, and posted tournament highs in wins (five), goals-against average (1.13) and save percentage (.947).
Jake Windbiel was huge in net. At 6-foot-4, nobody in the tournament took up more space in goal than Windbiel. Plus, his vision and angles always seemed to have him in good position. Rarely, if ever, was Windbiel out of position in net.
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
| Benjamin Kevan Los Angeles Jr. Kings | Will Horcoff Little Caesars | Gavin Kor Shattuck-St. Mary’s |
Benjamin Kevan was clutch all tournament long. He tied with Gavin Kor at 14 points (6G, 8A) in six games, Kevan was the engine of the Jr. Kings championship run. Possessing incredible vision and passing skills, Kevan was often finding teammates in critical moments for game-tying or game-winning goals.
Will Horcoff may be the best overall player at the ‘07 birth year. Possessing great size at 6-foot-3, 170 lbs., he exudes confidence with the puck, especially rushing it up the ice or aiming to control play through the neutral zone. Despite Caesars’ surprising loss in the semifinals to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Horcoff still ended up in third in total points with 13.
Gavin Kor was dominant on the power play this week. Eight of his 14 points came on the man advantage. Kor’s biggest assets are his quick feet and slick hands, often providing him enough to find open areas of the ice for teammates to feed him the puck.
| Charlie Tretheway Little Caesars | Stephen Grumley Los Angeles Jr. Kings |
Charlie Tretheway had the ability to turn the momentum of a game with a single shift. His ability to shut down opponents, either one-on-one or odd-man rushes is almost second to none. Great hockey sense helps him determine when to jump up in the rush or when to hang back. Thretheway finished with five points (2G, 3A) in five games.
Stephen Grumley led all defensemen in scoring with five points. Displaying great patience with the puck, he allows teammates to get into the best scoring areas before distributing the puck. That passing ability also serves him as the quarterback of the power play, where he can chip in offensively as well.
| Seid-Ali Nabiev Los Angeles Jr. Kings |
Seid-Ali Nabiev recorded a 1.91 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in three games. He backstopped the Jr. Kings in their two overtime victories, one of which was for the championship. Has a great ability to see the puck through traffic, and a dependable and quick glove hand.
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Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
If there was one thing that became well known about the Los Angeles Jr. Kings during the 15O USA Hockey Nationals tournament, it’s that they handle pressure quite well. It was evident in their incredible overtime comeback against Mount St. Charles in the playoff quarterfinals. It was apparent once again as seen in today’s National Championship game against Shattuck-St. Mary’s.
The game would be a special teams battle right up until the end of regulation. Wyatt Cameron opened the scoring on a man advantage when he slipped a shot through the pads of Seid-Ali Nabiev. With his team given another power play opportunity, Gavin Kor doubled the SSM lead just over a minute later. Kor found open space at the side of the net, and patiently waited for a perfect pass from Aaron Obobaifo and tapped it into the wide-open net. Kor and Obobaifo have been the engines for Shattuck’s potent power play success this tournament. Both scored three times with the extra skater, and combined for eight power-play points across all games.
The Jr. Kings began to find their legs in the second period, forcing Shattuck goaltender Garrett Glaser to make a few crucial saves. Just as time was winding down, Joseph Gugino took a tripping call with 2:29 remaining. Already 0-2 on their power play to that point in the game, it was a critical moment for Los Angeles to have any chance at clawing their way back. After gaining the zone, Benjamin Kevan sent a pass towards the front of the net. It slid by a heap of Shattuck defenders before being corralled by Luke Norcross, who then backhanded it into the top of the net with 1:30 left.
Cutting into the 2-0 deficit gave new life to the Jr. Kings. For the short remainder of the period, they had multiple chances to tie the game, including a breakaway by Kevan that was turned aside.
Momentum would remain on the side of the Jr. Kings when Tyler Russell knotted the score at 2 just under two minutes into the final frame with a shot from the blue line. James Russell fed a puck up to Norcross, who gained the zone and fired it on net. He picked up his own rebound and sent it back to the point, when Tyler Russell sent it in from distance.
The rest of regulation would be even for both squads, with both goalies standing tall in making saves to push this contest into overtime. On a power play early into overtime, Tyler Russell sent a stretch pass to James Russell who was darting up the ice. He skated into the Shattuck zone and whipped a short-side shot by Glaser’s glove to cement the Jr. Kings’ first-ever 15O National Championship.
It should not have come as a surprise to anyone that Benjamin Kevan and Gavin Kor ended up at the top of the point leaderboard tied with 14 points. Throughout Nationals, the two forwards had their names show up numerous times on stat sheets. Their play also stood out in the most important moments for their respective teams.
Kevan collected his first two points in the Jr. Kings’ first game of pool play at USA Nationals with a goal and assist in a 5-3 win against the Neponset Valley River Rats. He followed that up with four points (1G, 4A) in a 7-1 victory over the New Jersey Rockets. In the team’s final game of group play, Kevan notched an assist in a 4-1 loss to the Bishop Kearney Selects.
Los Angeles got back on track when they stunned Mount St. Charles in the quarterfinals. After assisting on the tying goal, Kevan scored the overtime winner to advance the Jr. Kings to the semifinals. A second hat trick was recorded against Pittsburgh Penguins Elite in on Sunday for Kevan, and he chipped in an assist there as well.
Kor opened up his run at Nationals with back-to-back three-assist performances. He truly shined in the playoffs, recording seven points (4G, 3A), including three power play goals in the last two games.
Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
There was just under five minutes left in the second period. Top-seeded Chicago Mission maintained a 1-0 lead in the 14U USA Hockey national championship game. Not only that, but they held a significant edge in shots over Bishop Kearney, 13-8 as well. However, a wrist shot by Josh Henry would perfectly embody BK’s Cinderella story in Plymouth, Michigan.
Coming in as the No. 7 seed in the tournament, Bishop Kearney was likely the underdog in three of its last four games. It didn’t matter, though, as the deeper into Nationals they went, the better they got. That performance culminated with a 2-1 win over No. 2 seed Chicago Mission on Monday.
The game was incredibly tight from opening face-off to final horn. Through the first 10 minutes of game action, the two teams combined for just four shots on goal. Mission would go on the offensive, through the neutral zone only to be turned away by BK defenseman Kaden Sienko at the blue line. Sienko and company would regroup, bump up to Camden Nimmer and they’d take a turn at a rush. Only, his centering pass attempt would be deflecting by a mess of Mission sticks, and the defensive dance would continue.
Time after time, the two teams traded rushes, only to deny the other. It wasn’t sloppy or reckless offensive hockey, it was just the opposite. A beautiful display of defensive structure and commitment that got both of these teams to this point in the season.
With 6:18 left in the second period, Lukas Zajic made an impressive outside-inside move to get past Dominic D’eletto. From there, Zajic created enough space for himself to send a wrist shot high short-side over the left shoulder of Gavin Weeks. The highly skilled move and finish broke the 0-0 stalemate that the two teams were stuck in.
However, less than two minutes later, BK would respond with a goal that aptly defined the game, the tournament and their season.
Josh Henry collected a loose puck at the blue line and sent a quick wrist shot towards the Mission net. The puck skipped off of the skate of Cody Powels as he dropped to a knee, challenging the opposing shooter. It ricocheted end over end in an arc, out of sight to goaltender Jake Windbiel. The puck came down into the back of the net surprising players on both sides. A game that had quickly burst open was just as swiftly deadlocked again.
Henry’s goal was perfect, on both sides of the puck. He jumped on a turnover and quickly put a shot on goal. Powels was just as swift to respond, not only challenging the shooter but getting a piece of the shot in the process. Factor in Windbiel’s positioning in net as well as the tied up sticks in front. Players for BK and Mission had played the scenario perfectly. However, ‘puck luck’ just happened to break Bishop Kearney’s way.
Just 50 seconds into the third period, Rudolfs Berzkalns would put home a long rebound shot from the slot to give BK a 2-1 lead.
Bishop Kearney didn’t win games pretty. They didn’t have to. It was about playing disciplined hockey with timely scoring. Play the game the right way and good things happen. Oh, and having the best goaltender in the tournament helped too.
Any lead was safe with Gavin Weeks between the pipes. The 5-foot-10 goaltender was certainly the best at 14U USA Hockey Nationals, playing in all six games. He compiled a .947 save percentage and a 1.13 goals-against average and never let his team relinquish a lead in the tournament.
In the quarterfinals, Weeks made 29 saves against the top-seeded offensive juggernaut Shattuck-St. Mary’s. He kept his team in the hunt as the 1-1 game entered overtime. Again in the semifinals, Weeks made 21 saves as the Boston Jr. Eagles out-shot and out-possessed BK with a late offensive push. Finally, in the championship, the New Hampshire native held the highest scoring offense in the tournament to just one goal. That ultimately kept Bishop Kearney in the game and won the 14U national championship.
In front of him was a very sound team effort.
Tight gaps from the defensive group kept the high-flying Chicago Mission grounded. There was little time or space for dynamic scorers like Kalder Varga, Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll or Aurelio Garcia to get going. Even when Mission gained entry into the zone, they were met by stick checks, limited passing lanes and plenty of blocked or disrupted shot attempts.
With Weeks in net and a stout defensive effort, the 2-1 lead was all BK needed to secure the win and the 14U national championship.
It is the second time Bishop Kearney has won a USA Hockey national championship, but just the first time the program has done so at the 14U age group.
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
Despite it being a chilly and windy morning in Wayne, New Jersey, the 15O semifinal matchups inside the Ice Vault were heating up. First up, top-seeded Little Caesars was set to take on No. 3-seed Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Next, the afternoon would wrap up with a contest between No. 5-seed Los Angeles Jr. Kings and No. 8-seed Pittsburgh Penguins Elite.
While many had picked Little Caesars to be the team victorious at this year’s 15O tournament, someone forgot to tell that to Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Realizing the opportunity before them, SSM took to the ice against a team who had dominated opponents since Nationals began. It seemed as if that would be the case yet again when Easton Pace opened the scoring when he managed to shoot the puck past a diving Garrett Glaser while falling.
Caesars would then fall into some penalty trouble, which Shattuck made sure to take advantage of. Gavin Kor tied the game when he finished off tic-tac-toe passing between Aaron Obobaifo and Joseph Gugino. Sent back to the power play shortly after that goal, Caden Lindsay was able to bang in a pass from Chase Nehring to put Shattuck up 2-1 just 44 seconds after the game was tied. SSM was able to take advantage of extended zone time, mainly by outworking Caesars in getting to loose pucks and winning board battles.
Just when it seemed Shattuck would take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, Aiden Janz made his presence known. Rocketing through the neutral zone, he split two defenders and beat Glaser’s right pad to even the score with 22 seconds left on the clock.
Caesars got its lead back in the second period when Clark Nehmens coughed the puck up to Janz, who quickly began a 2-on-1 rush in the other direction with Pace. After a short give-and-go between the two, Pace finished off the play for his second goal and to put his team up 3-2.
Been super impressed with @HockeyCaesars forward Easton Pace (#27 White) all week at #USAHNationals, but this interception & give-and-go with fellow standout Aiden Janz is the highlight I’ve been waiting for. pic.twitter.com/ZgNWDt31JO
— Brayden Olafson (@olaf1393) April 2, 2023
But once again back on the power play, Kor tallied his second goal with a blast off a perfect feed from Gavin Katz, tying things up at 3.
Despite an evenly played third period, it seemed as if destiny was on Caesars’ side when Nehmens was called for hooking with just 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Unable to score, the contest would require overtime, where Caesars would have 1:43 remaining on the power play to find the winner.
The penalty kill for Shattuck came up huge in the opening moments of the extra frame. With tired Caesars skaters unable to change, Graham Jones ripped a shot on net that bounced off the pipe and in for the game-winning goal. SSM players poured off the bench and mobbed Glaser in celebration.
Finishing with two goals and an assist, Kor now sits in third in total points at 15O Nationals, with three goals and 12 points.
Not even a day removed from scoring the overtime winner to get past Mount. St. Charles in the quarterfinal round, Benjamin Kevan once again was the star for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings. Collecting four points, including three goals, Kevan led his team over a tough Pittsburgh Penguins Elite squad. He now is tied with William Horcoff of Little Caesars for first in overall scoring with 13 points.
The game opened with a flair for the dramatic when the Jr. Kings believed they had gotten the first goal. After initially being called a good goal, after a short conference the officials reversed the call to no goal. Still sending wave after wave of players into Pittsburgh’s zone, Los Angeles was finally rewarded for its efforts with a power play. Luke Norcross fired a pass through the crease that found the stick of Kevan, who slid it in for a 1-0 lead.
Continuing to struggle to find any offensive zone time, Pens Elite did not register a shot on goal until 4:45 left remaining in the period. With 3:14 remaining, Caden Campion doubled the lead when he deposited a pass from Kevan into the net. Overall, the Jr. Kings outshot Pittsburgh 8-2 in the first period.
Trying to cut into the deficit on a power play of their own, PPE got mixed up on a passing play in the neutral zone, resulting in Kevan knocking a puck loose. He skated in on a breakaway and after a few deft dekes, chipped the puck over the pad of Giulio Torriero for a commanding 3-0 lead. 23 seconds after, Kieren Dervin would finally cash in for the Pens to cut the lead to 3-1.
Jacob Cloutier would bring it to a one-goal game when he fired a clean wrist shot from in front into the net. The line of Dervin, Cloutier and Quinn McKenzie once again came in clutch. From that point on, it was all Pittsburgh as they threw everything on net in an attempt to tie the game. With the Jr. Kings on their heels, Hayden Russell forced a turnover at PPE’s blue line, pushed his way to the front of the net and beat Torriero for a crucial insurance goal. Kevan would net his third goal when he found the empty-net, securing the 5-2 win.
Just one year ago, Shattuck found themselves in a similar position. They were in the championship game at 15O USAH Nationals, only to be bested by Chicago Mission. With confidence at an all-time high, the club is eager to finally earn some hardware that has eluded the program at this division.
If there is one thing both teams remaining have in common, it’s that they both are playing their best hockey of the year at exactly the right time. Both have a top player in total points, goaltending has been a strength, and special teams have been firing on all cylinders.
My prediction: This one is almost too close to call. Both teams have put together solid wins the past two days, with Shattuck taking down an absolute behemoth in Caesars. While goaltending has been solid for each squad, this may just come down to who manages to put more pucks in the net. I’m very excited to see Benjamin Kevan and Gavin Kor go head-to-head when a championship is on the line. Given the fact with how evenly they looked with Caesars in the semifinal battle, I think SSM gets the edge for the win here.
Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
Semifinal action at the 14U USA Hockey Nationals got underway with No. 7-seed Bishop Kearney and No. 11-seed Boston Jr. Eagles. They were followed by No. 2 Chicago Mission and No. 3 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite facing off on the other half of the bracket.
The tournament has delivered a little bit of everything in terms of chalk — with the top seeds winning out — as well as chaos, where upsets and underdogs stole the show.
On one half of the bracket, top-seeded Pens Elite and Chicago Mission delivered. Their semifinal matchup set the stage for two heavyweights to collide. The other half of the bracket was wild, to say the least. Bishop Kearney stunned top-seeded Shattuck-St. Mary’s in overtime, thanks to a power-play goal from Dain Gordon. It was the first time since December 3rd that Shattuck had suffered defeat, snapping a 24-game win streak.
Additionally, the Jr. Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead on No. 4-seed Los Angeles Jr. Kings. While the Jr. Kings had come back from a deficit twice already in this tournament, Boston made sure there wouldn’t be a third. They out-shot, out-worked and out-disciplined the heavily-favored Jr. Kings and advanced to a semifinal matchup between two Cinderellas.
In the first semifinal, both the Jr. Eagles and BK Selects delivered their best performances of the tournament. Much of the game felt like a mental chess match as both ends traded scoring opportunities, power plays and plenty of zone time.
Lance Toland broke the 0-0 tie three minutes into the second period, as he put the Jr. Eagles on top with a power-play goal. BK was quick to respond, though, as its leading scorer, Camden Nimmer snapped off a wrist shot from the blue line to make it 1-1 just a minute and five seconds later.
With both teams on the board, the strategery resumed, as they played 15 more minutes of scoreless hockey. Then, in the third period, Dain Gordon cashed in on Bishop Kearney’s fourth power-play opportunity of the game to give them a 2-1 lead. Austin Brekelmans added a wrist-shot goal a few minutes later and BK had a stranglehold on the scoreboard.
An empty-net goal would make it a 4-1 final, and the Jr. Eagles’ run would come to an end.
Despite the loss, they out-shot BK 23-17 but did not have an answer for Gavin Weeks in net. The backbone of Bishop Kearney’s run thus far has been the stellar play of Weeks between the pipes. He’s played all 249 minutes of game action at USA Hockey Nationals. In that span, Weeks is 4-1-0 with a 1.17 goals-against average and .948 save percentage.
The Chicago Mission and Pittsburgh Penguins Elite clashed in the second semifinal on Sunday. With Shattuck-St. Mary’s eliminated, Mission and PPE were the two highest remaining seeds in the tournament. By the end of the afternoon, only one of them would move on to the championship.
Fortunately for Mission, their top performers continued to shine as the stage of the tournament got bigger.
Lukas Zajic — the team’s leading scorer — struck back-to-back times in the first period, just over three minutes apart. That pair of goals put Chicago up 2-1 and in the driver’s seat for the first time. From there, power forward Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll scored a pair of his own to end the first period and open the second period. That furthered Mission’s lead to 5-2 with just over half the game left to play.
Despite maintaining a 6-3 lead through two periods, Mission was being out-shot and out-possessed for long stretches by Pens Elite. At one point, PPE held a 21-14 advantage in shots. However, Mission’s Jake Windbiel was up to the task.
While PPE managed to produce offense — three goals through the halfway point of the game — much of their success came on second- and third-chance opportunities. Listed at 6-foot-4, Windbiel is the biggest goaltender in the tournament. His combination of size and mobility left talented attackers like Alexander McLean, Brody George and Kase Kamzik stifled. Pittsburgh generated plenty of quality looks but were unable to challenge Windbiel from distance.
The struggles continued into the third period, and time became PPE’s biggest enemy. With 3:23 left in regulation, Carson Lindberg capitalized on a blue-line turnover and snapped a shot past Windbiel to make the deficit 6-4. It was too little, too late though, as Aurelio Garcia would score an empty-net goal just moments later that sealed each team’s fate.
Mission was on to the championship with Bishop Kearney. PPE, on the other hand, was heading home for the final time this season.
The Cinderella story in Bishop Kearney collides with the powerhouse favorite in Chicago Mission for the 14U USA Hockey national championship. The battle for supremacy in the 2008 birth year comes down to Chicago’s Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, Lukas Zajic and Kalder Varga on one end. BK counters with Camden Nimmer, Rudolfs Berzkalns and Nolan Duskocy. Though, the ultimate difference-makers in this matchup reside between the pipes. Gavin Weeks has been arguably the best goaltender in the tournament. His counterpart in Jake Windbiel will be a big riddle for BK’s offense to solve.
This has the makings of a low-scoring, grind-em-out kind of game. Mission’s high-powered offense may run into a 5-foot-10 wall in Weeks, who has the best save percentage and lowest goals against in Plymouth. Meanwhile, BK’s scrappy style of play shouldn’t produce a wealth of offense against the towering Windbiel either. I think a low-scoring affair favors Bishop Kearney, who just might complete their Cinderella run with a 14U national championship.
My prediction: A huge performance from their goaltender in net paired with a couple timely, greasy goals leads to a 3-2 win for BK.
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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.
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The tournament system worked, at least at the 14U USA Hockey Nationals in Plymouth, Michigan. Quarterfinals are set, with what I would deem to be the best eight teams of the 16 in attendance this week. Plus, the way the matchups shook out, I think we’ll get the four best teams in the semifinals. And, you guessed it, I expect to get the two best teams in the championship game as well.
Of course, stranger things have happened in hockey. A team catches a little ‘puck luck’ or someone’s goalie gets hot at the right time. We’ve all seen it. However, after watching these teams all week, it really feels like a chalky playoff bracket.
Heavyweights make Final Four,
I know, I know… There’s no fun in that! But just because I expect the top seeds to win out, doesn’t mean we won’t see some fantastic hockey. Shattuck-St. Mary’s — my pick of 14U national champion — opens up with Bishop Kearney. BK is a gritty bunch that plays a really good brand of hockey. Gavin Weeks will keep this game close enough to give BK a puncher’s chance, but ultimately, Shattuck’s superiority shines down the stretch.
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite and Mount St. Charles is another incredible first-round matchup. PPE has looked near perfect at times. I like Pens Elite to make a run, but Mount won’t make it easy on them. Kase Kamzik, Brody George and Michael Ferentino are going to be forced to work for offense. It won’t come easy in this matchup, so I expect a grind. However, PPE still manages to prevail and put themselves in a great spot to advance.
If we draw chalky matchups in the semifinals, it’ll be an embarrassment of riches as far as talent goes. Shattuck, PPE, Chicago Mission and LA Jr. Kings are the four most skilled teams in the tournament. While it’s no guarantee we see all four in the semis, in the event that we do, it’ll be two heavyweight bouts. Tynan Lawrence, Logan Stuart, Kent Greer, George, Kamzik, Kalder Varga, Parker Trottier, Jake Brown, Noah Davidson, Shaffer Gordon-Carroll… U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) scouts would get a real good look at some of the best players the 2008-birth year has to offer in these potential matchups.
Shattuck has been the odds-on favorite to win the tournament from the very beginning. However, if there’s one team that could legitimately challenge SSM for the title, it’s PPE. That would be a dream championship matchup between the two best teams in the tournament for the biggest prize in American youth hockey. Buckle up, because the next three days should bring some close games, plenty of drama, and a 14U national champion.
2007-born Little Caesars is positioned to do something the program has not done since 2019. That is the last time a 15O Caesars team was crowned as winners at the USA Hockey National Championships. Armed with a ton of depth, they were one of four teams to go 3-0-0 during pool play at this year’s tournament.
Caesars will open their playoff schedule with a matchup against the Long Island Gulls. It will be the fourth meeting of the season between the two; Caesars won two decisions by a combined 10-3. The Gulls were victorious in their most recent meeting back on February 5th, a 2-1 final in overtime. I expect Caesars to handle business here to move on to Bishop Kearney Selects.
Then, BK to be victorious in their first game over Shattuck-St. Mary’s. I haven’t been that impressed with SSM to this point in the tournament, and they dropped a tough decision on Friday to an opportunistic Mount St. Charles squad. Shattuck has been unable to beat Bishop Kearney in four tries this season, and I don’t see that changing this weekend.
Caesars and Bishop Kearney’s meeting should be one of the most exciting matchups we will get to enjoy this week. The boys from the Motor City won a lone regular-season game all the way back in September, but BK has really hit its stride in recent days. As good as they have been, depth will win out here, and Caesars certainly has that in spades. Four of the top 10 point getters at 15O Nationals hail from their squad. Caesars advances to the championship game.
A quarterfinal matchup between Chicago Mission and Pittsburgh Pens Elite is probably the most intriguing. Mission has shown how dominant they can be, but Pens Elite hung around during pool play in a tough USA Division. I was impressed with how hard they played Caesars, so Mission better be ready out of the gate in this one. I expect Mission to move on to play Mount St. Charles, but don’t be surprised if this game is so close that we get overtime in this matchup.
Mount St. Charles put together a solid run in its divisional contests. They ended pool play with an impressive victory against Shattuck, where goaltender Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz was spectacular. If he continues to stop the puck as well as he did in that game, Mount can find themselves heading into the final against Caesars. That being said, Mission goaltender Bjorn Bronas has been equally excellent. We might be in for a goalie duel in this one, and I trust Chicago’s defensive corps led by Asher Barnett, Holden Carter and Cameron Aucoin a bit more here.
This all sets up a showdown between Caesars and Mission for the championship. Caesars has defeated Chicago in four of seven games during the regular season. Two of the games have required overtime, where each team collected a win. Honestly, I don’t think you could pick a better final. With Mission’s defense having the ability to act as a fourth forward on the back end, to Caesars’ roster consisting of some of the best players of this birth year. It will be a thrilling finale to the USA Hockey season. In the end, give me players like Will Horcoff, Aiden Janz, Zachary Morin and Evan Jardine to continue to pile up the points in a win.
The 16U USA Hockey National tournament has shaken out in quite the unusual way. Top-seed Shattuck-St. Mary’s drew the No. 2-seed Long Island Gulls in the quarterfinals. Plus, a 3-v-4 matchup in familiar foes New Jersey Rockets and North Jersey Avalanche. Add on top of all that, a 7-v-8 matchup between Compuware and Chicago Mission, and we have some very intriguing first-round games. There’s no way to know this was going to be the draw pre-tournament, it’s just how pool play shook out with some unexpected outcomes. Nonetheless, it makes for a tournament that could potentially be decided on the first day of the tournament. I’ll explain…
Shattuck and Long Island came into the tournament as the top two teams in the field. Now, with them going head-to-head on Saturday, the winner opens up a nice path to a championship. Same could be said about the Compuware-Mission matchup, as the winner of that matchup should get to the finale as well. You get to the gold medal game and anything can happen. Ultimately, I think Shattuck prevails.
Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
There’s just eight teams remaining in the hunt for the 2023 USA Hockey national championship at the 14U age group. The field is set and matchups finalized for quarterfinals. I’ve ranked all remaining teams in order of most to least likely to be crowned champion by Monday.
They’ve actually had an impressive run at the tournament. Dallas Stars Elite finished 2-1-0 in pool play. They won on Friday against Little Caesars, 5-4 in a de facto elimination game. So in a way, DSE is already in playoff mode. J.P. Hurlbert III and Landon Amrhein are among the leading scorers in the tournament. However, it’s a really tough draw as DSE would have to beat the No. 3, No. 2 and No. 1 teams in the power rankings in order to be champ. Tough road.
They took care of business against the Minnesota Lakers and Valley Forge Minutemen to put themselves in playoff position. However, the Boston Jr. Eagles may struggle mightily as competition ramps up in the playoffs. Pens Elite outshot them 24-9 in a dominant 5-0 performance. My fear is that their first-round matchup with the LA Jr. Kings — and any potential future matchup — resembles opponents closer to PPE than they do Valley Forge.
I actually like Mount St. Charles a lot. They’re well coached, play a responsible game and create offense as a team. Not to mention, they’ve got work-hards up front like Jameson Glance, Cole Sabourin and Dylan Dean that stand out to me. It’s just the first-round draw with Pens Elite is brutal. Plus, they’ve scored just 3.00 goals per game, which is the lowest among playoff teams. I worry there’s not enough offense to hang with some of the other contenders.
Here is where it gets really tough. Bishop Kearney is going to be a tough out in the playoffs. Latvia import Rudolfs Berzkalns is a talented goal scorer, and I really like the way Camden Nimmer and Dub Eunice III play as well. Not to mention, Gavin Weeks should give them a chance to win against anyone they face. However, there’s some high-powered offenses at No. 4, No. 3, No. 2 and No. 1 that I think might separate themselves a bit from BK at this stage of the tournament.
As talented as any team in the tournament. Logan Stuart led the LA Jr. Kings in scoring with three goals and seven points. Noah Davidson, Jake Brown and Tyus Sparks are noticeable standouts as well. They can get in a track meet with just about anyone. However, the Jr. Kings trailed in two of their three games in pool play and certainly flirted with fire a bit. If they have to chase offense against a team like Shattuck or PPE, it could be a real tough deficit to come back from.
Similar to the Jr. Kings, Chicago Mission’s lineup oozes talent. Kalder Varga may be one of the best forwards in the tournament; he is a do-it-all for Chicago who’s game carries a ton of value. Aurelio Garcia and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll really stood out on Day 3 as major contributors as well. And that’s just scratching the surface when it comes to skaters with skill on this team. Jake Windbiel looked much better in their 2-1 win over BK as well. He’s one of the bigger goaltenders in the tournament, and when he’s on, he makes Mission tough to beat.
Pittsburgh Penguins Elite play extremely well together as a unit. The offensive chances they create either on the rush or in-zone look effortless. Low-to-high plays, backdoor passes… all of their goals are generated from really pretty sequences. Kase Kamzik and Brody George are easy to like, as they make a lot of good things happen in all three zones. Kent Greer leads all defensemen in scoring with six points, and fellow blue-liner Brandon Vislay is a challenge for attackers to get by as well. Pens Elite are solid in all three zones, and one of the most well-rounded teams in the tournament.
They came into the tournament as the No. 1 seed, and have done nothing but take care of business in pool play. Shattuck-St. Mary’s has the most productive offense with 21 goals, and the second-best defense, allowing just five against. Tynan Lawrence, Parker Trottier, Emilio Bedoya, Zane Torre, Michael Berchild… I could go on and on. Thirteen of the 18 skaters have scored goals. They’re extremely talented, very deep, and very well coached. Not only is the skill on display, but so is the structure of their game. They came in as the favorite, and there’s no reason to think that’s changed after the first three days of the tournament.
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
In what was a meeting to determine seeding in the Olympic Division at 15O USA Hockey Nationals, Chicago Mission defeated the Long Island Gulls 4-2 off the back of a Cameron McKinney hat trick.
The Gulls opened the scoring in the first period when Dominick Oppedisano slipped home a rebound that bounced off the end boards. Just over two minutes later, McKinney tied the game with his first goal when he banged in a loose puck at the side of the net. Egan Beveridge started a rush up the ice and fed the puck to Nicholas Knutson. Knutson was then bodied off the puck, but McKinney collected it and shoved it past the outstretched pad of Ryan Cameron.
McKinney struck again close to four minutes after tying the game to put Chicago up 2-1. He skated into the Gulls defensive zone, made a great move around a defender and popped a shot into the net. Late in the first period, Luke Brierley fired a perfect wrist shot from distance that went off the post and in to increase the Mission lead to 3-1.
Teams would play an even second period, and the third would continue for much of that way. On the power play, Long Island defenseman Jared Petruso blasted a heavy one-timer from the blue line into the net to cut his team’s deficit to 3-2. With the Gulls’ goalie pulled, McKinney threw the puck down the ice into the empty net for his hat trick and to ice the game for a 4-2 final. As a result, Mission clinched the first seed in the Olympic Division, and will open elimination round play tomorrow against the second seed in the NHL Division.
In another contest that had seeding implications, Mount St. Charles and Shattuck-St. Mary’s battled for positioning in the NHL Division. Conrad Fondrk, who has been raising eyebrows all week at Nationals boosted his team to a lead they would never relinquish en route to a 4-1 win.
The opening frame would have no scoring, due to both teams feeling the other out. Despite two power play opportunities for SSM, Mount goaltender Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz was solid, making 11 saves. With 7:03 left in the second period, Fondrk would score his first goal of the afternoon when he settled a pass from Dylan Krayer and ripped it off the far post for a 1-0 lead. About a minute-and-a-half later and his team on the man advantage, Fondrk took a very similar shot from the right circle that once again beat Shattuck goalie Garrett Glaser to put Mount up 2-0.
With Glaser pulled with over two minutes left in regulation, Mate Tardi sent a shot into the empty net for a 3-0 lead. However, on a late power play, Aaron Obobaifo, who was the hero for Shattuck yesterday, managed to score to bring Mount’s lead to 3-1. Opting to pull the goalie once more, Shattuck was unable to net another goal and Dallas Potter collected an empty-net goal of his own for the 4-1 final. The star of the game was Doyon-Cataquiz, who ended with 31 saves.
Mount St. Charles earned first seed in the NHL Division and will face off against the Los Angeles Jr. Kings. As winners of the Liberty Division, the Bishop Kearney Selects have drawn a matchup against Shattuck. Little Caesars went undefeated in pool play to top the USA Division, and will open its quarterfinal round against the Gulls. With Pittsburgh Pens Elite locking up second seed in the Olympic Division, they have earned a tilt with Mission to open its playoff round.
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.
Craig Peterson, remote coverage of 16U Nationals
There were still 14 games of pool-play action left to be played at the 16U USA Hockey Nationals. However, Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Chicago Mission had already secured spots in the next round.
Mission’s 9-2 win over Team North Dakota and Shattuck’s 7-1 win over the Boston Little Bruins guaranteed they would finish as the top two seeded teams in the USA Division. Now, the top two teams are slated to play against each other on Friday. The outcome of that game will determine who is the 1-seed and who is the 2-seed, but both clubs can rest easy Thursday night knowing they’ll make it to the weekend regardless of the outcome of Game 3.
Eero Butella’s four-point performance helped fuel Mission to its dominant win over North Dakota. He leads all skaters in the tournament with four goals and eight points. Teammate Frank DeRosa tops all defensemen in scoring as well, with four points.
The top two seeds in the NHL Division are set to play Friday at noon. It may be a bit anticlimactic though, as both Little Caesars and North Jersey Avalanche have secured spots in the playoffs as well. Similar to Shattuck and Mission, the order may not be finalized but the participants are locked in. Caesars is 2-0-0, as are the Avs, and the two teams will break that deadlock at noon.
With both teams comfortably moving on to the quarterfinals, that means four of the eight playoff spots are already spoken for, with eight games left to play.
While Compuware hasn’t yet clinched a spot like the four previously mentioned teams, it has put itself in the driver’s seat heading into Friday. Michael Barron scored the game-winning goal against Mount St. Charles with 70 seconds left in regulation on Wednesday. That win, plus a dominant showing against the Nashville Jr. Predators on Thursday means Compuware controls its own destiny. A third win obviously pushes them on to the playoffs, but even in defeat on Friday, the Detroit-based squad could advance to the elimination rounds.
Craig Peterson, on-site at 14U Nationals
It was less than five minutes into the game between Chicago Mission and Pittsburgh Vengeance. There were just four or five shots on goal recorded on the jumbotron overhead, yet three of them had resulted in goals for Pittsburgh. Two of those goals came off the stick of forward Sean Miller.
Mission came into the matchup — and the 14U USA Hockey Nationals — as heavy favorites. They entered the tournament ranked No. 2 in the country, as well as the 2-seed in the field of 16 teams. Mission rolled the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes 5-1 on the first day of Nationals. Meanwhile, its Day 2 opponent in Pittsburgh was out-shot, out-chanced and out-played by Bishop Kearney. All signs pointed in favor of Kalder Varga, Abraham Barnett and the Chicago Mission on Thursday.
Mission even controlled much of the play out of the gate. However, two odd-man rushes and a power-play goal allowed Pittsburgh to get on the board first. Miller’s first goal came off a line rush when he wired a wrist shot over Donovan Dunlay’s shoulder. Three minutes later, Jacob Keisel made it 2-0 for Pittsburgh with a shot from the blue line. Then, with 7:34 left in the opening period, Miller scored his second of the game on a power play to put the Vengeance on top 3-0.
Pittsburgh was able to force Mission to play its style of hockey. Much of the game felt like it took place in a phone booth. Tough board battles, scrums for loose pucks and very little time or space for a much more skilled Chicago team. Eventually, Schaeffer Gordon-Carroll — who had a goal and an assist — Varga, Barnett and co., were able to generate some offense and cut into the deficit. However, Mission was unable to overcome, and a third goal from Miller as well as Jacob Gilbert’s first goal of the tournament put the game out of reach at 7-3.
For a USA Hockey Nationals tournament that has basically been all chalk through the first 12 games, the 7-3 win for Pittsburgh is a shock to the system. Miller and teammate Caden Harvery are tied for second in the tournament in scoring with six points apiece. Goalie Giovanni Scally impressed as well with 33 saves in the win. It was his first action of the tournament.
Pittsburgh still needs some things to break its way in order to advance to the elimination rounds. However, Miller’s performance at least keeps them in the hunt heading into Friday.
A regulation win over the Jr. Canes would likely be enough to secure the second spot. Mission and BK go head-to-head on the final day. I believe that BK at 2-0-0 has unofficially secured one of the two spots out of the Olympic Pool. However, if Mission beats Bishop Kearney, it opens the door to the possibility of a three-way tie, and tiebreakers being the deciding factor.
If Shattuck-St. Mary’s doesn’t win the 14U USA Hockey Nationals, the eventual winner will certainly have to go through them to get it.
The forward line of Carson Andrew, Parker Trottier and tournament leader Tynan Lawrence are as good as any here at USA Hockey Arena. Plus, what a luxury it is to follow up that line with the trio of Michael Berchild, Zane Torre and Cooper Soller. Shattuck’s lineup is loaded with talent across the board, evident by their 13 different goal scorers in two games.
They’ve put on an offensive clinic, albeit against the 16-seed and 9-seed in the tournament. But it’s more than just the plus-13 goal differential. They’re sound defensively, constantly in good position, hard on pucks and just playing the game the right way. I think it was John Riffey I saw lay out to block a shot from the point in the game with Dallas Stars Elite. You need those types of little plays that ultimately make the difference in championship runs. In addition to being the most talented team in the building, the group is playing hard, smart and desperate.
There’s two teams I think can really challenge Shattuck in the playoffs. Pittsburgh Penguins Elite looked really sharp in their win against the Boston Jr. Eagles. They’re a talented bunch with really good chemistry off the rush. Give-and-go plays, clean zone entries, etc., make me think PPE can get up and down the ice with Shattuck.
The other team — despite the loss to Pittsburgh Vengeance — is the Chicago Mission. Similar to PPE, Mission has loads of talent on their roster. Kalder Varga is an exceptional forward, as is Abraham Barnett on the back end. Victor Plante, Lukas Zajic and Robin Kuzma can definitely take this team to a level that can compete with a Shattuck or Pens Elite.
Through two games, Bishop Kearney has scored 10 goals with a 5-2 win over Pittsburgh Vengeance and a 5-0 win over the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. Of those goals, five have been scored on the man advantage, including four in Thursday’s game against the Jr. Canes. BK’s power-play unit is converting on 55.6 percent of its opportunities, and forward Rudolfs Berzkalns has fueled much of its efforts. They take on a Chicago Mission team on Friday that is the second-most penalized team in the tournament with 11 minor penalties.
As mentioned before, win or lose on Day 3, Bishop Kearney should already have a spot in the elimination rounds. They’re undefeated with a significant goal differential to boot. Win, and they’re obviously in. Lose, and BK would likely hold any tiebreakers over its fellow Olympic Pool members.
Peter Rossi, on-site at 15O Nationals
A morning clash between Little Caesars and Pittsburgh Penguins Elite lived up to the hype at 15O USA Hockey Nationals. With both clubs coming in after tournament-opening victories on Day 1, a win for either would all but cement placement in the elimination round games this weekend.
Pens Elite came out strong, realizing its opportunity and task ahead of taking on a powerhouse like Caesars. Jacob Cloutier was on the forecheck early and often. As a collective unit, Caesars struggled with Pittsburgh’s speed, finding themselves on the losing end of board battles, puck scrums and offensive zone time. The trio of Quinn McKenzie, Cloutier and Kieren Dervin was a standout, creating the most scoring opportunities of the period.
As the period wore on, Caesars began to find its legs, but had difficulty getting shots on net as the Pens constantly got in front of any shot they could. Each team was as physical as they could be, with big checks in open ice and along the boards.
Just over one minute into the second frame, Pittsburgh jumped out to a 1-0 lead thanks to Ryan White depositing a rebound chance in front. Shortly after, following a great drive to the net by Luke Menard, Charlton Tretheway banged in a loose puck in the crease to knot things at 1. Menard dipped his shoulder and bullied his way to the net, where Tretheway crashed and slipped the loose puck past Jake Shingles. The goal was originally credited to Nicholas Kosiba, but was changed postgame.
Thretheway was easily one of the standout skaters for Caesars. Constantly jumping in the rush when possible, his ability to get back into position with great speed often surprised Pens Elite players.
Caesars warmed to the task in the second, with a lot of time spent in the Pens Elite defensive zone. Late in the period, Kosiba would put Caesars up 2-1 on the power play thanks to a pretty passing play between Zachary Morin and William Horcoff.
Pens Elite understood they needed a win, so they pushed much of the pace in the third period. Tretheway was outstanding, constantly shutting down odd-man rushes with perfect stick position. Pittsburgh managed to find the equalizer at 12:46 when Mark Evans blasted a one-timer off the post and in. With 1:13 left and on a sixth power play of the game, Horcoff sent a low shot that beat the glove of Shingles to put Caesars up 3-2. With Pittsburgh once again searching for a goal, Aiden Janz iced the game with an empty-net goal.
Chicago Mission got their second victory of the round robin in a tight contest against Compuware. Jacob Eilers got Chicago on the board first when he fired a top-shelf wrister while on the penalty kill. Overall, seven penalties were called in the opening frame, with four for Compuware and three for Mission.
Early in the second, Compuware would strike. Isaac Nelson deposited a pass from Travis Hayes from in tight, evening things at 1. It was apparent that Chicago knew they had Compuware beat in terms of overall size, and they rarely shied away from any opportunity to throw the body. After some extended zone time, Nathen Jastrzebski tipped an Andrew Horn shot for a 2-1 Mission lead. Chicago’s ability to cycle in the zone was a strength, aided greatly by the versatility of Asher Barnett on the blue line.
Each team would hit numerous crossbars and posts as regulation continued. Despite numerous attempts at trying to find a tying goal, Mission’s defense quickly smothered any Compuware attack. Egan Beveridge eventually put the game away with an empty-net goal.
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