Starting this weekend, MYHockey Rankings Games of the Week are back!

And this year we are excited to announce that we will be working with Clanko Media to provide a video highlights package for at least one of our featured Games of the Week each month. Those featured matchups will be announced as the games approach to ensure that we highlight contests between highly ranked teams.

Games of the Week previews will be posted every Thursday or Friday through the end of the regular season. Game summaries, along with occasional video highlights, will be posted no later than Wednesday of the following week. 

With more than 20,000 teams in our database, it’s impossible to know about all of the great games that are scheduled throughout North America each week, so if you are aware of upcoming games between highly ranked teams please feel free to email the details a week in advance if possible to scott@myhockeyrankings.com.

Include in your email:

• Team names, location, league affiliations and age group
• Current team rankings (national, state, provincial, etc.)
• Day, time and location of the game or games
• Any other details – past history, statistical info/team leaders, college commitments playing or other interesting informaiton
• Quotes from players or coaches are great, too, but not required
• If the game or games are available on LiveBarn or via another streaming service (send link if so)

Our plan for the Games of the Week up until the first of the year is to spread the wealth and feature as many different teams and organizations as possible, with the goal of providing a nice mix of matchups from the United States and Canada and including boys, girls, Tier 1 and Tier 2 contests. Starting in January the focus will shift to finding the best matchups or most important games each week.

Our first featured games this week include highly ranked 16U and 18U USA Boys teams and will be played at the University of Connecticut’s Toscano Family Ice Forum, home of the NCAA Division I UConn Huskies men’s and women’s teams, Saturday, Sept. 30. Both games will pit the Long Island Gulls against the New Jersey Rockets Hockey Club. The Gulls are the second-ranked USA 16U Tier 1 team and are ranked seventh at the 18U level, while the Rockers are No. 21 and No. 11, at 16U and 18U, respectively.

“My players and staff are extremely excited to be able to play a game at a venue like UConn,” Rockets Midget Hockey Director Noel Rubin said. “And to play the Gulls 16/18 teams, who are always among the top teams in the country, makes it more exciting and more difficult. My goal always is to play the best possible competition, win lose or draw. That’s the only way we will get better.” 

The Rockets and Gulls traditionally are two of the top youth programs in the New York-New Jersey the Northeast and the United States. At the Tier 1 level this season, the Gulls have teams ranked among nation’s top 10 at the 18U, 16U and 15U age groups, and their 2010 team is No. 27. Meanwhile, the Rockets have four teams at those age levels ranked between Nos. 5 and 13, with a fourth team sitting at No. 21.

"The Gulls organization is excited to play a top team like the Rockets Saturday, and adding the college venue and coaches enhances the player and staff excitement," said Gulls 18U Head Coach Mark Lotito. "We are always looking to challenge our players, and playing the Rockets will do just that. As an organization, we want our players to compete in games like this on a regular basis as we believe that is what best prepares them for success later on in the season."

These two clubs also compete against each other in the Northeast Pack, one of the top youth leagues in the U.S. for 14U through 18U boys teams.

Here is a closer look at this weekend’s matchups:

MHR CLANKO MEDIA FEATURED GAMES OF THE WEEK 

USA Boys 18U Tier 1

#7 Long Island Gulls vs. #11 New Jersey Rockets Hockey Club

Saturday, Sept. 30 at 12:45 p.m.

University of Connecticut Toscano Family Ice Forum

MHR Matchup Preview at a Glance

These two New York metro rivals meet for the second time this season, with several more matchups on tap in the future. They are very evenly matched, as the Gulls are 12-5-2 with a 56-37 scoring advantage against their opponents, while the Rockets are 12-5-1 with a 55-37 scoring advantage over their foes. Long Island won the first matchup by a 2-1 margin Sept. 9 in a NE Pack matchup. The Rockets went on to post eight-consecutive wins after that contest, including victories against the No. 3 Chicago reapers, No. 12 St. Louis Jr. Blues, No. 15 Bishop Kearney Selects and No. 20 Anaheim Jr. Ducks. New Jersey dropped a 2-0 decision against the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers to snap that streak in its most recent outing Sept. 25. The Gulls opened their season by going 0-3-1 against a gauntlet of top teams. They lost to the No. 4 Avon Regals, the No. 12 Jr. Blues and No. 13 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers and tied the No. 24 East Haven Yellow Jackets before going on a 12-2-1 run since then. That run included an 11-game winning streak, which ended with a 2-1 loss vs. the No. 2 Yale Jr. Bulldogs Sept. 17. Thus far, the Gulls have knocked off the No. 4 Avon Regals, No. 5 Boston Jr. Eagles, No. 14 Mount St. Charles, No. 16 Neponset Valley River Rats (twice) and No. 18 Cape Cod Whalers.

USA Boys 16U Tier 1

#2 Long Island Gulls vs. # 21 New Jersey Rockets Hockey Club

Saturday, Sept. 30 at 2:30 p.m.

University of Connecticut Toscano Family Ice Forum 

MHR Matchup Preview at a Glance

The second game of the doubleheader at UConn features also features pair of teams from the New York metropolitan area that are no strangers to each other. Long Island is ranked second in the U.S. with a 11-5-1 record against the nation’s toughest schedule to date. The Gulls have outscored their opponents, 82-37, but did drop a 3-0 decision against the Rockets Sept. 9. Since that setback, Long Island has gone 4-1-1, with a one-goal overtime loss against No. 11 Pittsburgh Penguins elite, a victory over the No. 4 Boston Jr. Eagles and a tie vs. the sixth-ranked Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers. That was their second matchup against Mid-Fairfield, who they beat, 5-3, Aug. 28, and they also avenged earlier 2-1 and 4-2 losses to Boston. The Rockets are 8-8-1 and have played a schedule that ranks just slightly behind the Gulls in terms of difficulty. They hold a 59-57 scoring edge over their opponents after dropping their last two games, 4-3 in overtime vs. the No. 9 Los Angeles Jr. Kings and 3-1 against the No. 15 Oakland Jr. Grizzlies. Other losses have come vs. the Nos.6, 8, 10 and 11 teams, which New Jersey offset with the 2-0 victory against No. 2 Long Island.

Highlights from these games will be posted early next week via social media and YouTube.