A few weeks ago, Massachusetts crowned its Tier 1 and Tier 2 Boys champions for the 15U, 16U and 18U age groups, with the title winners also earning berths in the USA Hockey National Championship to be held next April. This weekend, Massachusetts 16U and 19U Girls Tier 1 and Tier 2 teams get their turn.

Play got underway Friday, Nov. 24, and runs through Sunday at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass., with 44 teams competing for state/district titles and Nationals berths.

Many states and districts around the U.S. wait until spring to determine their champions and Nationals qualifiers, but with high school and prep hockey being so popular in Massachusetts and Minnesota, most of the club programs in those areas play a fall “half” or “split” season and compete for the state and district titles in late October or November just prior to the start of the various school seasons.

We are highlighting the Massachusetts Girls Championship for our Week 10 MHR Games of the Week feature.

 

About Games of the Week

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

With more than 20,000 teams in our database by season’s end, it’s impossible to be aware of all the great games that are scheduled throughout North America each week, so if you know of any 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 information
• 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, please send the link

We will be partnering with Clanko Media throughout the season to bring our readers and followers video highlights of selected Games of the Week, and we also are open to posting highlights of any other games we feature if someone can provide them for us.

Here is a closer look at our Week 8 featured matchups:

 

MHR WEEK 10 GAMES OF THE WEEK

Massachusetts State/District Tier 1 & Tier 2 Girls Championship

New England Sports Center – Marlboro, Mass.

Streamed on LiveBarn

This weekend, 44 Massachusetts-based Girls Tier 1 and Tier 2 hockey teams invade the New England Sports Center in hopes of capturing championships and advancing to the USA Hockey National Championship in April. Tier 1 and Tier 2 Girls champions will be crowned for the 19U and 16U age groups.

Each tournament has American and National pools with either four or six teams competing in pool play to determine who advances to the playoff rounds. The 19U Tier 2, 16U Tier 1 and 16U Tier 2 tournaments each have two six-team pools, with teams playing three games in pool play to determine the quarterfinalists. The 19U Tier 1 tourney has two four-team pools, with the top-two finishers in each pool advancing to the semifinals.

Play began Friday at 9 a.m.

 

Massachusetts Girls 19U Tier 1 Championship

The 19U Tier 1 Girls championship tournament includes eight of the nation’s top-66 USA Girls teams, according to the most recent MHR rankings. 

Competing teams include:

 

#3 East Coast Wizards

#8 Boston Jr. Eagles

#10 North American Hockey Academy

#17 Assabet Valley

#24 Islanders Hockey Club

#33 Bay State Breakers

#37 Massachusetts Spitfires

#49 Boston Advantage

 

CLICK HERE for the Massachusetts 19U Youth Tier 1 tournament schedule and results.

The tournament started with pool-play matchups Friday at 1:10 p.m.

Semifinals are set for 7:50 p.m. Saturday, and the championship game is set for 10:20 a.m. Sunday.

 

Massachusetts Girls 19U Tier 1 Game of the Week

#8 Boston Jr. Eagles vs. #10 North American Hockey Academy

Saturday, November 25 at 1:20 p.m.

New England Sports Center – Marlboro, Mass.

Streamed on LiveBarn

The top pool-play game of the 19U Tier 1 Girls tournament pits the No. 8 Jr. Eagles against the No. 10 Winterhawks in a showdown that could determine the American Pool’s top seed for the semifinals. These teams have yet to meet this season. The Jr. Eagles enter the weekend with a 10-2-1 record and having outscored their opponents, 45-12. Boston’s only losses came against the No. 3 East Coast Wizards and the No. 9 overall USA 19U team from Northwood School. The Jr. Eagles had won four straight contests entering the tournament and six of their previous seven. They are 6-1-0 against other teams in the field. NAHA brought a 14-9-1 overall record into the weekend and had outscored its opponents, 92-53. NAHA beat Northwood, 4-3, in overtime in its most recent game to extend its winning streak to five games since a 4-3 loss to the No. 16 Connecticut Polar Bears Nov. 12. The Winterhawks also beat the Polar Bears earlier that day. They had won 10 of their previous 11 contests heading into the weekend and were 2-0-0 against teams in the field.

 

 

Massachusetts Girls 16U Tier 1 Championship

The 16U Tier 1 Girls championship tournament includes 12 of the nation’s top-56 USA Girls teams, according to the most recent MHR rankings.

Competing teams include:

 

#4 Assabet Valley

#5 Massachusetts Spitfires

#14 North American Hockey Academy

#15 Valley Jr. Warriors

#16 East Coast Wizards

#17 Boston Jr. Eagles

#27 Bay State Breakers

#34 Boston Americans

#43 North Shore Vipers

#47 Minuteman Lady Flames

#50 Weymouth

#56 Boston Shamrocks

 

CLICK HERE for the Massachusetts 16U Girls Tier 1 tournament schedule at results. 

The tournament started with pool-play matchups Friday at 11:20 a.m.

Quarterfinals will be played 7:30 and 7:50 p.m. Saturday.

Semifinals are set for 8:20 a.m. Sunday, and the championship game will face off at 3:00 p.m. Sunday.

 

Massachusetts Girls 16U Tier 1 Game of the Week

#4 Assabet Valley vs. #15 Valley Jr. Warriors

Saturday, November 25 at 11:20 a.m.

New England Sports Center – Marlboro, Mass.

Streamed on LiveBarn

This is one of two pool-play games in the Tier 1 16U Girls Championship that features a pair of top-15 teams. The other top-15 matchup has the No. 5 Massachusetts Spitfires taking on No. 14 North American Hockey Academy in an American Pool showdown. Assabet Valley and the Valley Jr. Warriors are in the National Pool. Assabet Valley will be taking on the Warriors for the first time this season and brought a 14-2-1 record into the tournament. They had outscored their opponents, 77-18, posting seven shutouts in the process. Assabet was 1-1-1 in its previous three outings, including a 2-1 setback against the Spitfires. Overall, Assabet had gone 12-1-1 in its previous 14 contests, and was 7-1-0 against other teams in the field. Valley brought a 14-3-3 record into the weekend and had outscored its opponents, 67-40. The Jr. Warriors entered the tournament in the midst of a 13-game unbeaten streak (10-0-3), dating to a 7-0 loss to a Minnesota Jr. Whitecaps team that went 7-0-0 this fall and outscored its opponents, 45-1. They are 9-1-2 against other teams in the field.

 

 

Massachusetts Girls 19U Tier 2 Championship

The 19U Tier 2 Girls championship tournament includes 12 of the nation’s top-66 USA Girls teams, according to the most recent MHR rankings.

Competing teams include:

 

#2 East Coast Wizards

#3 Boston Jr. Eagles

#4 North Suburban Wings

#15 Valley Jr. Warriors

#16 Charles River Blazers

#23 Boston Americans

#24 Bay State Breakers

#29 Islanders Hockey Club

#44 Massachusetts Spitfires

#57 MassConn United

#65 North Shore Vipers

#66 Minuteman Lady Flames

 

CLICK HERE for the Massachusetts 19U Girls Tier 2 tournament schedule at results. 

The tournament started with pool-play matchups Friday at 9:30 a.m.

Quarterfinals will be played at 5:40 p.m. and 7:20 p.m. Saturday.

Semifinals are set for 8:00 a.m. Sunday, and the championship game will face off at 3:20 p.m. Sunday.

 

Massachusetts Girls 19U Tier 2 Game of the Week

#2 East Coast Wizards vs. #4 North Suburban Wings

Saturday, November 25 at 9:30 a.m.

New England Sports Center – Marlboro, Mass.

Streamed on LiveBarn

The Wizards and Wings meet for the third time this season, but this time with more on the line at the Massachusetts Championship. ECW won the first two meetings by scores of 3-2 and 3-1. In the 3-1 victory Aug. 20, the Wizards sprinted to a 3-0 lead in the game’s opening 30 minutes on goals from Kiersten Pinky Rasmussen, Amne Khamis and Abigail Mellen to make a winner out of goalie Lily Pendergast. Kasey Litwin potted the lone Wings goal. East Coast entered the Massachusetts Championship weekend with a 10-2-1 record and having outscored its opponents, 40-20. The Wizards were unbeaten in their previous six games (5-0-1), allowing more than one goal only once in that span. Their last loss was a 2-0 setback vs. the No. 3 Boston Jr. Eagles Sept. 24, but they beat the same club 2-0 a week prior to that contest. The Wizards are 8-1-0 vs. other teams in the field. North Suburban came into the weekend at 11-4-3 and holding a 51-28 scoring advantage over its opponents. The Wings had gone 8-1-1 in their previous 10 games and were 6-2-2 vs. teams in the field.

 

 

Massachusetts Girls 16U Tier 2 Championship

The 16U Tier 2 Girls championship tournament includes 12 of the nation’s top-55 USA Girls teams, according to the most recent MHR rankings. 

Competing teams include:

 

#1 Massachusetts Spitfires

#13 East Coast Wizards

#15 MassConn United

#17 Assabet Valley

#22 Valley Jr. Warriors

#23 Bay State Breakers

#26 North Suburban Wings

#28 Boston Jr. Eagles

#39 Boston Americans

#47 Boston Advantage

#51 Minuteman Lady Flames

#55 Boston Jr. Terriers

 

CLICK HERE for the Massachusetts 16U Girls Tier 2 tournament schedule at results.

The tournament started with pool-play matchups Friday at 9:00 a.m.

Quarterfinals will be played at 5:20 p.m. Saturday.

Semifinals are set for 7:40 and 8:00 a.m. Sunday, and the championship game will face off at 3:00 p.m. Sunday.6

 

Massachusetts Girls 16U Tier 2 Game of the Week

#13 East Coast Wizards vs. #15 MassConn United

Saturday, November 25 at 9:10 a.m.

New England Sports Center – Marlboro, Mass.

Streamed on LiveBarn

In what should be one of the most evenly matched games between top-15 teams in any division, the No. 13 Wizards and No. 15 MassConn United face off in an American Pool contest. This marks the first meeting for the two teams this season. The Wizards brought an 8-4-2 record into the weekend and had outscored their opponents, 36-31. They lost their most recent outing prior to the tournament, 5-1, to the No. 8 Mid-Fairfield Stars, halting a three-game winning streak that included a 2-1 victory against the top-ranked Massachusetts Spitfires, a 5-2 win against the No. 23 Bay State Breakers and a 5-2 victory vs. the No. 26 North Suburban Wings. ECW is 5-1-1 against teams in the field. MassConn was 17-7-0 heading into the tournament and had outscored its foes, 93-53. United had won their previous 17 contests, dating to 2-0 and 4-2 losses to the fifth-ranked Princeton Tiger Lillies back in September. MassConn opened the season with seven-straight losses before the current streak, and they are 2-2-0 vs. teams in the field.