MYHockey News
Week 22 MHR Games of the Week: Playoff Time for T1EHL, NAPHL & MMFHL
The North American amateur hockey February Frenzy has arrived, and each weekend from this point forward brings us more playoff action as leagues all over the continent move into the postseason.
For our Week 22 Games of the Week we will focus on the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League Playoffs (T1EHL) while also tracking the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) and the Maritime Major Female Hockey League AAA playoffs.
One of the top USA Boys Tier 1 leagues, the T1EHL opens its postseason Friday, with games running through Monday, at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. The league will crown champions at the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U age levels in Blaine, with 16 teams competing in each division.
All games at National Sports Center should be available for viewing via LiveBarn.
The NAPHL is a unique showcase-style league for boys that falls under the umbrella of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). Now it its 49th season, the NAHL is the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier 2 tuition-free junior hockey league in the U.S., featuring 32 teams in 17 states.
Teams in the NAPHL are afforded the opportunity to complete against top Tier 1 and Tier 2 youth programs from all over the United States at the 14U, 15O, 16U and 18U age levels during various showcase weekends held throughout the season.
This weekend’s NAPHL T1ER Dixon Cup Playoffs feature 16 teams playing in Troy and Rochester, Mich. in the 18U and 16U divisions, eight 15O teams and six 14U teams. The puck drops on the Dixon Cup Playoffs Friday morning, with champions scheduled to be crowned Monday.
All NAPHL T1ER Dixon Cup games can be viewed at NAHLTV.com.
The MMFHL is an elite U18 AAA league for girls in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. There are nine teams in the league, with four teams from Nova Scotia, two from New Brunswick and two from PEI qualifying for the playoffs.
Provincial semifinals are held first and begin this weekend, with the winners of each series advancing. Four teams from Nova Scotia will compete in two best-of-five series, while two teams from PEI will play a best-of-seven series and two from New Brunswick will play a best-of-three series.
The T1ER EHL 14U division includes four of the top 16 U.S. Boys Tier 1 teams, according to the latest MYHockey Rankings, eight of the top-30 and 11 of the top 36. Sixteen 14U teams are divided into four pools, with each team playing the other three in its pool to determine playoff seeding.
Friday’s Top T1ER 1 EHL 14U Matchups
#33 Fox Motors (0), #16 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (2)
#35 Chicago Fury (1), #13 Anaheim Jr. Ducks (0)
#14 St. Louis AAA Blues (4), #36 Los Angeles Jr. Kings (0)
#29 Cleveland Barons (2), #12 Dallas Stars Elite 3 - SO
Saturday’s Top T1ER 1 EHL 14U Matchups
#29 Cleveland Barons (0), #30 Ohio Blue Jackets (3)
#31 Victory Honda (2), #35 Chicago Fury (4)
#33 Fox Motors (1), Florida Alliance South (7)
#36 LA Jr. Kings (2), #26 Colorado Thunderbirds (3)
Sunday’s Top T1ER 1 EHL 14U Matchups
#14 St. Louis AAA Blues (5), #26 Colorado Thunderbirds (4)
#24 Florida Alliance South (3), #16 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (4)
#13 Anaheim Jr. Ducks (7), #31 Victory Honda (3)
#12 Dallas Stars Elite (4), #30 Ohio Blue Jackets (2)
Sunday’s T1ER 1 EHL 14U Semifinals
#14 St. Louis AAA Blues (1), #13 Anaheim Jr. Ducks (2) - OT
The Blues appeared to seize the momentum on Colin Varady's tying goal with just 2:31 left in regulation, but Anaheim rallied to win it on Gavin Burcar's tally with 19 seconds left in overtime. Bradley Marchant had the other Jr. Ducks goal, and Kaeden Tate earned the win in goal with 19 saves.
#16 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (2), #12 Dallas Stars Elite (4)
Dallas led, 3-2, after a five-goal opening period then got an insurance goal from Ewen Willers with 3:25 left in the middle frame before goalie Mark Joshua Djomo shut the door in the final stanza. Brendan Williams, Dominic Daniels and Logan Brown scored for the Stars, while Robert Ray and Cole Connolly tallied for the Jr. Sabres. Djomo finished with 33 saves.
Monday's T1ER 1 EHL 14U Championship Game
#13 Anaheim Jr. Ducks (2), #12 Dallas Stars Elite (3)
Anaheim rallied from two goals down in the ghird period to tie the game when Jordan Tran and Gavin Burcar scored 24 seconds apart, but Andrew Fox buried the title-winning goal with 9:17 remaining to give Dalls the championship. Mark Joshua Djomo held off the Ducks over the final nine-plus minutes, making 36 saves - including 15 in the final period - to earn the win. Andrew Fox and Ashton Monroy had the other Dallas goals.
The T1ER EHL 15O division includes 10 of the top 50 U.S. Boys Tier 1 teams, according to the latest MYHockey Rankings, Sixteen 15O teams are divided into four pools, with each team playing the other three in its pool to determine playoff seeding.
Friday’s Top T1ER 1 EHL 15O Matchups
#40 Cleveland Barons (1), #44 Fox Motors (3)
#39 Victory Honda (5), #46 Anaheim Jr. Ducks (1)
#41 Nashville Jr. Predators (0). #49 Sioux Falls Power (6)
Saturday’s Top T1ER 1 EHL 15O Matchups
#28 Dallas Stars Elite (7), #46 Anaheim Jr. Ducks (3)
#26 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (4), #49 Sioux Falls Power (9)
#17 St. Louis AAA Blues (4), #44 Fox Motors (3)
Sunday’s Top T1ER 1 EHL 15O Matchups
#17 St. Louis AAA Blues (5), #40 Cleveland Barons (0)
#26 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (9), #41 Nashville Jr. Predators (1)
#31 LA Jr. Kings (4), #36 Ohio Blue Jackets (2)
#28 Dallas Stars Elite (4), #39 Victory Honda (1)
Sunday’s T1ER 1 EHL 15O Semifinals
#17 St. Louis AAA Blues (3), #31 LA Jr. Kings (1)
St. Louis scored the game's first two goals - one in the second and one in the third period - before Leo Fullerton broke the shutout for Los Angeles and made things interseting with 5:35 left in regulation. Cam Alemond put the game away for the Blues with two seconds left, however. Luke Broadhead and Theo Vantine also scored for the Blues, while Nathan Sutto made 23 saves to earn the win in goal.
#28 Dallas Stars Elite (1), #59 Phoenix Jr. Coyotes (2)
Cole Willcoxson and Anton Ariaratnam scored in the first and third periods, respectively, before Gavin Wilke made things interesting for Dallas with 11:55 left in the final frame. Phoenix netminder Evan Hazelberg stood tall over the final 11-plus minutes, however, stopping 12 shots in the final frame and 28 for the game to lead the Jr. Coyotes into the championship game.
Monday's T1ER 1 EHL 15O Championship Game
#17 St. Louis AAA Blues vs. #59 Phoenix Jr. Coyotoes
St. Louis sandwiched a pair of first-period goals and two third-period markers around a single second-period Phoenix goal to capture the 15O championship. Cam Wilson scored twice for the Blues, with Anthony Thomas-Maroon and Theo Valentine contributing the other two goals and Brian Cook making 11 saves. Akul Kuppannagari scored the only goal for the Jr. Coyotes.
The T1ER EHL 16U division includes five of the top 13 U.S. Boys Tier 1 teams, according to the latest MYHockey Rankings, and eight of the top 30. Like the other divisions, the 16 teams in the 16U age group are divided into four pools, with each team playing the other three in its pool to determine playoff seeding.
Friday’s Top T1ER 1 EHL 16U Matchups'
#25 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (3), #37 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (2) - OT
#29 Phoenix Jr. Coyotes (2), #26 Chicago Fury (5)
#7 Victory Honda (2), #37 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (0)
#29 Phoenix Jr. Coyotes (2), #4 Dallas Stars Elite (1)
#10 St. Louis AAA Blues (3), #41 Anaheim Jr. Ducks (0)
#11 Los Angeles Jr. Kings (6), #40 Cleveland Barons (1)
#13 Fox Motors (1), #42 Ohio Blue Jackets (2)
Saturday’s Top T1ER 1 EHL 16U Matchups
#10 St. Louis AAA Blues (0), #15 Sioux Falls Power (3)
#25 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (6), #7 Victory Honda (3)
#13 Fox Motors (3), #11 Los Angeles Jr. Kings (1)
#4 Dallas Stars Elite (5), #26 Chicago Fury (3)
Sunday's T1ER 1 EHL 16U Semifinals Matchups
#7 Victory Honda (4), #15 Sioux Falls Power (1)
Victory scored twice early in the opening period, with Thomas Spencer and Gabriel Ruiz netting goals, and that would prove to be enough in a 4-1 final. Ryan Sellers and Whitford Denzin added insurance markers in the second and third periods, respectively, while Wesley Jefferson stopped 15 shots to backstop the victory. Holden Gallagher's short-handed goal in the first period was the only goal for Sioux Falls.
#4 Dallas Stars Elite (2) vs. #13 Fox Motors (1)
Nolan Mara scored in the first period and J.P. Hurlbert tallied in the second frame for the Stars, who would hold on for the 2-1 victory as Mitch Adams stopped 12 of the 13 shots he faced. Nolan O'Brien pulled Fox to within 2-1 on a power-play goal with 11;43 remaining in the third period, but Adams shut the door for the rest of the game.
Monday's T1ER 1 EHL 16U Championship Game
#7 Victory Honda (4), vs. #4 Dallas Stars Elite (3) - 6 OT
That's right. Six overtimes. So many that the scoresheet couldn't finish the game. But you can see the game-winning goal by CLICKING HERE. It appears as though Brayden Wade deflects home the game-winner out of mid-air in a tremendous display of eye-hand coordination. That goal game long after Gairin Michalski had tied the game for Victory Honda and forced overtime with 24 seconds left in regulation. Wade had two assists earlier in the game. Wesley Jefferson Swint II earned the win in goal. He made 31 saves through four overtimes. Chance Burlison and Landon Amrhein staked Dallas to a 2-0 lead through two periods before Whitford Denzin and Ethan Drabicki tied it for Victory early in the final frame. Burlison netted his second of the game with 9:37 left to set up Michalski and Wade's heroics.
The T1ER EHL 18U division includes nine of the top-30 U.S. Boys Tier 1 teams, according to the latest MYHockey Rankings The field also features four top-20 teams. Like the other divisions, the 16 teams in the 18U age group are divided into four pools, with each team playing the other three in its pool to determine playoff seeding.
Friday’s Top T1ER 1 EHL 18U Matchups
#29 Belle Tire (0), #6 Victory Honda (2)
#32 Fox Motors (4), #13 St. Louis AAA Blues (0)
#31 Anaheim Jr. Ducks (2), #14 Phoenix Jr. Coyotes (3)
#43 Milwaukee Jr. Admirals (1), #19 Sioux Falls Power (3)
Saturday’s Top T1ER 1 EHL 18U Matchups
#32 Fox Motors (3), #30 Chicago Fury (4) - SO
#28 Dallas Stars Elite (2), #29 Belle Tire (0)
#25 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (1), #31 Anaheim Jr. Ducks (2)
#30 Chicago Fury (2), #13 St. Louis AAA Blues (6)
#6 Victory Honda (8), #28 Dallas Stars Elite (0)
#26 Colorado Rampage (2), #19 Sioux Falls Power (3)
#25 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (3), #14 Phoenix Jr. Coyotes (4) - SO
Sunday's T1ER 1 EHL 18U Semifinals Matchups
#6 Victory Honda (0), #14 Phoenix Jr. Coyotes (1)
Brayden Boucher's goal with 1:39 left in regulation broke a scoreless tie and sent the Coyotes into the championship game. Benjamin Vatis earned the shutout win in goal with 25 saves. Kyle Pareja and Tristen Wilson Azelton assisted on the game-winning goal.
#32 Fox Motors (2), #19 Sioux Falls Power (3) - OT
Rylan Oster's second of the game with 1:42 left in overtime lifted Sioux Falls past Fox Motors and into the championship game. Breck Hirrschoff scored the other goal for the Power, while Rylan Anaruk and Kody Moyer tallied for Fox. Anders Miller made 35 saves to earn the win in goal.
Monday's 18U T1ER 1 EHL 18U Championship Game
#19 Sioux Falls Power (2), #14 Phoenix Jr. Coyotes (1) - OT
Hunter Heisten won it for Sioux Falls with 3:14 remaining in the first overtime period after Isaiah Yates had tied it for Phoenix early in the third. Anders Miller made 26 saves to earn the win in goal, and Rylan Oster scored the other Power goal in the middle frame after the teams played a scoreless opening period.
CLICK HERE to access T1EHL full playoff schedule, scores and standings
Check back for updates during the weekend
The NAPHL T1ER Dixon Cup Playoffs feature a total of 46 teams competing across the 18U, 16U, 15O and 14U Gold divisions. There are five of the nation’s top-50 teams, four of the top-40 and two of the top-20 in the 18U Gold Division. The 16U Gold Division includes three of the top-50 teams, according to the latest MYHockey Rankings.
All NAPHL T1ER Dixon Cup playoff games can be seen on NAHLTV.com.
CLICK HERE for the NAPHL T1ER Gamecenter, which includes links to the scores, schedules and standings for each division.
CLICK HERE for the 18U Dixon Cup playoff schedule.
Sunday's NAPHL T1ER 18U Semifinals
#39 Biggby Coffee (4), #18 CarShield (5) - SO
Brandon Catalano scored on his team's first shootout attempt, and that would hold up as the decisive goal as CarShield netminder Branson Appelman shut down all three Biggby attempts to send his team to the championship game. Brennan Green's goal for Biggby in the final three minutes of regulation forced overtime. Beck Picconatto, Samuel Kartch, Kyle Ahlschlager and Talen Garcia scored for CarShield.
#20 Esmark Stars (3) vs. #67 Maine Nordiques (2)
Esmark held off a late rally by the Nordiques, with Ethan Keller's third-period goal turning out to be the game-winner after he extended the Stars' lead to 3-1. Maine cut the lead to 2-1 just 1:11 later, but Esmark goalie Landon Buterbaugh held off the Nordiques the rest of the game, finishing with 35 saves to earn the win. Mark Trischler and Keller broke a scoreless tie and staked the Stars to a 2-0 second-period lead before Aidan Westphalen tallied nine seconds into the final frame to cut the margin to 2-1.
Monday's NAPHL T1ER 18U Championship Game
#20 Esmark Stars (4), #18 CarShield (1)
Liam Wiseman and Ethan Keller scored in the third period to cap a four-goal Esmark run and break open what had been a close game. Timur Naletov and Nathan Burlando started the scoring for Esmark after Talen Garcia had given CarShield a 1-0 lead just 1:16 into the game. Hleb Subach stopped every shot after surrendering that early goal, finishing with 26 saves to earn the win.
CLICK HERE for the 16U Dixon Cup playoff schedule.
Sunday's NAPHL T1ER 16U Semifinals
#34 CarShield (3), #56 Vegas Jr. Golden Knights (5)
The Golden Knights scored four unanswered third-peroid goals to rally from a 3-1 deficit and advance to the championship game. Gavin Smith, Carson Craig, Casey Berninger and Jaxon Sabataso scored during the decisive run to thwart the efforts of Devon Hobson, who recorded a natural hat trick in the first two periods for CarShield after Finn McNabb opened the scoring for Vegas int first period. Vincent Vitale made 26 saves to earn the win in goal.
#68 Indiana Elite (3) vs. #57 NJ Titans (2) - OT
Brandon Murphy scored 2:29 into the extra session to lift Indiana to the 3-2 win and into the title game. Peter Morris tied the game for New Jersey 5:47 into the third period to force overtime after Trevor Young had put Indiana up, 2-1, 38 seconds earlier. Tyler Drouin also scored for Indiana, while Murphy and Young each finished with a goal and an assist. Hudson Kutchma picked up the win in goal for Indiana.
Monday's NAPHL T1ER 16U Championship Game
#56 Vegas Golden Knights (4), #38 Indiana Elite (2)
Vegas scored three-straight second-period goals to break a scoreless tie and got some third-period insurance from Collin Spencer after Indiana cut the lead to 3-2 on goals by Jake McIntosh and Michael Esposito. Jaxon Sabataso, Carson Craig and Liam Butsavich gave the Golden Knights the 3-0 lead before the Indiana rally, and Jacob Brumm made 13 saves to record the win in goal.
CLICK HERE for the 15O Dixon Cup playoff schedule.
Sunday's NAPHL T1ER 15O Semifinals
#61 Esmark Stars (6), #74 NJ Titans (2)
Esmark rolled into the championship game by breaking a 1-1 tie with five goals over the final two periods. Joseph Moore led the way for the Stars with a hat trick, while Cullen Campbell added a pair of goals and Alex Patsilevas also scored. Nikita Oleksiienko stopped 29 shots to earn the win in goal. Lawrence Merrill and Aiden Strzelecki scored for the Titans.
#45 CarShield (2) vs. #55 Madison Capitols (5)
The MadCaps fell behind, 1-0, on Greyson Larose's second-period goal but responded in a big way by scoring the game's next five goals to steamroll their way in the championship game. Jack Morgan scored twice during the Madison spree, with Jackson Stocker, Camden Guyette and Cayden Block also tallying to make a winner out of netminder Bruno Koch. Keaton Johnson scored the second CarShield goal.
Monday's NAPHL T1ER 15O Championship Game
#55 Madison Capitols (7), #61 Esmark Stars (4)
Madison scored in every period but still needed three third-period markers to fight off a pesky Stars team. Alex Patsilevas and Noah Staines scored in the third period for Esmark to close the margin to 5-4 before Brogan Davis tallied twice to ice the championship for the Capitols. Mason Majewski also scored twice for Madison while dishing out a pair of assists, and Davis added an assist to his two tallies. Jackson Stocker, Camden Guyette and Alexander Spence had the other three Caps' goals. Cullen Campbell and Tsimur Krasouski scored Esmark's first two goals. Hayden Niceswanger got the win in goal for the Capitols.
CLICK HERE for the 14U Dixon Cup playoff schedule.
Sunday's NAPHL T1ER 14U Semifinals
#43 Omaha Mastery (4) vs. #90 Biggby Coffee (2)
Omaha broke a 2-2 tie through two periods thanks to third-period goals by Blake Kubesa and Trevor Ross. Sam Snyder and Charlie Barnes had scored for the Mastery after Xavier Asma put Biggby in front, 1-0, early in the opening period. Harrison Botke also scored for Biggby, while Issac Pilcher picked up the win in net for Omaha.
#85 CarShield (2) vs. #86 Indiana Elite (1)
CarShield trailed, 1-0, through two periods after Ryder Carpenter opened the scoring for Indiana in the middle frame, but third-period goals 24 seconds apart from Colton Hrubes and Caden Clark sent CarShield into the title matchup. Cameron Burle was the winning goaltender.
Monday's NAPHL T1ER 14U Championship Game
#43 Omaha Mastery (2), #85 CarShield (1)
These two teams saved the best for last, scoring all three goals in a frantic final period. Omaha rallied from a 1-0 deficit to capture the championship in a thriller as Caden Ingalls and Sam Snyder scored 1:03 apart in the game's final 1:41 to set off a championship celebration. Caden Clark had scored with 2:47 left to put CarShield in front, 1-0. Grady Curtis earned the win in goal for Omaha.
The MMFHL U18 AAA playoffs get underway this weekend with the provincial semifinals.
The first Nova Scotia semifinal features Canada’s ninth-ranked Northern Selects, who are No. 1 in Eastern Canada and Nova Scotia, taking on the Cape Breton Lynx, ranked 11th in Eastern Canada and fourth in the province. Nova Scotia Semifinal 2 pits Canada’s 50th-ranked Greenfoot Capitals (No. 7 Eastern Canada) vs. the Dartmouth Penguins, who are ranked 56th in Canada and 8th in Eastern Canada. These are best-of-five series.
The New Brunswick semifinal has the Fundy Kraken facing off against Moncton Rockets in a best-of-three series, while the PEI semifinal features the Western Wind taking on the Eastern Stars in a best-of-seven matchup. Fundy is ranked 99th in Canada and 20th in Eastern Canada, and Moncton is 69th/9th. The Western Wind are 94th in Canada and 12th in Eastern Canada, while the stars are 42nd/5th.
Nova Scotia Best-of-Five Semifinal #1
#1 Northern Selects vs. #11 Cape Breton Lynx (E. Canada rankings)
Game 1: Feb. 17 at Hector Arena - #1 Selects (12), Lynx (1)
Brooke Williams and Kendall Doiron each recorded a hat trick, with Doiron adding a pair of assists, as the Selects rolled to the Game 1 victory. Kate Morrow and Hali-Rose MacLean added two goals apiece, while Laci Boyd contributed a goal and four helpers and Jora Burrows made 11 saves.
Game 2 – Feb. 18 at Hector Arena - #1 Selects (7), #11 Lynx (0)
Kendall Doiron scored twice in the opening 14 minutes for the Northern Selects, and the game was never in doubt after that. Aylee Glenn also scored twice for the Selects, with Laci Boyd, Emerson MacDonald and Karys Ross scoring the other three goals. All three of the single goal-scorers also notched an assist. Madeline Kerr stopped all 13 shots she faced to record the shutout.
CLICK HERE for full series schedule
Nova Scotia Best-of-Five Semifinal #2
#7 Greenfoot Capitals vs. #8 Dartmouth Penguins (E. Canada rankings)
Game 1: Feb. 17 at Halifax Forum - Penguins (2), Capitals (1)
Abalyn Lefebvre scored what turned to be the game-winning goal in the second period, and Kaitlyn Langille turned aside every shot she faced in the third period as the Penguins won Game 1 of the series. Jenna Greenwood had the other Dartmouth goal, while Claire Tolson, Georgia Stevens and Ellie Isenor picked up assists. Langille finished with 39 saves. Sarah Bush had the lone Greenfoot tally.
Game 2 – Feb. 18 at RBC Rink C - Penguins 2, Capitals 0
Jenna Greenwood opened the scoring in the first period and closed it in the final frame, and that's all Dartmouth would need to recrod the victory and a 2-0 series lead. Greenwood wasn't the only star of the game, however. Cicely Harnum made 42 saves to keep her team afloat and record the shutout.
CLICK HERE for full series schedule
New Brunswick Best-of-Three Semifinal
#20 Fundy Kraken vs. #9 Moncton Rockets (E. Canada rankings)
Game 1 – Friday, Feb. 23, 6:00 p.m. at Centre J.K. Irving Center
Game 2 – Saturday, Feb. 24, 2:45 p.m. EST at QPlex
Game 3 – Sunday, Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. EST at Avenir Centre
Prince Edward Island Best-of-Seven Semifinal
#12 Western Wind vs. #5 Eastern Stars (E. Canada rankings)
Game 1 – Friday, March 1, 7:00 p.m. EST at Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre
Game 2 – Saturday, March 2, 6:40 p.m. EST at Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre
CLICK HERE for the full series schedule
