As high school and prep school seasons approach in the United States hockey hotbeds of Minnesota and Massachusetts, split-season club hockey wraps up and USA Hockey National Championship berths are determined at various age levels. For most of the rest of the country that doesn’t happen until March.

Minnesota and Massachusetts have large enough hockey-playing populations that their Tier 1 state champions are awarded automatic bids to Nationals. In other areas of the United States, several states combine to form districts, and those district champions also earn the right to compete for Tier 1 national titles in April. At the Tier 2 level, state champions from around the country qualify for Nationals.

Minnesota recently crowned several of its Tier 1 and Tier 2 Youth and Girls champions, with each winner earning a National Championship berth:

 

Minnesota Youth 13O Tier 1 Champion

#2 Minnesota Lakers

 

Minnesota Girls14U Tier 1 Champion

#3 Minnesota Lakers

 

Minnesota Girls14U Tier 2 Champion

#1 Minnesota Lakers

 

Minnesota Youth 14U Tier 1 Champion

#6 Minnesota Blue Ox

 

Minnesota Youth 14U Tier 2 Champion

#15 Minnesota Green Giants

 

Minnesota 15O Tier 1 Youth Champion

#1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s

 

Minnesota 16U Tier 1 Girls Champion

#1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s

 

Minnesota 16U Tier 1 Youth Champion

#1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s

 

Minnesota 18U Tier 1 Youth Nationals Representative

#1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s

 

Minnesota Tier 1 19U Girls Champion

#1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s

 

For the Weekend of Nov. 8-10, the process of determining USA National Championship berths in Massachusetts will unfold as Youth Tier 1 and 2 state champions will be crowned at the 15O, 16U and 18U levels. The Massachusetts Girls State Tournament will be held from Nov. 29 through Dec. 1. Massachusetts Youth and Girls State Tournaments are played at the sprawling New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass., which has several rinks with LiveBarn feeds.

We will be tracking the progress of the Massachusetts Youth State Tournament throughout the weekend while also turning our attention to the north for a couple of showcase tournaments featuring many of the top U18 and U16 AAA Boys teams in Ontario.

The Big Nickel Major AAA Hockey Tournament is being held Nov. 7-10 at various rinks in the Sudbury area. There will be U15 and 18U teams competing at the Big Nickel, but our focus will be on the U18 Division, which features 26 teams representing the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA), Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO), the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario (Alliance), the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) and the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) – as well as some Ontario prep teams. Eleven teams ranked among Ontario’s top 20, according to the MHR Week 7 rankings, are participating in the tournament.

Sanctioned by the Northern Ontario Hockey Association, the Big Nickel Tournament was established in 1980 to provide an opportunity to showcase local hockey talent while also raising funds for the Sudbury Minor Hockey Association and other local charities.

Staying in Ontario, the OMHA also is holding its annual U16 AAA Showcase at Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex in Bowmanville. That rink does have a LiveBarn feed.

There will be 20 OMHA AAA teams in action playing exhibition crossover games that feature teams from the Eastern Conference facing Western Conference foes. Each team will play twice over the span the three-day event, allowing all OMHA 16U AAA teams to compete in front of junior and college scouts.

The OMHA U16 AAA Showcase includes six teams ranked among the Ontario’s top 20, according to the most recent MHR rankings. A similar U18 event will be held at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls from Nov. 15-17.

 

Massachusetts Youth Tier 1 & Tier 2 State Championship

The Massachusetts Youth Tier 1 and 2 State Championship is scheduled to start on the evening of Nov. 8 and run through the evening of Nov. 10. Champions will be crowned and USA Hockey National Championship berths will be determined for the 15O, 16U and 18U age groups. State tournaments for younger divisions will be conducted in March. The 15O age group is comprised only of Tier 1 teams.

There are 12 teams competing in each division, with the top four seeds in each bracket receiving byes to the quarterfinals. Quarterfinal games will be played Nov. 9 in each age group. Semifinal and championship contests are slated for Nov. 10. All games will be played to a winner under the USA Hockey playoff rules of one full (sudden death) overtime period followed by a shootout.

 

Massachusetts 18U Tier 1 State Championship

The Massachusetts 18U Tier 1 field is stacked, with every team ranked among the nation’s top 45 in the MHR Week 7 Rankings. That includes three top 10 teams and seven that are among the top 15.

 

18U Tier 1 Participating Teams

#2 Boston Jr. Eagles

#9 Central Mass. Penguins

#10 Holy Name Bears

#12 Cape Cod Whalers

#13 Boston Little Bruins

#14 Islanders Hockey Club West

#15 Neponset Valley River Rats

#20 American Hockey Academy

#28 Springfield Jr. Thunderbirds

#38 East Coast Militia

#40 Islanders Hockey Club East

#44 95 Giants

 

18U Youth Tier 1 Schedule, Scores & Stats

 

Massachusetts 18U Tier 2 State Championship

Considering the hundreds of 18U Tier 2 teams registered around the United States, this division is just about as deep as the Tier 1 group, with five teams ranked among the top 44 and nine of the top 65 competing.

 

18U Tier 2 Participating Teams

#5 Neponset Valley River Rats

#29 Northeast Generals

#38 Boston Jr. Huskies

#35 Boch Blazers

#44 Hingham Big Red

#52 Central Mass. Penguins

#56 Boston Jr. Terriers

#64 Bay State Breakers

#65 North Suburban Wings

#78 New England Bulldogs

#92 Islanders Hockey Club West

#99 South Shore Kings

 

18U Youth Tier 2 Schedule, Scores & Stats

 

Massachusetts 16U Tier 1 State Championship

Every team in the 16U Tier 1 tournament is ranked among the nation’s top 82. That includes three top 25 teams and eight that are in the top 65.

 

16U Tier 1 Participating Teams

#14 Boston Jr. Eagles

#22 Neponset Valley River Rats

#24 East Coast Militia

#50 Cape Cod Whalers

#53 American Hockey Academy

#54 Lovell Hockey Academy

#61 South Shore Kings

#64 North Suburban Wings

#69 Boston Jr. Terriers

#76 Assabet Patriots

#77 Top Gun

#82 Springfield Jr. Thunderbird

 

16U Youth Tier 1 Schedule, Scores & Stats

 

Massachusetts 16U Tier 2 State Championship

There are nearly 330 teams listed in the Week 7 MHR 16U Tier 2 rankings, and every team in the Massachusetts State Championship field is ranked among the top half of that group. The tournament features nine teams ranked in the top 80.

 

16U Tier 2 Participating Teams

#11 Top Gun

#26 Boston Jr. Huskies

#51 Boston Jr. Terriers (Jordan)

#58 Boch Blazers

#61 Boston Jr. Terriers (Tsanotelis)

#68 East Coast Militia

#72 North Suburban Wings

#77 Boston Bulldogs

#80 Boston Jr. Eagles

#126 Walpole Express

#156 Islanders Hockey Club East

#160 East Coast Wizards

 

16U Youth Tier 2 Schedule, Scores & Stats

 

Massachusetts 15O Tier 1 State Championship

No team in the 15O Tier 1 Massachusetts State Tournament field is ranked lower than No. 74, and seven check in among the top 50 in the Week 7 MHR Rankings.

 

15O Tier 1 Participating Teams

#8 Boston Jr. Eagles

#19 Neponset Valley River Rats

#24 South Shore Kings (Azevedo)

#39 Cape Cod Whalers

#40 Boston Hockey Academy

#44 Islanders Hockey Club

#49 East Coast Militia

#57 Valley Jr. Warriors

#58 American Hockey Academy

#68 North Suburban Wings

#71 South Shore Kings (Boch-Connolly)

#74 Minuteman Flames

 

15O Youth Tier 1 Schedule, Scores & Stats

 

CLICK HERE for the Massachusetts State Championship Program

 

 

Big Nickel AAA Major Tournament

The Big Nickel AAA Major Tournament in the Greater Sudbury area features 26 U18 teams representing various Ontario AAA leagues. There also are five U15 teams competing in a younger division, but our focus is on the U18 tournament. Eleven teams in the U18 field are ranked among Ontario’s top 20 in the MHR Week 7 Ontario Boys Rankings, with five of those ranked in the top 10. Play began on Thursday, Nov. 7, and continues through Nov. 10.

 

Big Nickel U18 AAA Top Competing Teams

#1 Markham Waxers

#2 Ajax-Pickering Raiders

#7 North Shore Whitecaps

#8 Waterloo Wolves

#10 Toronto Marlboros

#11 Ottawa Jr. 67s

#13 Burlington Eagles

#15 Toronto Nationals

#17 Myers AAA Automotive

#19 Sudbury Wolves

#20 York-Simcoe Express

 

CLICK HERE for the full list of Big Nickel competing teams

CLICK HERE for the complete Big Nickel schedule

CLICK HERE for Big Nickel scores, standings & stats

 

 

OMHA U16 AAA Showcase

There are 20 OMHA AAA East and West Conference teams in action at the OMHA U16 Showcase. Games began early on Friday, Nov. 8, and run through Sunday, Nov. 10. The field includes six teams ranked among Ontario’s top 20 in the Week 7 MHR Rankings.

 

OMHA 16U AAA Showcase Top Participating Teams

#9 Oakville Rangers

#13 Niagara North Stars

#14 Halton Hurricanes

#15 Barrie Colts

#16 York-Simcoe Express

#18 Ajax-Pickering Raiders

 

CLICK HERE for the complete U16 AAA Showcase Schedule