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 unfolded as Youth Tier 1 and 2 state champions were 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.

In addition to tracking the Massachusetts Youth State Tournament throughout the weekend, we also turned our attention 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 was held Nov. 7-10 at various rinks in the Sudbury area. There were U15 and 18U teams competing at the Big Nickel, but our focus was on the U18 Division, which featured 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, participated in the event.

 

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

There were 18 OMHA AAA teams and two NOHA clubs in action playing non-league crossover games pitted teams from the Eastern Conference against Western Conference foes. Each team played 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 included 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 began the evening of Nov. 8 and an through the evening of Nov. 10. Champions were crowned and USA Hockey National Championship berths were 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 were 12 teams competing in each division, with the top four seeds in each bracket receiving byes to the quarterfinals. Quarterfinal games were played Nov. 9 in each age group. Semifinal and championship contests were held Nov. 10.

 

Massachusetts 18U Tier 1 State Championship

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

 

18U Tier 1 Participating Team Records

#2 Boston Jr. Eagles (3-0-0)

#9 Central Mass. Penguins (2-1-0)

#10 Holy Name Bears (0-1-0)

#12 Cape Cod Whalers (0-1-0)

#13 Boston Little Bruins (2-1-0)

#14 Islanders Hockey Club West

#15 Neponset Valley River Rats (1-1-0)

#20 American Hockey Academy (1-1-0)

#28 Springfield Jr. Thunderbirds (0-1-0)

#38 East Coast Militia (0-1-0)

#40 Islanders Hockey Club East (2-1-0)

#44 95 Giants (0-1-0)

 

The second-ranked Boston Jr. Eagles swept through the 18U Tier 1 Division with three-straight wins to capture the state title. They beat No. 20 American Hockey Academy, 4-2, in the quarterfinals, the No. 13 Boston Little Bruins, 9-4, in the semifinals and the No. 9 Central Mass Penguins, 3-2, in the championship game. Rian Chudzinski scored the championship-winning goal with 12:00 left in the title game. The power-play maker was assisted by Aiden MacIsaac and Brendan Keaveney and made a winner out of goalie Jason Thibodeau, who turned aside 22 shots. Chudzinksi also assisted on Keaveney’s goal, with Myles Brosnan potting Boston’s other maker. Parker Murch and Cameron McDonough scored for Central Mass. Chudzinki finished the tournament with 6 goals and 2 assists, to tie for second in scoring with Danny Buckley of the Boston Little Bruins. BLB’s Justin Graf led all 18U Tier 1 players with 3-6-9.

 

CLICK HERE for 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 was 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 Team Records

#5 Neponset Valley River Rats (3-0-0)

#29 Northeast Generals (1-1-0)

#38 Boston Jr. Huskies (1-1-0)

#35 Boch Blazers (0-1-0)

#44 Hingham Big Red (1-1-0)

#52 Central Mass. Penguins (0-1-0)

#56 Boston Jr. Terriers (0-1-0)

#64 Bay State Breakers (0-1-0)

#65 North Suburban Wings (1-1-0)

#78 New England Bulldogs (1-1-0)

#92 Islanders Hockey Club West (3-1-0)

#99 South Shore Kings (0-1-0)

 

The fifth-ranked Neponset Valley River Rats rolled through the 18U Tier 2 Division with three-straight wins to capture the state title. They beat the No. 65 North Suburban Wings, 4-3, in the quarterfinals, and the 38^th-ranked Boston Jr. Huskies, 4-3, in the semifinals before exploding for a 10-1 victory against No. 92 Islanders Hockey Club West, a surprising finalist, by a 10-1 margin in the championship game. IHC upset the Nos. 52, 35 and 29 teams en route to the finals. IHC’s Liam Conley led the charge, concluding the weekend with 5 goals and 5 assists to lead all 18U Tier 2 scorers. The River Rats’ Christopher Brennick was second in scoring with 4-3-7.

 

CLICK HERE for 18U Youth Tier 2 Schedule, Scores & Stats

 

Massachusetts 16U Tier 1 State Championship

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

 

16U Tier 1 Participating Team Records

#14 Boston Jr. Eagles (2-1-0)

#22 Neponset Valley River Rats (2-1-0)

#24 East Coast Militia (3-0-0)

#50 Cape Cod Whalers (1-1-0)

#53 American Hockey Academy (1-1-0)

#54 Lovell Hockey Academy (1-1-0)

#61 South Shore Kings (1-1-0)

#64 North Suburban Wings (1-1-0)

#69 Boston Jr. Terriers (0-1-0)

#76 Assabet Patriots (0-1-0)

#77 Top Gun (0-1-0)

#82 Springfield Jr. Thunderbirds (0-1-0)

 

No. 24 East Coast Militia upset the 22^nd-ranked Neponset Valley River Rats, 4-3, in the semifinals and the No. 14 Boston Jr. Eagles, 3-2, in the championship game to complete a three-goal tournament sweep that included three one-goal victories. The Militia also beat No. 54 Lovell Academy, 5-4, in the quarterfinals in overtime. The championship-game required a shootout, with Brian McFadden and Thomas Wilkinson scoring in the skills context to secure the title in thrilling fashion. The game was scoreless through two periods before the teams traded goals twice in the final frame. Noah Survilas and Ty Hymovitz scored for the Jr. Eagles, with Nathaniel Moons and Chance Bolton tallying for the Militia. Bolton forced overtime by scoring with just 59 seconds left after Hymovitz had pushed Boston in front, 2-1, with 2:30 remaining. Eli Zucker thwarted both shootout attempts he faced after making 42 saves during regulation and overtime to earn the win in goal.

 

CLICK HERE for 16U Youth Tier 1 Schedule, Scores & Stats

 

Massachusetts 16U Tier 2 State Championship

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

 

16U Tier 2 Participating Team Records

#11 Top Gun (0-1-0)

#26 Boston Jr. Huskies (1-1-0)

#51 Boston Jr. Terriers – Jordan (3-0-0)

#58 Boch Blazers (0-1-0)

#61 Boston Jr. Terriers – Tsanotelis (1-1-0)

#68 East Coast Militia (2-1-0)

#72 North Suburban Wings (1-1-0)

#77 Boston Bulldogs (0-1-0)

#80 Boston Jr. Eagles (3-1-0)

#126 Walpole Express (0-1-0)

#156 Islanders Hockey Club East (0-1-0)

#160 East Coast Wizards (0-1-0)

 

The 51^st ranked Boston Jr. Terriers (Jordan) beat the No. 61 Boston Jr. Terriers (Tsanotelis), 3-1 in the quarterfinals and upset the 26^th-ranked Boston Jr. Huskies, 5-2 in the semifinals. In the finals they faced the surprising No. 80 Boston Jr. Eagles, who beat higher-ranked teams, including No. 11 Top Gun, every step of the way before falling to the Boston, 9-0, in the championship game. The Jr. Terriers sprinted to a 4-0 in the opening period of the title clash, with four different players scoring. When all was said and done, Michael Curry, Brendan Bernard and Shane Shaughnessy scored two goals apiece and Colin MacDougall made 23 saves for the champs. Curry and Cameron Guerschuny of the Boston Jr. Huskies tied for the 16U Tier 2 scoring lead with 6 points apiece.

 

CLICK HERE for 16U Youth Tier 2 Schedule, Scores & Stats

 

Massachusetts 15O Tier 1 State Championship

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

 

15O Tier 1 Participating Team Records

#8 Boston Jr. Eagles (3-0-0)

#19 Neponset Valley River Rats (1-1-0)

#24 South Shore Kings – Azevedo (0-1-0)

#39 Cape Cod Whalers (1-1-0)

#40 Boston Hockey Academy (1-1-0)

#44 Islanders Hockey Club (3-1-0)

#49 East Coast Militia (0-1-0)

#57 Valley Jr. Warriors (0-1-0)

#58 American Hockey Academy (1-1-0)

#68 North Suburban Wings (1-1-0)

#71 South Shore Kings – Boch (0-1-0)

#74 Minuteman Flames (0-1-0)

 

The No. 8 Boston Jr. Eagles compiled a 24-7 scoring advantage for the weekend in going 3-0-0 to capture the 15O Tier 1 state crown. Boston outscored its semifinal and championship-game opponents, the No. 39 Cape Cod Whalers and No. 44 IHC East, by a combined 14-2 after handing 58^th-ranked American Hockey Academy a 10-5 setback in the quarterfinals. Jr. Eagle Carter Meyer led all 15O scorers with 4 goals and 8 assists in 3 games, while his teammate Finnegan Sears totaled 7-2-9 to rank second. Boston’s Sam Pandolfo was third in the scoring race with 3-4-7, which tied him with Andrei Bratanau of Boston Hockey Academy. That Jr. Eagle trio combined for nine points in the championship game.

 

CLICK HERE for 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 featured 26 U18 teams representing various Ontario AAA leagues. There also were five U15 teams competing in a younger division, but our focus was on the U18 tournament. Eleven teams in the U18 field were 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 continued through Nov. 10.

 

Big Nickel U18 AAA Top Competing Team Records

#1 Markham Waxers (7-0-0)

#2 Ajax-Pickering Raiders (4-2-0)

#7 North Shore Whitecaps (3-1-0)

#8 Waterloo Wolves (6-1-0)

#10 Toronto Marlboros (3-2-0)

#11 Ottawa Jr. 67s (3-1-0)

#13 Burlington Eagles (4-1-0)

#15 Toronto Nationals (3-2-0)

#17 Myers AAA Automotive (5-1-0)

#19 Sudbury Wolves (0-4-0)

#20 York-Simcoe Express (3-2-0)

 

Ontario’s top-ranked Markham Waxers lived up to their billing by winning all seven games, outscoring their opponents, 38-10, and skating off with the Big Nickel Tournament championship. Markham needed a shootout to knock off the No. 2 Ajax-Pickering Raiders, 3-2, in the semifinals before handling the No. 8 Waterloo Wolves, 6-1, in the championship game. Waterloo had a great run, finishing the weekend 6-1-0 and outscoring its foes, 29-18. Three Waxers led the tournament in scoring, and four ranked among the top five. Max Seon had 4-8-12, while Ulysses Lombardi and Maxim Skinner each recorded 6-5-11 to tie with Waterloo’s Brody Straus for second in the scoring race. Markham’s Zachary Gardner ranked fifth with 4-5-9. Seon’s third-period power-play goal sent the semifinal game into overtime, and Skinner netted the shootout winner. Lombardi’s championship-game hat trick lifted the Waxers to the title.

 

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 were 18 OMHA AAA East and West Conference teams in action at the OMHA U16 Showcase along with a pair of NOHA clubs. Games began early on Friday, Nov. 8, and ran through Sunday, Nov. 10. The field included six teams ranked among Ontario’s top 20 in the Week 7 MHR Rankings.

 

OMHA 16U AAA Showcase Top Participating Team Results

#9 Oakville Rangers (1-1-0) – 3-0 vs. #18 AP Raiders; 0-3 vs. #16 YS Express

#13 Niagara North Stars – 3-6 vs. #16 YS Express; 4-0 vs. #18 AP Raiders

#14 Halton Hurricanes – 5-4 vs. #22 Quinte Red Devils; 6-3 vs. #15 Barrie Colts

#15 Barrie Colts – 3-6 vs. #14 Halton Hurricanes; 4-0 vs. NOHA White

#16 York-Simcoe Express – 6-3 vs. #13 Niagara North; 3-0 vs. #9 Oakville Rangers

#18 Ajax-Pickering Raiders – 0-3 vs. #9 Oakville Express; 0-4 vs. #13 Niagara North

 

CLICK HERE for the complete U16 AAA Showcase Schedule