The winter holidays officially are upon us, which means that life slows down a little bit as we have an opportunity to relax and reflect with family and friends. For some hockey families that means a week or two away from the rink, while others might just take a few days to enjoy the holidays before hitting the road again for the next weekend slate of games.

Whichever of those scenarios describes your situation, our family here at MYHockey Rankings wishes each of you the very best during this holiday season.

With fewer hockey events on the calendar than at most times of the season, the final weekend before the winter holidays Dec. 20-22 gave us a chance to focus on one big tournament featuring some of the younger USA Boys age groups.

Hosted by the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program, which annually boasts multiple highly ranked USA Boys and Girls teams at various age levels and usually sends several teams to USA Hockey Nationals, this year’s Mid-Winter Classic featured a total of 57 USA Boys Tier 1 teams competing in the 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U and 13U age groups.

As always, are focusing our coverage on the age groups above 10U. There are 36 teams competing in the 11U, 12U, and 13U divisions, with several teams in each division ranked among the nation’s top 10, according to the Week 13 MHR Rankings. Tournament play began on Friday, Dec. 20, and ran through Sunday, Dec. 22, with 57 games Friday, 47 Saturday and 15 playoff contests Sunday.

Games were played at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township, Pa.; Baierl Ice Complex in Warrendale, Pa.; RMU Island Sports Center in Pittsburgh; and Alpha Ice Complex in Pittsburgh. Each venue has a LiveBarn feed, so most – if not all – tournament games should still be available for on-demand viewing.

Each team played at least four games. The 11U, 12U and 13U divisions each had 12 teams grouped in pools of four. The teams in each pool played each other once in the preliminary round to determine who advanced to the semifinals.

 

CLICK HERE for links to the Mid-Winter Classic schedule, scores & standings

 

11U Division

The 11U Division of the Pittsburgh Mid-Winter Classic included a total of 10 teams that were ranked among the USA’s top 50, according to MHR. Three of those teams were anked among the top 10, and five were in the top 20.

 

11U Crosby Pool Team Records

#2 Team Illinois – (5-0-0)

#33 Denver Country Club – (1-3-0)

#44 Ohio Blue Jackets – (1-3-0)

#66 Carolina Jr. Canes – (1-3-0)

 

11U Malkin Pool Teams

#6 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (Mueller) – (3-1-0)

#16 Chicago Mission – (2-2-0)

#45 Long Island Royals – (0-4-0)

#46 Valley Forge Minutemen – (2-2-0)

 

11U Letang Pool Teams

#10 HoneyBaked – (4-1-0)

#12 Syracuse Nationals – (3-1-0)

#34 Music City Marauders – (2-2-0)

#74 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (Wynn) – (1-3-0)

 

Top 11U Saturday Matchups

#6 Pens Elite (5), #16 Chicago Mission (1)

#12 Syracuse Nationals (2), #10 HoneyBaked (5)

 

11U Championship Game

#2 Team Illinois 5, #10 HoneyBaked (1)

After a scoreless opening period, Team Illinois exploded for three second-period goals and five scores over the final two frames to capture the championship. Player names were not listed on the scoresheet.

 

 

12U Division

The 12U Division of the Pittsburgh Mid-Winter Classic included a total of 10 teams ranked among the USA’s top 45 for Week 13, according to MHR. Four of those teams were ranked among the top 10, and five were in the top 20.

 

12U Crosby Pool Team Records

#3 New Jersey Rockets – (3-1-0)

#28 New Jersey Titans – (2-2-0)

#34 Buffalo Jr. Sabres – (1-2-1)

#69 Pittsburgh Vengeance – (1-3-0)

 

12U Malkin Pool Teams

#5 Little Caesars – (4-1-0)

#16 Ohio Blue Jackets – (1-2-1)

#40 Philadelphia Hockey Club – (2-2-0)

#45 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (Wynn) – (0-4-0)

 

12U Letang Pool Teams

#9 Nashville Jr. Predators – (2-2-0)

#10 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (Mueller) – (5-0-0)

#32 Long Island Gulls – (3-1-0)

#67 Carolina Jr. Canes – (0-4-0)

 

Top 12U Saturday Matchups

#10 Pens Elite (6), #32 Long Island Gulls (2)

#28 New Jersey Titans (6), #34 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (1)

 

12U Championship Game

#10 Pens Elite (4), #5 Little Caesars (2)

Pens Elite scored twice in the game’s final 3;33 to snap a 2-all tie and capture the title by a 4-2 margin. Player names were not included on the scoresheet.

 

 

13U Division

The 13U Division of the Pittsburgh Mid-Winter Classic included a total of 11 teams ranked among the USA’s top 40 for Week 13, according to MHR. Three of those teams were ranked among the top 10, and seven were in the top 20.

 

13U Crosby Pool Teams

#5 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite – (2-1-1)

#17 Buffalo Jr. Sabres – (2-2-0)

#27 Belle Tire – (1-3-0)

#28 New Jersey Colonials – (2-1-1)

 

13U Malkin Pool Teams

#8 Mid-Fairfield Rangers – (4-1-1)

#13 New Jersey Titans – (2-1-1)

#31 California Gold Rush – (1-3-0)

#66 New Jersey Rockets – (0-4-0)

 

13U Letang Pool Teams

#6 Chicago Reapers – (2-2-0)

#11 Los Angeles Jr. Kings – (4-1-0)

#19 Boston Jr. Eagles – (2-2-0)

#38 Pittsburgh Vengeance – (1-3-0)

 

Top 13U Saturday Matchups

#8 Mid-Fairfield Rangers (7), #31 California Gold Rush (1)

#17 Buffalo Sabres (5), #27 Belle Tire (3)

 #19 Boston Jr. Eagles (3), #6 Chicago Reapers (2)

 

13U Championship Game

#8 Mid-Fairfield Rangers (6), #11 Los Angeles Jr. Kings (4)

Trailing 3-1 midway through the game, Mid-Fairfield exploded to score five of the final six goals to capture the tourney championship. Player names were not listed on the scoresheet.