By Scott Lowe - MyHockeyRankings.com

Scouting News Photo

Each week going forward we will try to highlight some of the upcoming weekend’s top matchups based on our most recent MYHockey Rankings. If you have a matchup to recommend to us for a given week, please don’t hesitate to send your suggestions to Scott@MyHockeyRankings.com. Photos are always appreciated and will be used when possible either to highlight the preview on the website or via our social media accounts. And we are always trying to build our library of hockey photos from around the continent.

Here are your Week 18 top matchups:

USA Boys Bantam ‘05 Tier 1

#1 Philadelphia Hockey Club vs. #2 Boston Jr. Eagles

Saturday, January 25 at 5:10 p.m. EST on LIVEBARN

Hollydell Ice Arena – Sewell, N.J.

Six of the top 13 2005 birthyear teams according to MYHockey Rankings descecne on South Jersey this weekend for the Philadelphia Hockey Club Showcase. Competing teams include No. 1 PHC, No. 2 Boston Jr. Eagles, No. 4 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers, No. 5 Belle Tire, No. 8 Honeybaked and No. 13 Team Illinois. This contest between the nation’s top two ’05 – their sixth meeting of the season – highlights the weekend event. Philly and Boston played two weekends ago in Boston, with PHC earning 4-3 and 6-4 victories to improve their season-series lead to 3-1-1. The Jr. Eagles’ lone victory was a 4-3 overtime decision at the Mid-Fairfield Showcase in Connecticut Dec. 13. PHC enters the showcase with a record of 39-11-3 after dropping two games last weekend, 8-4 to 12^th-ranked Providence Hockey Club, and 6-4 to the New Jersey Colonials. Prior to those setbacks PHC had won six of its previous seven outings, with the lone loss coming against Mid-Fairfield Dec. 22. PHC has outscored its opponents, 242-127 and is 12-7-1 against the teams competing in the showcase. Boston brings a 28-8-3 record into the tournament, with its last two outings being the loss to PHC Jan. 11. Prior to those defeats the Jr. Eagles had won 14 of their previous 15 contests, with the only loss coming at the hands of Mid-Fairfield by a 5-2 score Dec. 15. The previous loss before that won came against Ontario’s sixth-ranked and Canada’s No. 13 Myers Automotive from Ontario on Nov. 2. Boston is 6-6-1 against this weekend’s showcase field.

Other PHC Bantam ’05 Showcase Games on LIVEBARN:

Friday

9:50 a.m. #1 PHC vs. #5 Belle Tire

9:50 a.m. #4 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers vs. #13 Team Illinois

11:40 a.m. #2 Boston Jr. Eagles vs. #8 Honeybaked

5:10 p.m. #13 Team Illinois vs. #1 PHC

5:10 p.m. #5 Belle Tire vs. #2 Boston Jr. Eagles

7:00 p.m. #8 Honeybaked vs. #4 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers

 

Saturday

9:50 a.m. #1 PHC vs. #4 Mid-Fairfield

9:50 a.m. #8 Honeybaked vs. #5 Belle Tire

11:40 a.m. #2 Boston vs. #13 Team Illinois

5:10 p.m. #2 Boston vs. #1 PHC

5:10 p.m. #13 Team Illinois vs. #8 Honeybaked

7:00 p.m. #4 Mid-Fairfield vs. #5 Belle Tire

 

Sunday

9:50 a.m. #1 PHC vs. #8 Honeybaked

9:50 a.m. #13 Team Illinois vs. #5 Belle Tire

11:30 a.m. #4 Mid-Fairfield vs. #2 Boston

 

Ontario Boys Bantam ‘05 AAA

#9 Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs vs. #21 Guelph Gryphons

Sunday, January 26 at 1:30 p.m. EST

Gateway Ice Centre – Stoney Creek, Ontario

The first- and fourth-place teams in the SCTA lock horns in Stoney Creek, Ontario, as the Gryphons look to gain ground on the third-place Burlington Eagles, while Hamilton hopes to make a move on the first-place and top-ranked Oakville Rangers. Hamilton is 24-1-2 in league play, good for 50 points, one behind the Rangers (25-3-1) with two games in hand. Oakville is No. 1 in Ontario and fourth in all of Canada, while Hamilton is ninth in the province and 18^th in the nation. Guelph is 11-13-4 in league play, eight points behind Burlington (15-9-4). This is the fourth meeting of the teams this year, with Hamilton owning a 2-0-1 advantage in the series. The last meeting was a 2-2 tie Nov. 28, and the Jr. Bulldogs won the other two contests by scores of 4-1 and 4-3 in November and September, respectively. Overall, Hamilton is 42-8-5, including a 17-1-1 mark in its last 19 outings, and has outscored its opponents, 163-72. The Jr. Bulldogs are 1-2 in three games against top-ranked Oakville. Guelph is 21-20-5 overall, but has dropped three straight and is 2-4 in its last six outings. The Gryphons’ last win was a 3-2 victory over USA No. 5 Belle Tire Jan. 11.

 

Western Canada Boys Bantam ‘05

#1 Yale Hockey Academy vs. #2 Delta Hockey Academy Green

Sunday, January 26 at 11:45 a.m. EST

Planet Delta Ice – Delta, British Columbia

In an interesting twist, the top two teams in both Western Canada and Canada face off in Delta, B.C., but they are in third and second place, respectively in the CSSHL Bantam Prep Standings. Top-ranked Yale Hockey Academy is 15-3-0-2 in league play, good for 47 points and third place. YHA is behind second-ranked Delta Green, which is 19-1-1-0 with 59 points. West Vancouver Academy, which is ranked third, is 20-3-1-0 in the CSSHL and three points in front of Delta with 62 points. This is the teams’ sixth meeting of the year, with Delta holding a 3-2 series advantage that includes 7-4, 6-5 (OT) and 5-3 victories. The most recent matchup was a 7-2 Yale win Jan. 18. YHA’s other victory was by 5-2 margin Nov. 9. Delta earned the 6-5 overtime win Nov. 2 and the 7-4 win Oct. 13. Yale brings an overall record of 39-8-0 and a 14-game winning streak into the weekend. YHA is 17-1 in its last 18 contests and has outscored its opponents, 272-90. Delta has a 39-5-0 overall record and has outscored its opponents, 269-128. Two of those five losses have come at the hands of YHA, with the other three coming against No. 5 St. George’s School and third-ranked West Vancouver (twice). Delta has won 10 of its last 11 contests.

 

Canada Girls 14U Tier 1

#2 Central York Panthers vs. #13 Toronto Leaside Wildcats

Saturday, January 25 at 5:00 p.m. EST

Aurora Community Centre – Aurora, Ontario

Central York, the No. 2 team in Canada and in third place in the LLHL Central Division, takes on the fourth-place and 13^th-ranked Toronto Leaside Wildcats looking to gain ground on both the North York Storm and Barrie Sharks. The top-ranked Storm are 18-1-1 in the LLHL Central, while Barrie is 17-2-3. With 37 points, they are tied for first, four points in front of Central York (16-3-1). Toronto Leaside is 9-5-5 (23 points) in league play. These two teams have met once this year, with Central York skating away with a 7-0 victory Nov. 9. The Panthers are an impressive 41-6-3 overall and have outscored their opponents, 201-52. They have won 10 of their last 11 contests, with the loss coming against the sixth-ranked Whitby Wolves Jan. 12. In the game prior to its 11-1 streak, Central York lost to No. 1 North York, 4-2. The Panthers also defeated the top-ranked Storm twice in September by scores of 4-2 and 3-1. Toronto Leaside is 24-12-8 overall and 5-3-4 in its last 12 contests. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents, 111-68, and also tied No. 1 North York, 1-1, Jan. 17.

 

USA Girls 14U Tier 1

#10 Philadelphia Jr. Flyers vs. #16 Hartford Jr. Wolfpack

Saturday, January 25 at 7:30 p.m. EST & Sunday, January 25 at 11:00 a.m. EST

Ice Line – West Chester, Pa. on LIVEBARN

In a battle of East Coast rivals just outside of the City of Brotherly Love, the Jr. Flyers bring a 22-14-7 record into this weekend series against the 27-15-4 Wolfpack. These two teams met twice previously, splitting a pair of contests Nov. 23 and 24. The Jr. Flyers took the opener, 4-2, with Hartford rallying for a 1-0 victory in the finale. Philly is coming off a 1-0-1 weekend against the 11^th-ranked Mid-Fairfield Stars, just one week after skating to a 1-1 tie against the top-ranked East Coast Wizards. The Jr. Flyers also lost to the Wizards, 3-0, and are 7-1-3 in their last 11 contests. They have outscored their opponents, 115-72. The Wolfpack enter the weekend in the midst of a 13-game unbeaten streak (11-0-2) since a 3-1 loss to the No. 5 Boston Jr. Eagles Dec. 8. They also won four straight games prior to that loss and following a 3-1 setback against No. 17 Assabet Valley. Hartford has outscored its opponents, 132-91.