MYHockey News
Week 6 MHR Weekend Wrap
November brings the end of the season for many United States fall split-season programs with the start of the high-school and prep-school seasons looming on the horizon in some of hockey’s traditional American hotbeds.
Week 6 of the 2023-24 MYHockey Rankings season featured Massachusetts split teams gearing up for their state/district tournaments and preparing to compete for USA Hockey National Championship berths, while Minnesota decided most of its remaining Tier 1 and Tier 2 champions and Nationals bids.
While the term describing split-season hockey may vary from one location to another, the concept is the same. Split-season teams play 20-25 games between September and November before the players are turned over to their school teams for their prep seasons. And in many instances, National Championship berths are decided as state or district champions are crowned in October or November before school play begins.
Prior to last weekend, that already had happened in Minnesota, where AAA High Performance State/District Champions were determined in the Boys 13O (2010), 14U (2009) and 15O (2008) divisions as well as the Girls 14U division on Oct. 8.
Most of the remaining Minnesota Tier 1 and Tier 2 champions and Nationals bids were decided last weekend as the 16U and 19U Girls Tier 1 and Tier 2 champions were crowned along with the 18U and 16U Boys Tier 1 champs.
The top-ranked Tier 1 16U and 19U Shattuck-St. Mary’s girls cemented their Nationals berths, while at the Tier 2 level Premier Prep Sky Blue captured the 19U title and Premier Prep Purple earned the 16U crown. Premier Prep Black 19U and Premier Prep Vegas also advanced to Nationals as runners-up.
Meanwhile, on the Boys Tier 1 side, the Minnesota Green Giants captured the 18U title, and the Minnesota Blue Ox captured the 16U championship. The Green Giants earned a Nationals berth with their victory, while the Blue Ox will take on top-ranked Shattuck St. Mary’s Nov. 7 for the right to compete in the National Championship tournament.
Massachusetts will determine its champions and Nationals Qualifiers throughout November.
Minnesota teams that previously claimed Nationals berths include:
Youth 13O (2010) – No. 22 Minnesota Loons
Youth 14U (2009) – No. 1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s
Youth 15O (2009) – No. 1 Shattuck-St. Mary’s
Girls 14U – No. 7 Minnesota Green Giants
Week 6 of the 2023-24 MHR season also was a big tournament and showcase weekend in the Northeast.
Some of the top Tier 1 split-season Boys teams competed and each other in the Beantown Classic, one of the largest and most-scouted tournaments in the Northeast, while more than 120 Tier 1 boys teams across seven age groups played in the Eastern Exposure Cup at rinks in the Boston area.
Those two tournaments were responsible for three of our Week 6 Games of the Week, while our Clanko Media Featured Game of the Week was a rivalry showdown between the top two 18U Tier 2 teams in New Jersey.
About Games of the Week
Games of the Week previews will be posted every Thursday, Friday or Saturday through the end of the regular season. Game summaries, along with occasional video highlights, will be posted no later than Wednesday of the following week.
With more than 20,000 teams in our database by season’s end, it’s impossible to be aware of all the great games that are scheduled throughout North America each week, so if you know of any upcoming games between highly ranked teams please feel free to email the details a week in advance if possible to scott@myhockeyrankings.com.
Include in your email:
- Team names, location, league affiliations and age group
- Current team rankings (national, state, provincial, etc.)
- Day, time and location of the game or games
- Any other details – past history, statistical info/team leaders, college commitments playing or other interesting information
- Quotes from players or coaches are great, too, but not required
- If the game or games are available on LiveBarn or via another streaming service, please send the link
We will be partnering with Clanko Media throughout the season to bring our readers and followers video highlights of selected Games of the Week, and we also are open to posting highlights of any other games we feature if someone can provide them for us.
Here are the recaps of our Week 6 Games of the Week:
MHR CLANKO MEDIA WEEK 5 FEATURED GAME OF THE WEEK
USA Boys 18U Tier 2
#15 Red Bank Generals (2) vs. #18 New Jersey Colonials (2)
Saturday, October 28 at 8:00 p.m. EDT
Red Bank Armory Ice Complex – Red Bank, N.J.
Click Here for Clanko Media Video Higlights
The top-two 18U Boys Tier 2 teams in New met in a battle for state bragging rights, and the Colonials overcame a pair of one-goal deficits to forge a 2-2 tie. The tying goal came with just over 13 minutes left. These teams also are ranked second and third in the Atlantic District. Red Bank is 21-3-3 after the deadlock and has outscored its opponents, 171-58. The Generals are 9-1-2 in their last 12 outings, and all three of their losses have come against Tier 1 AAA teams. They also have recorded two victories and a tie against Tier 1 opponents. Red Bank has permitted zero or one goal 11 times while recording three shutouts. The Colonials are 18-2-2 and have outscored their opponents, 121-30. They are unbeaten in their last 10 outings, outscoring their foes, 65-11, in those contests, and are 15-0-2 in their last 17 contests. New Jersey has permitted one goal or fewer 14 times while recording four shutouts.
ADDITIONAL MHR WEEK 6 GAMES OF THE WEEK
Canada Boys ’09 Tier 1
#2 Toronto Titans (4) vs. #15 Niagara North Stars (2)
Saturday, October 28 at 12:15 p.m. EDT
Eastern Exposure Cup
Foxboro Sports Center – Foxboro, Mass.
A couple of Ontario foes traveled to the Boston area to face off at the Eastern Exposure Cup. The Titans went 6-0-0 at the tournament, outscoring their opponents, 25-10, to improve to 19-3-1 on the year. Niagara went 2-3-0 and is now 12-8-0. Toronto got on the board first in this one when Michael Tang scored, with Ty Robar and Sam Roberts picking up assists, with 11:34 left in the opening period. Spencer Johnson tied it two minutes later on an unassisted tally before Max Delisle and Jeremy Freeman pushed the Titans back in front by a 3-1 margin after two periods. Delisle’s shorthanded goal was set up by Tang, while George Raymond assisted on the third score. Nolan Gerow pulled the North Stars within one with 9:04 left before Tang’s insurance power-play marker with 1:45 remaining. Keenan David and Ty Wickman assisted on the Niagara goal, with Delisle and Freeman picking helper’s on Tang’s tally. Charlie Campbell earned the win in goal for the Titans. Toronto has won 12 straight games. Nigara is 12-5-0 since opening the season with three-straight losses.
USA/Ontario Boys ‘09 Tier 1
USA #5 Florida Alliance North (1) vs. Ontario #13 Waterloo Wolves (2)
Saturday, October 28 at 11:00 a.m. EDT
Eastern Exposure Cup
Rodman Arena – Walpole, Mass.
It was a border battle featuring two of North America’s top 2009 programs, with both teams meeting in the middle – sort of – as the Waterloo Wolves traveled south and Florida Alliance came north to face each other. Florida went 1-3-1 at the Eastern Exposure Cup to fall to 12-4-3 on the season. The Wolves lost their season-opener to Ontario’s 20th-ranked Elgin-Middlesex Canucks, but had won 11 out of 13 contests since then entering the weekend. They also went 1-3-1 at the tournament. These two teams battled through two scoreles periods before Waterloo’s Parker Smith and Michael Pope tallied in a three-minute span late in the third period. Alex Milojevic made things interesting with an unassisted power-play goal in the final minute, but Waterloo held on for the victory. Grayson Parker and Emre Alves picked up assists for the Wolves, and Gavin DeFrancesco earned the victory in goal.
USA Boys 18U Tier 1
#3 Avon Regals (2) vs. #10 Boston Jr. Eagles (0)
Sunday, October 29 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
Beantown Classic
New England Sports Center – Marlboro, Mass.
A pair of New England split-season heavyweights faced off at the Beantown Classic outside of Boston, with Avon earning the 2-0 shutout to improve to 20-4-2 on the year. The Regals entered the weekend at 18-4-2 and trailing the No. 2 Yale Jr. Bulldogs and top-ranked Shattuck-St. Mary’s in the most-recent MHR 18U Tier 1 National Bound Rankings. They had outscored their opponents, 109-38, and were unbeaten in their previous 15 games dating to a 3-2 overtime loss to the No. 5 Long Island Gulls Sept. 4. Avon had won its previous two outings in overtime ad a shootout. The Regals went 1-3-1 to open the season but had gone 17-1-1 since. One of the early losses was a 2-1 setback against these same Jr. Eagles. Boston entered the weekend at 15-7-3 and having outscored its opponents, 83-45. The Jr. Eagles split a pair of games vs. No. 13 Mount St. Charles the previous weekend and were just 2-6-1 in their previous nine contests after opening the year by going 13-1-2. Boston concluded the weekend at 15-8-4.
