In Week 11 we settled back into a more normal youth hockey routine after a big holiday weekend in the United States. As prep and high school hockey continued to ramp up in many parts of the U.S., the parade of big December winter holiday tournaments began all over North America.

In Minnesota and neighboring states where high-school hockey is king, the highest-level of hockey played at the Peewee and Bantam levels is “AA,” but many of those “AA” teams can compete with top AAA programs from other parts of the country. Our Minn-Kota rankings went live several weeks ago, and last weekend two of our Week 11 Games of the Week were Peewee and Bantam AA matchups from the Spirit of Duluth Youth Hockey Tournament.

That tournament featured 16 top Bantam AA teams and 16 top Peewee AA teams competing in four pools at each age level. In the Bantam Division, 11 of the top-15 Minn-Kota AA teams participated, while at the Peewee level, five of the top-seven and six of the top-13 clubs competed.

 

Spirit of Duluth Tournament Championship Results

Bantam AA

#1 Moorhead Spuds 3, Osseo Maple Grove 1

Moorhead rallied from a 1-0 deficit after the first period to tie the game through two and secured the win with a pair of third-period tallies in the final 2:09 by Rylan Overbo and Beck Thoreson. Gunnar Schock also scored for the Spuds, while Carson Mielke tallied for OMG. Hudson Ferrie stopped 16 shots to earn the win in goal.

 

Peewee AA

#1 Minnetonka Skippers 4, #6 Moorhead Spuds 3 (OT)

The Skippers trailed by 2 entering the third period but got goals from Colton Nash and Leyton Dewing in the final 10:54 of regulation to force overtime before William Stinson netted his second of the game to lift Minnetonka to the tournament title. Dewing added a pair of assists, including a helper on the championship-winner, and Nash also picked up an assist. Andrew Frisch and Tate Bergeson scored first-period goals less than a minute apart to push Moorhead in front, 2-0, and Bergeson tallied again late in the second period to extend the Spuds’ lead to 3-1. Cooper Corona played the final 42:37 to earn the win in goal for Minnetonka.

 

Another of our Week 11 Games of the Week came from USHL American Cup in New York. The American Cup, coordinated by the junior Tier 1 United States Hockey League, included top AAA USA and Canada Boys teams competing at the 14U, 15U, 16U and 18U levels.

The tournament boasted 36 teams, several ranked among the top programs in the U.S. and Ontario, competing across the four age groups. The weekend event also featured two junior games between the defending USHL-champion Youngstown Phantoms and the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Thursday and Friday.

The weekend provided a unique opportunity for youth players to observe the highest level of United States junior while also providing them with exposure to some of the USHL’s coaches and scouts.

 

USHL American Cup Championship Results

18U Boys

#9 Overall Northwood School 1, #16 Overall Long Island Gulls 0

Northwood’s Alexis Trudeau scored what turned out to be the game-winner with 9:08 left in the second period off of an assist from Ritter Coombs. From there, goalie Devin Shakar and the Northwood defense shut the door to earn the shutout and the championship. Shakar finished with 35 saves. Long Island is the No. 9 18U Tier 1 National Bound team.

 

16U Boys

#2 Long Island Gulls 2, #6 Bishop Kearney Selects 0

In another low-scoring championship game, the Gulls scored once in the first period and once in the third to make a shutout winner out of goalie Ryan Cameron. According to the box score, Cameron only was required to make 6 saves to earn the clean sheet. Ethan Phillips stopped 20 pucks for the Selects. Henry Sampair and Ethan Wyttenbach scored for Long Island.

 

150 Boys

#6 Ontario U16 North York Rangers 3, #10 USA 15O Bishop Kearney Selects 2

The Rangers scored three goals in the opening two periods and held off Bishop Kearney in the final frame as Brady Knowling made 23 saves to earn the win and the tournament championship for North York. John Frick scored a power-play goal early in the third period to make things interesting, but Knowling stood tall in net. Rudolfs Berzkalns also scored for BK. Owen Barfoot and Brady Smith responded to Berzkalns’s early goal with a pair of first-period markers, and Camryn Warren extended the lead to 3-1 with just 2:30 left in the middle stanza.

 

14U Boys

#7 Bishop Kearney Selects 6, #22 Seacoast Performance Academy 2

The Selects potted a pair of goals in each period en rout to the victory and the 14U title. Declan Wooton actually opened the scoring for SPA with a first-period power-play goal, but BK would score the next four to take control of the game. James Scantlebury scored the first two Selects’ goals, and Massimo Santa Maria followed suit by burying the next two. Matys St. Gelais broke the four-goal run, but Scantlebury put the cap on his hat trick by scoring BK’s fifth goal and Luke Roehrenbeck concluded the scoring in the final frame. Jeremy Lowe picked up the win in goal for the Selects.

 

For our final Week 11 Game of the Week we headed back out to New York for a matchup between two of the state’s top 12U girls teams as New York’s top-ranked Adirondack 46ers (Tier 2) took on the third-ranked Skaneateles Lakers (Tier 1) in a three-game series. The 46ers were ranked 35^th in the USA Girls 12U overall rankings, and the Lakers were ranked 46^th.

 

Other Games & Events of Interest

Starting last Thursday, 16 of the top USA 10U and Canadian U11 teams competed at the Sarnia International Silver Stick AAA finals in Ontario.

Some of the top pool-play matchups in Sarnia included:

 

Thursday, November 30

Philadelphia Hockey Club (1), Toronto Jr. Canadiens (8)

Toronto Jr. Nationals (0), Team Illinois (2)

Friday, December 1

Burnaby Winter Club (3), Cleveland Barons (6)

Little Caesars (5), Toronto Marlboros (3)

Team Illinois (3), Toronto Marlboros (1)

Burnaby Winter Club (4), Philadelphia Hockey Club (7)

 

Saturday, December 2

Toronto Jr. Canadiens (6), Cleveland Barons (0)

Little Caesars (4), Toronto Jr. Nationals (2)

 

Sarnia International Silver Stick U11/10U AAA Championship

Team Illinois (2), Toronto Marlboros (1)

Team Illinois recorded the one-goal championship-game win to conclude an impressive tournament that saw them post a 7-0-0 record while recording four shutouts and never giving up more than a single goal in any contest. They outscored their opponents, 21-3, to improve to 45-8-0 for the season. Toronto went 5-3-0 on the weekend and is now 29-5-3.

Sarnia International Silver Stick 18U AAA Championship

 #5 Ontario Elgin-Middlesex Canucks (4), 23 Southern Tier Admirals (1)

The Canucks overcame an early 1-0 deficit by scoring four-straight goals spanning the second and third periods to skate away with the Silver Stick 18U AAA championship. Aidan McDonald, Alex Joyce, Paiton Desangher and Lucas Laprise scored for Elgin-Middlesex. Jack Havers potted the lone Southern Tier goal. Xavier Bussiere earned the win in goal for the Canucks, who were 4-1-1 on the weekend to improve to 28-8-2 overall. Southern Tier went 3-3-0 and is now 21-12-2.

 

In addition to the othe great games and events above, we had top-10 USA Boys weekend matchups at the 14U and 2011 age levels. In 14U Tier 2 play, the No. 6 Highland Park Falcons faced off against the seventh-ranked St. Louis Sting in a pair of games featuring Central States Developmental Hockey League rivals. The 2011 matchup pitted the USA overall No. 1 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers against the ninth-ranked Islanders Hockey Club Sunday. 

The CSDHL is one of the top Tier 2 leagues in the United States. Five of the nation’s top-14 teams in the 14U Tier 2 Boys category are in the CSDHL

USA Boys 14U Tier 2

Saturday, Dec. 2 at 12:00 p.m. EST – #6 Highland Park Falcons 5, #7 St. Louis Sting 3 at Lake Forest Academy

The Falcons scored five goals in the final two periods to erase a 2-0 deficit and steal the victory. They led, 4-3, in the third period before securing the win with a goal in the final 15 seconds.

 

Sunday, Dec. 3 at 10:10 a.m. EST – #6 Highland Park Falcons 2, #7 St. Louis Sting 3 at Lake Forest Academy 

St. Louis scored a goal in each period, notching the game-winner in the final frame with just 2:15 remaining to earn the two-game split against Highland Park.

The games can be viewed on-demand via LiveBarn.

Both teams were hot coming into the weekend as the Sting were unbeaten in their previous 15 outings (13-0-2) and the Falcons were 10-3-2 over the same span. Highland Park is now 22-6-3 on the season and has outscored its opponents, 112-52. The Sting are 25-7-5 and have outscored their foes, 123-76.

 

MHR/Clanko Media Game of the Week – USA Boys 2011

We also will be providing game highlights of the 2011 matchups between the No. 1 Jr. Rangers and ninth-ranked Islanders Hockey Club courtesy of Clanko Media. We will post the highlights when they are ready. The teams played twice on Sunday.

 

#1 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers 6, #9 Islanders Hockey Club 1

The Jr. Rangers exploded for all six of their goals in the first two periods before IHC could find the back of the net. The teams skated to a scoreless third period.

 

#1 Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers 4, #9 Islanders Hockey Club 1

Mid-Fairfield scored the games first three goals and then iced the victory after IHC tallied early in the third period.

Mid-Fairfield concluded the weekend with a 39-2-2 record and having outscored its opponent, 231-55. The Islanders are 21-9-2 and have outscored their foes, 127-60. They also dropped a 4-3 victory to the third-ranked Boston Jr. Terriers before heading to Connecticut to take on top-ranked Mid-Fairfield.

 

MHR WEEK 11 GAMES OF THE WEEK

Minn-Kota Peewee AA

#1 Minnetonka Skippers 2, #5 Osseo Maple Grove 2

Friday, December 1 at 3 p.m. EST

Carlton Ice Arena – Carlton, Minn.

The marquee matchup of pool play in the Peewee AA Division at the Spirit of Duluth Youth Hockey Tournament featured the Minn-Kota first- and fifth-ranked teams. And the contest did not disappoint. The teams played to a 1-1 tie through the first period, with the Skippers pulling in front, 2-1, during the middle frame and OMG earning the deadlock thanks to a goal by William Sivongsay with 4:13 left the final period. Colton Nash and Leyton Dewing scored for Minnetonka, and Zachary Martin had the other OMG goal. Skipper netminder Leo Johnson and Renner Andersen of OMG battled it out in goal. Minnetonka ended up going 4-1-0 on the weekend and capturing the championship to improve to 17-2-1 on the season. OMG was 1-1-2 and is now 9-2-4.

 

Minn-Kota Bantam AA

#4 Wayzata Trojans 6, #10 Grand Forks Aviators 4

Saturday, December 2 at 1 p.m. EST

Superior Ice Arena – Minnetonka, Minn.

The Trojans and Aviators faced off on Saturday in one of several top-10 Bantam AA Matchups during pool play at the Spirit of Duluth Tournament. Grand Forks also took on the top-ranked Moorhead Spuds Friday night, falling by a 7-0 tally, and the sixth-ranked Stillwater Ponies fell to the No. 8 Minnetonka Skippers, 6-1, earlier Friday. Wayzata actually trailed in this one, 1-0, in the second period after a late first-period goal by Nolan Marto, but the Trojans exploded for four second-period goals and two more insurance tallies in the final frame. That six-goal outburst over the final two periods put a damper on the efforts of Caden Ulmer, who scored three times to record a hat trick for the Aviators. His hat trick was matched by Wayzata’s McCoy Kurtz, who finished with 3 goals and an assist to lead the Trojan rally. Kruz Sauer added a goal and an assist for Wayzata, with Evan Lyke and Tyler Kirschner also scoring goals. The Trojans went 4-1-0 on the weekend to improve to 16-5-2 overall. Grand Forks, which went 1-3-0, is now 12-8-0.

 

USA/Ontario Boys Tier 1/AAA 15U/U16

#4 USA Long Island Gulls 6, #6 Ontario North York Rangers 7

Friday, December 1 at 10:30 a.m. EST

Tim Horton’s Iceplex – Rochester, N.Y.

Streamed on LiveBarn

Two of North America’s top under-16 Boys teams faced off at the USHL American Cup in Rochester, N.Y., Friday morning in what turned out to be one of the most exciting games of the weekend. Eventual tournament-champion North York stormed back from a four-goal deficit with five third-period scores to steal a 7-6 victory. The Gulls got two goals apiece from Maxim Dube and Owen DeGraff, as well as single tallies from Rhys Medved and Cody Sokol, to storm to a 6-2 lead after two periods. The score was 6-1 before North York’s Camryn Warren scored with 3:43 left in the second period to give the Rangers something to build on heading into the final frame. North York proceeded to score five goals over the game’s final 12:50 to complete a miraculous comeback and earn a huge and thrilling opening-day win. Brady Smith scored twice during the deciding run to complete a hat trick, with Charlie Hotles, Charlie Ashcroft and Jacob Bultje also denting the twine. Max Grovestine got the win in goal. North York went on to win four more games to finish 5-0-0 and capture the championship. The Rangers are now 28-7-0. The Gulls went 2-1-0 and are 36-6-3.

 

USA Girls 12U

#1 New York Adirondack 46ers (1), #3 New York Skaneateles Lakers (1)

Saturday, Dec. 2 at 11:45 a.m.

Maxcy Hall Arena – Potsdam, N.Y.

 

Adirondack 46ers (1), Skaneateles Lakers (3)

Saturday, Dec. 2 at 7:00 p.m.

Malone Civic Center – Malone, N.Y.

 

Adirondack 46ers (2), Skaneateles Lakers (4)

Sunday, Dec. 3 at 9:15 a.m.

Malone Civic Center – Malone, N.Y.

Malone Civic Center Games Streamed on LiveBarn

Two of the top-three teams in the New York 12U Girls overall rankings faced off in a three-game series last weekend. Tier 2 Adirondack also entered the weekend as the USA’s overall No. 35 team, while the Tier 1 Lakers were ranked 46^th. These teams met previously for a pair of games Oct. 14, with the 46ers winning both by 5-3 and 6-5 scores. Skaneateles turned the tables on Adirondack this time around, however, earning a pair of victories after opening the weekend by skating to a 1-1 tie. The Lakers won Game 2, 3-1, and Game 3, 4-2, to improve to 15-14-6 on the season. They have now outscored their opponents, 101-79. The 46ers dropped to 26-5-4. These two teams are scheduled to meet again on Dec. 16. The losses snapped Adirondack’s 10-game unbeaten streak. Skaneateles is unbeaten in its last five outings.

 

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.