Three VJW teams - '97 Elites, '99 Elites and '99 Selects - capped off their sensational 2011-2012 seasons by earning a spot at the 2012 USA
Hockey National Championships. All teams competed well with the VJW '97 Elites advancing to the quarterfinals for the second time in three years.
Congratulations to all three teams on a terrific run. Here is a summary of the action from the National Championships.
VJW ’97 Elites
Looking to improve upon their semifinal performance two
years ago, the VJW ’97 Elites battled their way to the quarterfinals in Williamsville, NY where they bowed out following an overtime loss to the top-ranked team in the country - Shattuck St. Mary's.
The Warriors earned a spot in the quarterfinals thanks to victories during the first three days of play against #23 Ohio Blue Jackets and #25 Dallas Stars Elites for a 2-1 record (they also suffered a 2-1 defeat against #8 LA Selects).
In that quarterfinal match up against Shattuck St. Mary's,
the Warriors not only kept pace with the country's top team but they
held a one-goal advantage on three separate occasions. The Warriors
first jumped on the board at the 8:16 mark of the second period. St.
Mary's evened the score before the period's end, but the Warriors took
the lead once again minutes into the third period thanks to a tally by Cam Askew.
The
see-saw battle continued. St. Mary's scored at the 5:58 mark of the
third period to tie the game at 2-2 but the Warriors countered with the
team's third goal of the game just 50 seconds later. Not to be outdone,
St. Mary's scored less than a minute later to even the score and force
an overtime period. They claimed victory at the 5:16 mark of that extra
period to earn a spot in the semifinals and end the Warriors' hopes for a
national title.
Leading up the quarterfinals, the Warriors posted two big wins and one loss. On Wednesday, the #7
Warriors took to the ice against #8 LA Selects and fell by a score of 2-1. In
that game, the Warriors jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period after Noah
Hanifan – with help from Eric MacAdams and
Casey Fitzgerald - found the back of the net. The Selects roared
back to score two unanswered goals in the third period to secure the win.
The following day, the Warriors would not be denied a win
against #23 Ohio Blue Jackets. Once again, the
Warriors got off to a fast start by scoring two goals (by Cam Askew and Colin
White) in the first period. Although Ohio scored twice in the second period,
the Warriors took control of the game with 3:07 left in the second period as
they went on to score four straight en route to a 6-2 victory. Netting goals
for the Warriors during that impressive stretch were Derek Britner, Askew,
George Sennott and Jake McKenelley
The Warriors
secured their spot in the playoffs thanks to a decisive third-period
against the Dallas Stars Elites where they posted three unanswered goals
to post a 3-0 win and a 2-1-0 record.
Click
here for a complete summary of play.
VJW ’99 Elites
The Warriors faced off one the nation’s top team – the
#5-ranked LA Selects – in the first game of the National Championship in Williamsville, NY. The
Warriors fell by a score of 7-1 as Michael McGreal scored his team’s lone goal.
Next
up for the Warriors were the #22
Cleveland Lumberjacks. The teams remained scoreless until the 2:31 mark of the
second period when the Lumberjacks scored what proved to be the game’s first
and only goal of the game.
The
Warriors had a golden chance to secure their first win of the
Championship against #14 Dallas Stars Elite when they jumped out to a
3-0 advantage through two periods. Unfortunately for the Warriors,
Dallas - which advanced to the quarterfinals - found an answer as the
squad scored three unanswered goals and then went on to win in a
shootout.
Click
here for a summary of play for the Pee Wee (12 and Under) division.
VJW ’99 Selects
After winning the Massachusetts
Tier II State Championship, the VJW ’99 Selects traveled to Ashburn/Reston,
Virginia to compete for the 2012 USA Hockey National Championship Tier II title.
In the tournament’s
first game, the Warriors took on the West Chester Quakers (EPA) and fell by a score
of 5-1. In that game, Andrew Berube scored with 44 seconds left to avoid a
shutout.
The following
afternoon, the Warriors faced off against the Anaheim Wildcats (CA). Although
they couldn’t escape with a victory, the Warriors found the back of the net
four times thanks to tallies by Christopher Lattini (2), Ryan Donnelly and Bird.
The
Warriors faced off against #13 Tampa Bay Scorpions in their final game.
The Warriors scored twice thanks to a pair of goals by Andrew Berube, but that was not enough as the Scorpions skated to a 7-2 win.
For a summary of all of the action at the 2012 USA Hockey Tier II
Championships, click
here.
