Weekend Headlines

GAME OF THE WEEKEND — NJ Bandits 10GRY were down three goals inside the first period and still won 6-5 in overtime. Owen Ross scored five, including four straight to put the Bandits in front, and then the winner in the extra period after Jersey Colts had forced overtime with 3.7 seconds left in regulation.

OT DRAMA — Joseph Pittaluga completed a hat trick with 26.3 seconds left in overtime to give Hollydell Hurricanes 10AA a 4-3 win at Mercer Chiefs — the latest overtime goal of the weekend. Colin McCain assisted on three of the four Hollydell goals.

DOWN TO THE WIRE — Brayden Siegfried scored four for Valley Forge Colonials 14M and buried the winner with 51.5 seconds left in a 4-3 result. In the 18U AA bracket, Vincent Graziani’s second of the night with 64 seconds remaining completed a two-goal comeback for Genesis Hockey Club 18AA, 4-3.

BETWEEN THE PIPES — Brandon DiBenedetto turned aside 67 shots for Rockets Hockey Club 18AA in a 3-3 tie the Rockets rescued from two goals down. At the other end of the volume scale, Anthony Madonna made 34 saves for a clean sheet as PBK 11AA won 1-0.

KRACH | BIG WIN — Igloo Jaguars 13AA earned a 6-5 overtime win over a Hollydell Hurricanes side carrying a far stronger KRACH rating. Nathaniel Hickman tied the game in the third and won it in overtime with 42 seconds left on the clock.

PERFECT WEEKEND — Ten teams went 3-0: Red Bank Generals 15AA, North Jersey Avalanche 16AA Blue, Team Philadelphia 16AA Black, Genesis Hockey Club 12AA McGinty, Delaware Ducks 13AA, Lehigh Valley Phantoms 14GRY, Jersey Colts 14GRY, Jersey Shore Wildcats 18GRY Lepore, Haverford Hawks 12L and LI Monarchs 2018 8AAA.

AA

9U AA — Rockets Hold On in Toms River

Rockets Hockey Club 9AA scored the first three goals at Toms River, saw the Blackhawks pull all the way level by the end of the second period, and won it 5-4 when Elon Leong scored his second of the game in the third. Leo Florio finished with a goal and two assists for the Rockets. Cole Forcade’s five-goal game carried Delaware Ducks 9AA, and Genesis Hockey Club, Mercer Chiefs and the Rockets all came through the weekend unbeaten at 2-0.

10U AA — Two Overtimes in One Building

Mercer Chiefs went to overtime twice at home and both games went the visitors’ way. Joseph Pittaluga’s hat trick for Hollydell Hurricanes ended with the winner 26.3 seconds from the end of the extra period in a 4-3 game, and the following day Magnus Shulmistra scored twice and added two assists as Red Bank Generals erased a three-goal deficit to win 5-4 in overtime. Grady D’Aloisio posted a 29-save shutout for Rockets Hockey Club 10AA.

11U AA — One Goal, Thirty-Four Saves

PBK 11AA beat a Team Philadelphia side rated well above them in KRACH without conceding, 1-0, with Anthony Madonna turning away 34 shots. Saugerties Mustangs needed more time but got the same result: Theodore Curran tied the game with 72 seconds left and won it in overtime, both goals set up by Adam Merchant, who finished with three points. Stephen Pittman’s hat trick included the winner with 73 seconds to play in Igloo Jaguars’ 3-2 result.

12U AA — Wildcats Climb Out of a Three-Goal Hole

Jersey Shore Wildcats 12AA trailed Toms River Blackhawks by three in the first period and won 6-5, with Bradley Joworisak scoring twice and setting up William Rea, whose two third-period goals put the Wildcats ahead for good. Genesis Hockey Club 12AA McGinty were the division’s only 3-0 team, closing the weekend with a 5-4 win at Jr Black Bears in a game that changed hands three times; Bryce Fisher had a goal and two assists and scored the winner, and Mason McGinty scored twice.

13U AA — Hickman Twice When It Counted

The weekend’s best comeback-and-counter-comeback came in a 6-5 overtime game at Igloo Jaguars 13AA, where the lead changed hands three times, Hollydell Hurricanes tied it with 151 seconds left in the third, and Nathaniel Hickman answered with the equalizer earlier in the period and then the winner in overtime. Delaware Ducks 13AA went 3-0, and Santiago Lopes kept a clean sheet with 26 saves for Rockets HC 13AA Black.

14U AA — Kings Find One More in Overtime

Skyland Kings 14AA led by two, lost the lead entirely, and got it back: Robert Giammarella tied the game in the third and Nathan Torres won it 5-4 in overtime. Gavin Wiswall scored four of Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ five goals in a 5-3 win at Rockets HC, and Beckham Moletress scored twice, the second of them the eventual winner, as Delaware Ducks edged PBK 4-3.

15U AA — Generals Sweep the Weekend

Red Bank Generals 15AA were one of only ten AHF teams to go 3-0, and the hardest of the three came at Blazers, where Joseph LoPresti scored twice and assisted on another in a 4-3 win. Lucas Rowe posted a shutout with 29 saves for Genesis Hockey Club 15AA, and Woodbridge Wolfpack and Valley Forge Colonials both finished 2-0.

16U AA — Beyer Settles It in Overtime

August Beyer’s goal with 88 seconds left in overtime gave Jersey Colts 16AA BLACK a 3-2 win at Jersey Shore Wildcats, in a game where their goaltenders combined for 77 saves and Adam Polakov took 41 of them. Two teams came through the division’s 25 games unbeaten and untied: North Jersey Avalanche 16AA Blue and Team Philadelphia 16AA Black both went 3-0. Keagan Rypkema kept a clean sheet with 26 saves as North Jersey Avalanche 16AA White won 2-0.

18U AA — Sixty-Four Seconds, Sixty-Seven Saves

Genesis Hockey Club 18AA were two goals down at Valley Forge and won 4-3, Vincent Graziani scoring twice, the second with 64 seconds left, while Isaac Mays made 29 saves at the other end. Lancaster Firebirds also came from two down, forcing overtime and winning 3-2 on Jackson Cole’s goal, with Ryan Trunfio making 39 saves. The weekend’s busiest night in a crease ended in a 3-3 tie: Brandon DiBenedetto stopped 67 shots for Rockets Hockey Club 18AA, and James Bason’s two third-period goals pulled them level.

Gretzky

10U Gretzky — Five Goals and the Winner

Owen Ross scored five times for NJ Bandits 10GRY in a 6-5 overtime win over Jersey Colts, four of them in a row to turn a three-goal deficit into a lead, the last of them in overtime after the Colts had tied it with 3.7 seconds left in the third. Henry Inverno’s goal with 82 seconds to play won it 3-2 for Jersey Shore Wildcats, and Tavis Hermogenes scored four as Delaware Ducks won 5-3 at York Devils.

12U Gretzky — Scolnick Completes the Climb

Montclair Blues 12GRY Major trailed by two in the second period and won 6-5 in overtime, Connor Scolnick scoring three including the winner with 53 seconds left in the extra period, with Nicholas Luca adding three goals and an assist. Jace Sozomenou’s three goals and two assists drove Red Bank Generals 12GRY, and Ramapo Saints came from three goals down to earn a 3-3 tie at Rockets HC, Jonathan Taglieri scoring twice.

14U Gretzky — Phantoms and Colts Both Go Three for Three

Lehigh Valley Phantoms 14GRY and Jersey Colts 14GRY were both perfect across three games. Jaxson Lewis scored a hat trick in the Phantoms’ win over Woodbridge Wolfpack, and Owen Gasper picked up three assists in the same game. Kieran Prozorov’s goal with two minutes left won a 3-2 game for Blazers 14GRY, and Shawn Foy’s second-period goal was the only one of a 1-0 Hollydell Hurricanes win.

16U Gretzky — Coolbaugh Blanks the Colonials

Levi Coolbaugh made 33 saves and allowed nothing as Haverford Hawks 16GRY won 2-0 on goals from Ryan Temple and Joey Epperson. Delaware Ducks got the better of a 5-4 game with Blazers on Tripp Antognoli’s third-period goal, with Chase Watkins recording a goal and four assists, and Nicola Jean put up two goals and three assists for Palmyra Black Knights.

18U Gretzky — Wildcats Turn It Around in Twelve Minutes

Jersey Shore Wildcats 18GRY Lepore went 3-0, and the pick of the three was a 5-4 win over Jersey Colts in which they trailed by two and scored four unanswered in the second period. Aiden Rukin finished with a goal and two assists and Eric Hafner added a goal and an assist. Elsewhere, Connor Pustizzi scored twice as NJ Jets won 4-3 at Skylands Kings, and Francesco Tossini’s pair carried Igloo Jaguars to a 3-1 result at Mercer Chiefs.

Lemieux

10U Lemieux — Four Goals Down, Level at the Buzzer

Montclair Blues 10L Grey were four goals adrift of Jersey Colts and finished 6-6, Edward Slomienski scoring three and assisting on another, including the goal that tied it with 152 seconds left. The division’s other Montclair side had a night of its own: Nicholas Kirby scored four, the winner among them, as Montclair Blues 10L White won a 9-7 game with Rockets Hockey Club. Genesis Hockey Club 10L were 2-0 for the weekend.

12U Lemieux — Hawks Make It Three

Haverford Hawks 12L were the division’s only unbeaten-and-untied team at 3-0, settling a 2-1 result on Thomas Epperson’s third-period goal after Jonah Kuo had tied it. The best finish came at PBK, where Rockwell Johnson tied the game with 95 seconds left and set up two others before Maysen Barkman won it 5-4 in overtime. Colin Ventresca put up three goals and four assists for Royals Hockey Club 12L.

14U Lemieux — Matzer Scores Five

Anthony Matzer scored five for Igloo Jaguars 14L in a 7-5 win at Hollydell Hurricanes that changed hands three times, and he added two more in a 5-3 win the following day as the Jaguars finished 2-0. Skyland Kings and Montclair Blues produced the weekend’s busiest tie: Hunter Henderson made 55 saves for the Kings and Bennett Gozman tied it 5-5 for Montclair with 66 seconds left.

16U Lemieux — Kings Answer Back

Skylands Kings 16L were two goals down to Jersey Shore Wildcats Red and won 5-4, Ryan Wolff scoring the winner with 178 seconds left after Vincent Sinocchi’s two goals and an assist had brought them back. James Burckhardt’s hat trick had given Valley Forge Colonials 16L a 5-3 win over the same opponent the day before, and Valley Forge, Team Philadelphia 16L Orange and Lehigh Valley Phantoms all went 2-0.

McDavid

10U McDavid — Chiefs Take the Extra Period

Mercer Chiefs 10M were 2-0 for the weekend, the second of them settled in overtime. Zachary Grasso’s five-goal game led Ramapo Saints 10M, Rose Skuches put up four goals and two assists for NJ Bandits 10M Lofberg, and Roselyn Li scored five for NJ Bandits 10M Gold. Leonard Tisdall kept a clean sheet for Wissahickon Warriors 10M, who also finished unbeaten.

12U McDavid — Two Overtimes, Two One-Goal Finishes

Ian Zwetolitz scored both Wissahickon Warriors 12M goals, the second in overtime, in a 2-1 win at Haverford Hawks, with Brady Clinton assisting on each. Valley Forge Colonials 12M came from two down to win 6-5 in overtime on Julius Machovina’s second of the game. Landon Lehmkuhl’s goal and three assists carried Mercer Chiefs through a 6-5 result at Jersey Colts, and Vincent Ferrante posted a shutout for NJ Jets 12M.

14U McDavid — Siegfried’s Four

Only five games were completed in the division, and the best of them belonged to Brayden Siegfried, who scored four for Valley Forge Colonials 14M and won it 4-3 with 51.5 seconds left after Genesis Hockey Club had tied it moments earlier. Joshua Zechman also scored four, in Hollydell Hurricanes’ 6-5 win at Mercer Chiefs, and Luke Murray posted a shutout for Genesis the next day.

Mites

8U AAA — Zlatin’s Hat Trick Wins It

Benjamin Zlatin scored three times for Mercer Arrows 8AAA in a 5-4 win at RSG 8AAA Minor, with Karter Still contributing a goal and two assists. LI Monarchs 2018 went 3-0 for the weekend, Jaxon Bourdon’s two goals and an assist settled a 4-2 result for Hollydell Jr Rebels Major, and Griffin Herits scored four for LI Fisherman.

8U AA — One Game, One Clean Sheet

The division’s single completed game went to Jersey Shore Wildcats 8AA, who kept the sheet clean with Julian Cortese in net.