TEAM PHILADELPHIA (14-2-0-0; 95 GF, 30 GA): With a division-leading plus-65 goal differential, Team Philadelphia played a well-round season in the AHF. Andrew Pisano led the way in scoring with 21 assists and 29 points on the year, while Tucker Graham topped in the goal-scoring duties with 13 goals. Dante DeFruscio and Alex Denny stood strong in net with a combined 1.88 goals-against average behind a solid defensive corps that let in the least amount of goals in the 16U AA division.
MYHA BLUE (13-3-0-0; 72 GF, 31 GA): MYHA spread out their goal scoring with five players having seven or more tallies on the season with Patrick McNeice hitting the 10-goal mark. Andrew Renzi was the key guy on special teams with three power play goals while adding two assists with the man-advantage. In net, Devin Brown was a workhorse facing 250 shots in 13 games, most among goaltenders in the playoffs. Brown also maintained a 1.92 GAA throughout the season.
ASHBURN XTREME (12-3-0-1; 90 GF, 46 GA): Special teams was the key for Ashburn with 23 power play goals and nine shorthanded goals, leading the division in both categories. On the power play side, both Sam Segar and Will Schneider had four power play goals a piece, with Jarrett Ireland potting eight power play points. From the blue line, Aidan Harrison and Spencer Combs were solid on the power play with four assists and three assists respectively. Down a man, that’s where Paul Allison shined, as he had four shorthanded markers and one assist while on the penalty kill.
NJ SKYLANDS KINGS NAVY (11-3-0-1, 55 GF, 38 GA): A core four group of scorers– Ayden Greenberg (10), Brendan Boudreau (9), Aaron Shulman (9), and Robbie Myshoff (9)– were instrumental for the Skylands Kings scoring, combining for about 65% of the team’s scoring. Johan Bars, Will Garrison, and Michael Piccinich anchor a defense that allowed only 2.53 goals a game with Rylan Gibbons and Tyler Paluzzi splitting time between the pipes.
HAVERFORD HAWKS (11-3-0-0; 63 GF, 41 GA): Another team that spreads the scoring around, Haverford was led in goals by Sean Tooke, who had 10, as Colin Rink, Coleman Peskin, and Ian D’Ambrosio all added eight through the year. AJ Moleski was atop the defensemen in scoring, while also being in a tie for the power play goals lead, contributing three goals with the extra man– tied with Tooke and leading scorer Dylan Kouba.
IGLOO JAGUARS BLACK (10-4-0-0; 65 GF, 31 GA): CJ Compagnola finished the AHF season leading the division in goals with 15, all of them being even strength. Tate Baer and Tommy Angelone led in power play goals with three each, while Colton Weiss’ six goals and 14 points led all defensemen in the 16U AA division. In net, Robert Kennedy had a .926 save percentage, which is the highest amongst the six playoff teams
Team Philadelphia (11-3-0) vs. Philadelphia Blazers (10-4-0) – Saturday, January 15th, 3:00 PM: It’s a battle of Philadelphia on day one for round-robin games in the U18 AA playoffs! The Blazers’ offense has been red hot, with its 74 goals the fourth-most in U18 AA. Add on the fact that the Blazers have outscored its opponents 21-2 during its three-game win streak to end the season and this is definitely an offense to watch out for. Brady Baehser leads the way for the Blazers with 25 points on the season and 12 points in his last five games. Team Philadelphia’s defense has played great this season, allowing only 29 goals (third-lowest total amongst U18 AA teams with ten or more games played). Team Philadelphia ended the season on a four-game win streak outscoring its opponents 16-4 in that stretch. Ethan Fredricks leads Team Philadelphia in scoring with 18 points on the season. This game will take place at Northeast Skate Zone Rink #1 and will be the first meeting between these two teams in the AHF this season.
MYHA Blue (15-1-0) vs. Igloo Jaguars Black (11-5-0) – Saturday, January 15th, 8:20 PM: The two highest-scoring teams in the Atlantic Hockey Federation’s U18 AA division go at it this Saturday night. MYHA Blue (93 goals) is the highest-scoring team in U18 AA and the only team to eclipse 90 goals this season. It boasts a roster with eight players scoring at or higher than a point per game average and a goaltending tandem of Sebastian Blanc and Joseph Lawrence who both posted a save percentage higher than .920 and combined for four shutouts. TJ Kouba leads the way offensively, with his 14 goals and 28 points good for third in the league in each category. He also places second in the league in assists with 14. MYHA is currently riding a 14 game win streak into the playoffs and hasn’t lost since August 28th, 2021. The Jaguars (87 goals) have the second-highest scoring offense in U18 AA. On top of that, goaltenders Michael Lieze and Nolan Bonawitz combine for the most shutouts amongst a goaltending tandem in U18 AA with five. Mario Leone is a player to watch out for on offense as his 21 goals are good enough to tie for the top goal scorer in the league. Leone also ranks second in points with 31. These two teams met twice during the regular season, with MYHA Blue winning both games 3-1 and 7-4. This game will be played at Grundy Ice Arena Rink B.
Ashburn Xtreme (12-2-0) vs. Rockets Hockey Club Black (7-6-0) – Sunday, January 16th, 1:10 PM: The Xtreme has enjoyed a successful season, with its offense ranking third in the league for most goals scored with 82 and only yielding 22 goals defensively. The 22 goals against is the lowest total in the league among U18 AA teams that have played ten or more games. Ashburn ended the regular season on a four-game win streak while outscoring its opponents 26-5. Andrew Kurowski has been a force offensively for the Xtreme this season, with his goals (21) and points (36) leading the league in both categories. The Rockets have had close contests with all the teams in this year’s U18 AA playoffs but have yet to face the Ashburn Xtreme. The Rockets Hockey Club got off to a red hot start winning six of its first seven games and never looked back. Four players on the Rockets average over a point per game, led by John Crowdell and his 19 points. This game will be played at Northeast Skate Zone Rink #1.
MYHA Blue vs. Igloo Jaguars Black: The Jaguars have had MYHA’s number this season, beating them twice already this season by a score of 4-2 and 5-3. CJ Compagnola and Colin Pape scored in both games and Tate Baer had a goal and two assists over the two games for the Jaguars. MYHA was led by Andre Serra and Cody Keegan, who both had two points in the two games. It remains to be seen if there will be pressure on the Jaguars, as it’s tough for teams to win three in a row against another, especially with so much on the line.
Team Philadelphia vs. Haverford Hawks: These two did not meet in the AHF schedule but have faced off against each other in the DVHL with Team Philadelphia besting Haverford 5-1. Haverford comes into this match-up as one of the hotter teams with four straight division wins going into the playoffs. Team Philadelphia is on a five-game winning streak, as well as a balanced attack on both sides of the puck. One of the biggest features will be how Haverford will be able to break through Team Philadelphia’s defense, while trying to hold off Team Philadelphia’s potent offensive prowess.
Ashburn Xtreme vs. New Jersey Skylands Kings Navy: While separated in the standings by two points, Ashburn has the upper hand with a 6-2 victory in their only AHF match-up of the season in September. Landon Street had two goals for Ashburn, while Paul Allison had a goal and assist in the victory. The Skylands Kings, however, got on a roll in December winning four of their five games in the month rolling towards the playoffs. Robbie Myshoff and Aaron Shulman potted four goals each in that span to help the team stay hot going into the playoffs.
The first-ever U18 AA playoffs wrapped up this past Sunday. Six teams entered with championship aspirations but only one could leave victorious. And after round-robin games that saw numerous close games, the Ashburn Xtreme stood tall and clinched the championship with a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Blazers.
Day one saw a lot of ice time for the teams competing, with each team in action twice. MYHA Blue took home the first victory of the round-robin with a 7-2 win over the Rockets Hockey Club Black. Joshua Weitzman led the way for MYHA, recording two goals and an assist. Later that afternoon, Ashburn forward Connor Gnatek (two goals, one assist) and goaltender Patrick DePault (25 saves) led the Ashburn Xtreme to an impressive 4-1 win over the Igloo Jaguars Black. All four goals scored by the Xtreme came in the final period of play. The Philadelphia Blazers then won an all Philadelphia match-up, beating Team Philadelphia in a close 4-2 contest. Max Maddalo and Brady Baehser each had two goals for the Blazers.
The Igloo Jaguars Black bounced back from its loss to Ashburn earlier that day by stunning the top-seeded MYHA Blue 5-1. Jaguars goalie Michael Lieze made 30 saves and forward Dylan Faulhaber scored twice for Igloo. The Rockets took out Team Philadelphia 3-2 in its second contest of the day, with Richard Arale scoring the game winning goal late in the third period. The Ashburn Xtreme capped off day one with a 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Blazers, riding a three goal third period for the victory.
Day two started off with Max Maddalo striking twice for the Philadelphia Blazers in a 3-2 win over MYHA Blue. Ashburn had 11 different players score in a dominant 11-2 victory over the Rockets Hockey Club Black. Round robin action concluded with some overtime heroics, as Nick Fonseca’s overtime tally lifted the Igloo Jaguars Black to a 2-1 win over Team Philadelphia.
The U18 AA championship game saw the Ashburn Xtreme take on the Philadelphia Blazers. It was a back and forth start, with the Xtreme leading 3-2 after the first 20 minutes. Max Maddalo started the scoring off for Philadelphia with his sixth goal of the postseason, but Derek Zhou responded for Ashburn to tie the game at 1-1. Sean Marshall got Philadelphia back on top with a goal to make it 2-1, but the Xtreme responded with two goals from John Ryan and Jospeh Sciavolino to give Ashburn a 3-2 lead after the first period.
Josh Shewbridge added to the Xtreme’s lead with a second period goal to make it 4-2. Kevin Donnelly and Evan Gould added insurance goals in the third period, leading to the Ashburn Xtreme’s 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Blazers for the championship. Leo Quattrone put together one of his best performances of the season for the Xtreme, turning aside 37 shots. Leo is now 3-0-0 when making 30 or more saves in a game this season.
In the first ever weekend of playoff action in the AHF, the 14U AA division provided some great action, along with plenty of reasons to be excited about the tournaments to come. Before we can look ahead, we have to look back at some well-played hockey. In the championship game, the North Jersey Aspen Kings Blue skated away with the first AHF 14U AA championship banner after a weekend full of great performances. Let’s take a look back to see how they earned their crown.
The Aspen Kings kicked off their round robin schedule on Saturday morning against the Ashburn Xtreme, earning a 6-2 victory. In the win, Ben Barnhill scored two goals and was one of five North Jersey skaters with two points in the win. The Aspen Kings had to work hard for the three points, however, as Tyler Rounds had a very strong night in net for the Xtreme. Rounds made 38 saves in the game, allowing Ashburn to remain competitive until the game’s conclusion.
North Jersey returned to action that afternoon to take on MYHA Blue. The Aspen Kings earned a hard-fought 8-5 win over MYHA thanks to a few key performers. Jase Zangara scored an impressive 4 goals, including the game winner, while Jake McCloud tallied a goal and 3 assists in the game. The game’s spotlight was not limited to the Aspen Kings’s bench, though, as Daniel McNelis scored a hat trick for MYHA Blue.
The Aspen Kings concluded a perfect run in the round robin with a 4-0 decision over Royals Hockey Club on Sunday morning. After a back-and-forth first period, North Jersey was able to gain control of the game thanks to Barhill, who cashed in for 3 goals, two of them coming on the man advantage. The full story of the game cannot be told without lauding the performance of Trey Prozzillo in goal for the Royals, as he made some big saves to keep his team in the game. With the win, the Aspen Kings punched their ticket to the championship game.
In the championship game, the Aspen Kings met the Rockets Hockey Club, who also finished the round robin with a 3-0-0 record. In arguably the best game of the weekend, the Aspen Kings won in a 6-5 shootout affair. The Rockets propelled ahead in the first period with two goals, one coming while shorthanded and the other on the power play. The Aspen Kings roared back with three goals in the second period, two coming from McCloud. The Rockets also scored once in the period, this time at even strength, to create a 3-3 score heading into the final period. The Rockets special teams found their groove again in the third period. Josh Sadelski scored his third goal , and his team’s second shorthanded goal of the game. He later added an assist to his point total on Anthony Brereton’s PPG to double the lead for the Rockets. The Aspen Kings weren’t going down without a fight, however, as they scored two goals in just over two minutes to force the shootout. The first two rounds of the shootout saw some fantastic goaltending from Salvatore Mirra for the Aspen Kings and Liam Slattery for the Rockets, as no goals were scored. Zangara played the hero for the Aspen Kings, breaking the deadlock and scoring the only goal of the shootout. Mirra slammed the door to seal the deal and to secure the title for North Jersey.
Great games were not limited to the Aspen Kings’s tournament run, as great games filled the tournament’s slate. On Saturday morning, the Royals and Rockets had a very close game, with the Rockets winning 3-1. Ryan DeMatteo scored the opening goal in the first period for the Royals, but a trio of third period goals, including two points from Kenneth Doctors, gave the Rockets the win. Prozzillo had another great performance in this game, turning aside 41 shots for the Royals.
MYHA Blue sprung the first upset of the tournament on the same day, knocking off the North Jersey Avalanche, 3-1. McNelis’s pair of goals helped MYHA to victory, but nothing came easy for them as Aidan Alvino’s 36 saves for the Avalanche kept the game very close.
The first 14U tournament showcased a lot of skill from some of the best players in this age group, but many more are still waiting to show what they have to offer. The other divisions in the 14U age group (Gold, Silver, B) are set to have their playoff tournaments on March 18-20, which you will not want to miss.