San Jose wins California State Championship

San Jose Jr. Sharks 3, California Stars 2 (OT)

San Jose Jr. Sharks captured the California State Championship with a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over the California Stars.

San Jose finished fourth and under the .500 mark in the California regular season. But the Junior Sharks clinched the final playoff spot into the California State Championships, and were able to reel off three wins for the State Championship.

After losing 2-1 to the LA Jr. Kings in their opening game, the Junior Sharks found themselves needing to win three straight games for the State Championship. And that’s just what they did. They reeled off three straight wins, including a 5-3 win over the California Stars, 3-2 victory over the California Titans, and they defeated the Stars again in the finals 3-2 in overtime.

San Jose has been stellar in 2011, as they’ve posted a 13-2-1 record in the second half of the season and lost only once in their last 15 contests. This recent accomplish accompanies their NAPHL regular season championship. San Jose hopes to win the NAPHL playoffs next weekend as they head into Troy, Michigan as the number 1 seed.

The California Stars who finished in second place will go along with the Junior Sharks to the Pacific District Championships. The event kicks off on March 3^rd in Anchorage, Alaska.