DC takes down Roughriders to claim NAPHL Championship

The DC Capitals (18U) were crowned champions of the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) after winning the title game Monday at the Ice Cube in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Defenseman Josh Bretner notched the game-winning goal and an assist as the Capitals downed the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders in the 18U championship game, 3-2.  In goal, Paul Bourbeau turned aside 12 shots.


DC Capitals won all five games in the NAPHL playoffs, four of the five games by a one goal differential. DC also captured the AYHL Regular Season title a few weeks ago, and are the favorites to win the Southeastern District Championship and qualify for nationals. 


It was an inspiring effort by the Rocky Mountain Roughriders after defeating the Lansing Capitals 3-1 to reach the semifinals and finish second in Gold Division A behind the DC Capitals. Then, the Roughriders took down a red-hot Indiana Jr. Ice team in a shootout to reach the championship game. Rocky Mountain came to the NAPHL Playoffs in their last event of the season, after having a disappointing performance at the Colorado State playoffs and failing to qualify for the Rocky Mountain District Championships. 


In consolation games, the Lansing Capitals pounded the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals 5-1, while the NAPHL regular season champions, San Jose Jr. Sharks, collected their first win in the playoffs with a 4-3 win over the Detroit Falcons.  

Roughriders and Capitals rematch in finals

 

The DC Capitals and Rocky Mountain Roughriders will faceoff tomorrow in the NAPHL playoffs championship. The DC Capitals finished tied for first place but lost the regular season title because San Jose beat them earlier in the year. Rocky Mountain finished in seventh place in the NAPHL regular season standings, but have made their way stunning the competition to the championship game. 


DC has gone undefeated after defeating Lansing Capitals 2-1, Rocky Mountain Roughriders 2-0, and Detroit Falcons 2-1, and rolling over Wenatchee Jr. Wild in the semifinals by a 5-2 score. 


Rocky Mountain's only loss was the 2-0 defeat coming at the hands of the DC Capitals, but they went on to defeat the Falcons 4-3 in a shootout, Lansing Capitals 3-1, and the Roughriders cooled down the red-hot Jr. Ice 2-1 in a closely contested shootout in the semifinals.


These two teams met only once during the regular season, the Roughriders won 5-4 after a shootout, but that was in October of 2010. The DC Capitals shut out the Roughriders in a 2-0 contest a day ago in the NAPHL playoffs, but both with rematch for the second NAPHL playoffs championship. Last year, the California Titans defeated Omaha AAA for the U18 NAPHL playoff championship, after California won the regular season title.  

Thunder Bay Kings spoil Hounds cinderella story

2011 NLHL Playoff Champions - Thunder Bay Kings

Thunder Bay Kings 4, West Michigan Hounds 3

Thunder Bay won the NLHL Playoff Championships with a 4-3 defeat of the NLHL's cinderella team in the playoffs, West Michigan Hounds. The Hounds won their semifinal matchup against the NLHL Regular Season Champions, Shattuck AAA. West Michigan won their semifinal in a shootout, after being pounded by Shattuck AAA 6-2 and 5-1 in two games a weekend ago. The Hounds almost completed the Cinderella Story but came up one goal short to the host-team Kings. 


Thunder Bay finished in third place in the NLHL regular season, while the Hounds finished in fourth. Both defeated the higher two seeds in upset semifinals. Thunder Bay took out Lansing CC Pride by a 6-4 score, and the Hounds did the same in a 3-2 shootout victory over Shattuck AAA. This is a great sign for the Thunder Bay Kings heading into Tellus Cup play, and even a better sign as West Michigan prepares for Michigan state-play downs. 

NAPHL Playoff Semifinals set

The Gold Championship Series semifinals are set in the NAPHL playoffs. In one semifinal the Indiana Jr. Ice faceoff against the Rocky Mountain Roughriders, and the other semifinals has the DC Capitals battling the Wenatchee Jr. Wild.


The Lansing Capitals and Milwaukee Jr. Admirals who respectively finished in third place in their divisions matchup in a consolation. While, the California State Champs and number 1 seed coming into the playoffs, San Jose Jr. Sharks, look for their first win in the NAPHL playoffs when they take on the Detroit Falcons in the other consolation matchup. 

Ice Jets golden at Gold Medal Classic

Dallas Ice Jets 4, Culver Academy Prep 3

The Ice Jets' incredible performance at the Gold Medal Classic sure makes them a threat at the Rocky Mountain District Championships, if they get there. Dallas defeated Chicago's best two AAA teams and one of USA's best prep teams to claim the championship. The Ice Jets opened the tournament by defeating CYA 8-5, then the Ice Jets took down the host Capitols and the NLHL's Soo Indians. This landed the Ice Jets in the semifinals against the reigning national champions, Chicago Mission. But, the Ice Jets continued to roll and they rolled by the Mission 5-3. In the finals, the Ice Jets battled Culver Prep. The closely contested battle ended up in Dallas' favor with a 4-3 victory and Gold Medal Classic champions. 

Dallas heads home proud as Gold Medal Classic champions, and hopes of continuation of their season at the Rocky Mountain District Championships. 

Back to back NLHL Championships for Shattuck AAA

Shattuck St. Mary's AAA 6, West Michigan Hounds 2

Shattuck St. Mary's AAA 5, West Michigan Hounds 1

Shattuck St. Mary's AAA convincingly took a two game sweep over the West Michigan Hounds to claim back to back NLHL regular season championships. Shattuck AAA also won the NLHL playoff championship last year. Shattuck's passed the Lansing CC Pride on the last weekend of regular season play, and claimed the top spot in the NLHL playoffs next weekend in Thunder Bay, Ontario. 

Thunderbirds dominate Colorado State Championships

Colorado Thunderbirds 8, Colorado Rampage 0

Colorado Thunderbirds dismantled their in-state competition to easily claim the state championship. The Thunderbirds won their opening contest 3-0 over the Pikes Peak Miners and followed it up by defeating the Rampage 6-3. In the finals, the Thunderbirds battled the Rampage, who was definitely fatigued after winning a closely contested game in overtime to reach the finals. The Thunderbirds took advantage of the opportunity and rolled over the Rampage by an 8-0 score. 

Thunderbirds head into the Pacific District Championships as the team to beat, but the Dallas Stars and Phoenix Jr. Coyotes could pose problems for the #3 nationally-ranked team. 

Dallas Stars come back to win state

Dallas Stars 4, Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 5 (2OT)

Dallas Stars 4, Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 1

Dallas Stars 5, Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 2

Stars win series (2-1 games)

Dallas Stars is another team that clinched a state championship this weekend. The Stars took two of the best of three game series from their arch-rival Dallas Alliance Bulldogs.

The Stars like the Junior Sharks found themselves down after losing the first game of the state championships. Dallas Alliance Bulldogs pulled off a stunning upset in game one of the series, defeating the Stars 5-4 in double overtime. But the Stars came back with two convincing wins over the Alliance Bulldogs to claim the state championship.

Dallas Stars will advance to the Rocky Mountain District Championships, and the Alliance Bulldogs and Dallas Ice Jets participation in the District Championships still has to be determined.

The Dallas Stars will pose as one of the biggest threats to #3 nationally-ranked Colorado Thunderbirds in the Rocky Mountain District Championships.

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.

Exciting action from tournaments and state championships

A great Saturday of Midget AAA hockey action has concluded and makes tomorrow even more intriguing.

There’s no updated scores from the Gold Medal Classic, but most scores from Saturday have been entered. But still no identification of semi-finalists.

In San Diego, the California State Championships got exciting. With the Jr. Sharks and Titans upset wins in the early morning, this set up the final two round robin games with the winners heading to the finals. The Stars defeated the Jr. Kings and the Jr. Sharks took down their fellow NAPHL rival California Titans, both by closely contested 3-2 scores.

After losing a heartbreaker in double overtime the night before, the Dallas Stars bounced back with a 4-1 win over the Alliance Bulldogs, setting up game 3 for the State Championship.

Shattuck AAA took care of the West Michigan Hounds and need only a win or a tie to claim the NLHL regular season title.

Pikes Peak magical run ends in heartbreaking fashion. The Miners led 3-1 after two periods, but the Colorado Rampage rallied back to claim victory by a 5-4 score in overtime. Rampage battle Thunderbirds in Colorado State Championship.

Also, the Lansing Capitals convincingly stomped on the Cleveland Barons. The Capitals 5-0 shutout of the Barons sent Cleveland running back home. Performances like this show why the Capitals are dark horses in Michigan’s upcoming State Championships. 

State tournaments heating up

The thrilling action of the state tournaments continue this weekend with three state tournaments. In the Texas State Championships, the Dallas Alliance Bulldogs won a dramatic 5-4 double overtime game to take game one of the series. While at the Colorado State Championships, two NAPHL rivals battled in an elimination game. The Pikes Peak Miners upset the Roughriders by a 2-1 score to end Rocky Mountain's hope of a Rocky Mountain district birth and a national title run. Pikes Peak faceoffs against Colorado Rampage today in another elimination game, the winner playing the Thunderbirds in the finals. With California State action in San Diego, California Stars romped the California Titans 6-1, and no score has been reported between the Jr. Sharks and Jr. Kings. 

Also, the Madison Gold Medal Classic kicked off on Friday. With no major upsets showing up, but plenty of action to go. The winners of all four divisions will be declared, with semifinal action hitting the ice tonight. 

Check Out Weekend Preview

Lots of exciting Midget AAA hockey action this weekend. And its the best time of year because its playoffs. Teams hopes of a national title can vanish this weekend. The California and Colorado State Championships hit the ice this weekend, where district championship bids will be on the line.


Also, the Gold Medal Classic contains a tremendous field. And a few Mid-Am non league matchups take place this weekend. 


For the preview of this weekend's action take a look at the Weekend Preview page. And visit the Schedule/Scores page for up to date scores.  

Calgary Edge School 3, Shattuck St. Mary's Prep 2

The Mountaineers completed a unbelievable feat this weekend with a road victory against Shattuck Prep. You usually don't see Shattuck's scoreboard look like this when Shattuck Prep is playing. This was Shattuck Prep's sixth loss of the season, and first to a non Minnesota High School All Star team. More information on this story in the Weekend Round Up page. 

Hill Academy Prep spoils Viper Stars quest for home tournament title

The Hill Academy Prep clinched the Midget AAA Steel City Cup Championship with a 3-1 defeat of the host tournament team Pittsburgh Viper Stars. Hill Academy won this tournament on US soil after being denied the opportunity to win the Honeybaked/Compuware Invitational earlier in the season. Hill Academy Prep has been known for defeating notable US teams including Detroit Compuware, Lansing Capitals, Philadelphia Jr. Flyers, and Gilmour Academy Prep. Pittsburgh Viper Stars reached the tournament finals after taking down MidAm district rival Gilmour Academy Prep. Pittsburgh has next weekend off, while Hill Academy Prep goes to Detroit to face a couple of Michigan high school perennial powerhouses.

Check Out Schedule/Scores page

Even with a short slate of hockey games this weekend, the Midget Major hockey world saw some excitement and one huge upset. More information on games this weekend will come at the end of Sunday, on the Weekend Round Up page. 

Check out the Schedule/Scores page for updated scores from Friday's and Saturday's hockey games. 

Check Out Weekend Preview

Check out the Weekend Preview page and see the inside analysis and predictions of this weekend's upcoming games. 

Including, the Steel City Cup Tournament in Pittsburgh, PA and Calgary Edge School Prep visiting #1 ranked Shattuck St. Mary's Prep in a two game non league series. 

Phoenix teams battle for Arizona State Championship

During this week, two Phoenix area teams battled it out for the right to be Arizona Tier I State Champions. The Phoenix Jr. Coyotes and Phoenix Firebirds played a best of three game series to claim the championship.


First, the teams squared off on Tuesday night. The Phoenix Jr. Coyotes carried the play and won easily by a 4-1 score over the Firebirds. The teams met again the following night, and the Jr. Coyotes held the Firebirds scoreless with a 3-0 win. 


Phoenix Jr. Coyotes took the first two games of the best of three game series to claim the championship. However, both teams qualified as the two representatives of Arizona Hockey in the Rocky Mountain District Championships. The Jr. Coyotes and Firebirds will have the opportunity to qualify for the National Championships which begin in late March.  

NJPHL Championship weekend postponed

The NJPHL Championship event scheduled for this weekend in Kalamazoo, Michigan has been postponed due to the severe blizzard hitting the midwest region recently.

The Championship weekend has been rescheduled for March 18-20 in Kalamazoo. The West Michigan Hounds is hosting the championship event, where games are scheduled to be played at West Wings Ice Arena and Wings Stadium.

NAPHL Playoffs schedule

The North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) has announced its playoff and consolation schedule for the event being held at the Troy Sports Center in Troy, MI. The NAPHL playoff and consolation showcase event is taking place on the weekend of February 18-21. 

The schedule for the Gold Championship Series Playoffs and Silver Consolation Series can be found at this site: http://nahlprospects.stats.pointstreak.com/leagueschedule.html?leagueid=861&seasonid=6598

Silver Consolation Series Divisions

Pool A	Pool B
Boston Jr. Rangers	Omaha AAA
California Titans	Orange County
TPH Thunder	Texas Tornado
Pikes Peak Miners	St. Louis Selects
Motor City Metal Jackets	Pittsburgh Viper Stars

Gold Championship Series Playoffs Divisions

Pool A	Pool B
Indiana Jr. Ice	DC Capitals
Wenatchee Wild	Rocky Mountain Roughriders
San Jose Jr. Sharks	Lansing Capitals
Milwaukee Jr. Admirals	Detroit Falcons

California State Playoffs announced

The 2011 California State Playoffs are February 11-13 in Escondido, Calif. The top four teams in the California Regular Season standings qualified for the California State Playoffs. The LA Jr. Kings won the regular season championship. California Stars, California Titans, and the San Jose Jr. Sharks are the other three teams that qualified for the state playoffs. This is the 2011 California State Playoffs schedule:

Date	Day	Away		Home
11-Feb	Friday	SJ Jr. Sharks		LA Jr. Kings
11-Feb	Friday	California Titans		California Stars
12-Feb	Saturday	SJ Jr. Sharks		California Stars
12-Feb	Saturday	California Titans		LA Jr. Kings
12-Feb	Saturday	California Stars		LA Jr. Kings
12-Feb	Saturday	SJ Jr. Sharks		California Titans

Jr. Sharks & DC Capitals share NAPHL regular season championship

The San Jose Jr. Sharks claimed the NAPHL regular season title after going 5-0 in the NAPHL's last regular season showcase event in Darien, IL. San Jose defeated the DC Capitals earlier in their only meeting by a 5-1 score to take the NAPHL regular season outright championship, even though both teams finished with 43 points. 

The top eight teams who finished in the NAPHL regular season standings qualified for the NAPHL Gold Championship series playoffs. The other six teams include: Lansing Capitals, Indiana Jr. Ice, Milwaukee Jr. Admirals, Detroit Falcons, Rocky Mountain Roughriders and Wenatchee Jr. Wild. 

In fact, the last playoff spot came down to a shootout in the one of the last games of the regular season. Pittsburgh Viper Stars and Wenatchee Jr. Wild both had 29 points, and the winner would earn the last and eighth playoff spot. After both teams were tied at the end of regulation, the game went to a sudden death shootout. In the seventh round, Wenatchee's Glithero came up with the game winning shootout goal in dramatic fashion. Wenatchee won 2-1 in a shootout to claim the final playoff birth.  


The NAPHL Playoffs and Consolation Series will take place February 18-21 in Troy, Michigan. The Championship games of both the playoffs and consolation series will be held at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, home of the US NTDP. 


Final NAPHL Regular Season Standings:

	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS	WPCT	GF	GA
San Jose Jr Sharks 18U	25	21	3	1	43	0.86	93	53
DC Capitals 18U	25	21	3	1	43	0.86	117	62
Lansing Capitals 18U	25	19	4	2	40	0.8	96	51
Indiana Jr Ice 18U	25	18	5	2	38	0.76	85	56
Milwaukee Jr Admirals 18U	25	17	8	0	34	0.68	77	59
Detroit Falcons 18U	25	16	8	1	33	0.66	95	62
Rocky Mountain Roughriders 18U	25	15	8	2	32	0.64	73	62
Wenatchee Wild 18U	25	14	8	3	31	0.62	92	66
Thunder AAA 18U	25	14	9	2	30	0.6	83	70
Pittsburgh Viper Stars 18U	25	13	8	4	30	0.6	86	71
Orange County 18U	25	11	10	4	26	0.52	61	71
California Titans 18U	25	11	14	0	22	0.44	78	83
Texas Tornado 18U	25	11	14	0	22	0.44	63	85
Pikes Peak Miners 18U	25	7	18	0	14	0.28	83	101
Omaha AAA 18U	25	4	16	5	13	0.26	64	108
Motor City Metal Jackets 18U	25	5	20	0	10	0.2	68	113
St Louis Selects 18U	25	4	19	2	10	0.2	63	135
Boston Jr Rangers 18U	25	4	19	2	10	0.2	64	133