HACKENSACK, N.J. – Ice House Arena was alive on Saturday afternoon, with five teams earning a coveted spot to USA Hockey Tier-II Nationals. In a best-of-three series for 14U, 16U and 18U AA divisions sorted out by state, five teams managed to finish the contest after only two games.
The 14U divisions kicked off the day with the North Jersey Avalanche and Lehigh Valley Phantoms Youth snagging a ticket to Kalamazoo, Michigan. In the 18U divisions, Wilmington Nighthawks, New Jersey Jets and Philadelphia Blazers all earned a spot in the tournament up north in Utica, New York.
The 16U division pushed to Sunday, with the New Jersey Devils managing to hold off the Montclair Blues and squeeze out an overtime win. Between Team Philadelphia and the Valley Forge Colonials, the Colonials came from behind to force a third game.
Action continues tomorrow starting at 9 a.m., with Tier-I champions also set to be crowned.